Dubois County Democratic Party brings “Your Community, Your Say” town hall to Jasper
Second Big Tent town hall set for Thursday, August 6 at KlubHaus61. Organized by the Democratic Party, moderated by a Republican, and open to everyone. Free.
Jasper–Neighbors from across Dubois County and beyond are invited to a community town hall on Thursday, August 6, at KlubHaus61, 2031 N Newton St in Jasper. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the program begins at 7:00 PM. It is the second in the series of Big Tent town halls hosted by the Dubois County Democratic Party.
The first of these filled the community center in St. Anthony on July 22, with more than sixty people in a town of about two hundred and forty. Word has traveled since, and residents from several neighboring counties have said they plan to make the drive to Jasper. The organizers took notes as well. Each town hall is built for the community hosting it and for the decisions in front of that community right now, and Jasper’s has been rebuilt from the last one: a different subject, a different set of guests, a different format.
“If you remember the Phil Donahue show, that’s the idea,” said Angi Nehmer, who moderated the first town hall in St. Anthony. “No podium, nobody standing up front giving a speech. Four or five guests around a coffee table, and a microphone that comes out to you. And there’s no such thing as a dumb question. If you’re sitting there wondering about something, I promise you somebody else in that room is wondering the same thing.”
The party is organizing and paying for the evening, and has handed the microphone to a Republican. Jason McCoy, a familiar voice at Property Rights Alliance meetings across the county, will moderate. That is deliberate: this is not a party meeting and it is not a rally.
The subject is the part of local government nobody ever explains to you: who actually decides, and how you find out in time to do anything about it.
Consider one example from the same evening. While sixty people were in St. Anthony asking how these decisions are made, the Jasper City Council was making one. The council took up the city’s membership in the Mid-States Corridor Regional Development Authority. Three options were on the table, and the city attorney confirmed all three ended on the same date in December 2027, including the one labeled withdrawal. There was no option to leave any sooner. That date came from a legal opinion the RDA board itself had obtained, in an area the city’s attorney described as uncharted, with no case law defining how any of it was supposed to work. The council voted 5-2 to take no action, and two members voted no anyway, on principle. So who decides what goes on an agenda, and what stays out? Who writes the ordinance, and who decides which choices a council gets to pick from? Is the attorney in the room there to advise, or to decide? Nobody asked you, and nobody explained it. Those questions have answers, and most residents have no idea where to go looking for them. They are the same questions every time. From local income tax to property taxes, solar farms and battery storage, data centers and what they bring with them: the projects are the evidence, not the agenda.
The guest list is short on purpose, four or five people with varied political backgrounds in the same conversation. They don’t always agree with each other, and that is the point. Nobody is asked to change their mind about anything, and nobody is asked to check their party at the door. Guests include Brad Hochgesang, Democratic candidate for Indiana State Senate District 48, and Tiffanie Arthur, candidate for Indiana State House District 63, joined by Republican and Independent voices from around the county.
The Property Rights Alliance is canceling its own regular meeting so its members can attend, and other civic groups around the county have told organizers their people will be there. Every elected official in Dubois County is invited, not to be put on trial but to help explain how the sausage actually gets made. Candidates for local, statewide, and national office will be in the audience rather than on the stage, introduced at the start of the evening so residents know exactly who is in the room and can ask them questions directly. People will notice who shows up.
“This is not a Democratic Party meeting. We are organizing it, we are paying for it, and then we are getting out of the way,” said Dennis Tedrow, chair of the Dubois County Democratic Party. “A Republican is running the microphone, a good share of the room will be Republicans, and they are welcome. Roads, taxes, and what gets built where do not sort neatly by party. We want to know where we actually disagree, and where we actually agree. We would rather hear that from you than through the grapevine.”
“When I ask for your vote, I’m asking you to be my boss,” said Brad Hochgesang, Democratic candidate for Indiana State Senate District 48. “I’d make a poor employee if I never asked what the job was. So come Thursday and tell me — what should this office be doing for you, and what has it been doing instead? If you’re one of the people most affected by these decisions, I especially want to hear from you. You’re the one who almost never gets asked.”
Residents are encouraged to bring questions, and can send them ahead of time to the Dubois County Democratic Party by email or through social media.
Event details
• What: Big Tent community town hall. How local government works, who sets the agenda, and how residents hold elected officials accountable.
• When: Thursday, August 6, 2026. Doors open 6:30 PM, program begins 7:00 PM.
• Where: KlubHaus61, 2031 N Newton St, Jasper, Indiana.
• Who: Everyone welcome and strongly encouraged to attend, from Dubois County and beyond. Republicans, Independents, Democrats, and folks who don’t follow politics at all.
• Cost: Free and open to the public. Refreshments served, with a suggested $5 donation to help cover venue and refreshment costs.
More town halls on the way
The series continues in Huntingburg, with additional town halls planned for Ferdinand, Dubois, the Celestine area, and neighboring counties. Dates and locations will be announced as they are confirmed.
Community groups interested in taking part in a future town hall can contact the Dubois County Democratic Party at 812-296-7096 and DuboisCountyDemocraticParty@gmail.com
**Town Halls Scheduled and venue reserved
8/13 Ferdinand Station 313 (Senior Community Center)
8/19 Dubois Ruritan Club
8/26 Huntingburg VFW
9/8 Ireland Sportsman Club
9/26 Jasper Astra with Bayhs (has this venue been confirmed/reserved?)
