Jochim, Wehr want to serve as Huntingburg’s at-large councilman
Early voting in the 2023 Municipal Election is underway in Dubois County, and we are publishing a series of Q&As with candidates in the contested seats.
Incumbent Huntingburg Common Councilman-at-Large Tim Wehr, Independent, is facing a challenge from Eric Jochim, Republican.
The at-large position on the council represents all four of Huntingburg’s precincts. All eligible Huntingburg voters can vote for the at-large candidate.
The Huntingburg Common Council serves as the legislative and fiscal body for city government. There are five members of the Huntingburg Council covering four precincts and one at-large council member.
As the legislative body, the council has the responsibility of passing or changing ordinances, resolutions, orders, and motions for the city’s government. As the fiscal body, the council has the authority to levy certain taxes, and it has the sole responsibility of adopting a city budget each year. The council also appoints members to certain boards and commissions that serve the community and county in various areas.
Here are the questions we submitted to Mr. Wehr and Mr. Jochim. Their answers appear below their names for each question.
What do you bring to the position in regard to experience that will be of benefit to the people or the City of Huntingburg?
Tim Wehr
I enjoy being involved. I have been on the city council for the past eigt years and have learned a lot about how the city operates. I’m involved with the city budget every year and observe how funds are spent and invested in the city. Additionally, I serve as the council Pro-Tem and am responsible for running the council meetings when needed.
Previously, I’ve been involved on other boards such as the Huntingburg Girls Softball League, Friends of Raider Softball, the successful YES for Southridge referendum campaign, and sat on the Building Corporation for Southwest School Corporation during the renovation.
Staying plugged in around town and being aware of what’s on people’s minds is something I take very seriously. I’m employed as a corporate pilot, and my travel lets me spend time in other cities and towns where I meet people and see things that are improving other people’s lives. This gives me the opportunity to bring these ideas back to Huntingburg for consideration here.
Eric Jochim
This answer is simple: life experience. I’ve had the privilege to live a life full of adversity, which has molded me into the man I am today. Growing up in a single-parent home, I understand the struggles that some people can go through and am empathetic to their needs. I want to make sure Huntingburg is a city that gives all residents an opportunity to thrive and have access to basic and sometimes overlooked needs. I believe we can achieve these goals by working with the schools and local organizations like the VFW, ALASI and our Senior Citizen Center.
As a business owner, I understand the hurdles that someone might face when pursuing entrepreneurship. I’ve had the opportunity to mentor several small businesses and would like to continue some sort of support process if elected into the At-Large position. Small businesses are the backbone of our community and offer a more personal touch to Huntingburg. I feel like I bring the experience and knowledge to help others reach their goals of being small business owners within our community. Along with being a business owner, I believe I will be able to identify and address complex issues facing the city, from infrastructure challenges to social and economic problems, which may include managing budgets, allocating resources efficiently, and ensuring financial stability for the city.
I am currently the President of the Huntingburg Herbstfest and have served in that position for the last two years. I was the Vice President prior and have assisted in helping multiple non-profit organizations. I believe I have demonstrated my commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the community and understanding their needs and concerns through my volunteer work. I have an unwavering commitment to ensure the people of Huntingburg come first.
What issues are you passionate about addressing or bringing forward if elected to the council?
Eric Jochim
I could sit here and bring up roads, sidewalks, dilapidated houses and unkempt businesses. However, all these things can be summed up in one word. Accountability. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of accountability within our current administration. I will change that. I will bring accountability back to City Hall and our Council. I will push until a viable resolution is made on the topics at hand. There will be no more tabling of issues for months on end. That’s not fair to the people of Huntingburg; we all deserve better than that.
Tim Wehr
I have been promoting the need and budgeting the funds for new sidewalks in the city along the busiest streets in town. We are aware of the problem and have plans in place to fix it.
I will keep moving forward on the new facility for our senior citizens.
The thoughtful development of the Maple Park property.
Finishing up the projects we currently have in the works and focusing on improving and properly maintaining what we have already.
I want to explore the surrounding area for possibly the next subdivision.
Do you have thoughts on how the city should handle the Maple Park School property?
Tim Wehr
I don’t think we should rush into anything before we get input from our citizens on what they feel is most needed there. I would suggest we have open meetings where citizens can come and share their thoughts on what they would like to see the property be used for.
I look forward to sitting on a panel and discussing the possibilities.
I’ve had and heard many ideas about the development of the Maple Park block. We have a large stormwater drainage structure going through part of the property that we will have to deal with, so it will be challenging for parts of the block.
I have several ideas and am happy to share a few.
We could join forces with the high school and construct a facility that could house a swimming pool that could be used year-round. If this were the most popular idea, I expect we’d see donations and sponsorships from many of the local corporations and grants from state and federal programs that could offset costs instead of it all coming from our local taxpayers.
The need for enlarging the daycare center has been brought to my attention, so the possibility exists to work to bring that to reality.
We could divide and sell individual lots to help fill the need for additional housing in Huntingburg and serve to put the property back on the tax roll.
We could open the project up for developers to present their ideas regarding what they can do to develop the property in a way that is most beneficial.
Eric Jochim
I would love to see that property used for something like an affordable community center that the people of Huntingburg could use. I believe amenities like this will foster growth and be considered when people look at bringing businesses here and/or moving into our community. I want our youth to look at Huntingburg as a place they would like to stay or return to after school or military service. In order to achieve this, we need more amenities.
How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making processes?
Eric Jochim
I would love to see city hall start publishing the council meetings’ “topics of discussion” a week prior instead of only a day or two before. I understand that addendums will be made, but those can easily be added to the Huntingburg webpage and social media platforms as they come in. And this shouldn’t just be for the council, but the board of public works and all other boards as well. People deserve the opportunity to make arrangements to speak, and a day or two won’t cut it sometimes.
Tim Wehr
I intend to promote public meetings where our interested citizens can attend and make suggestions. We are setting up a panel of two council members, a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, and other citizen volunteers who have asked to participate. I would like to conduct the meetings like we did when I was on the YES for the Southridge High School renovation project a few years back, where all voices were heard, and all ideas were considered.
If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
Tim Wehr
$1 million would allow us to take advantage of many great opportunities for the city. For the sake of discussion, it also illustrates how city government should work. Over my eight years on the council, it’s been made very clear that there are a lot of different and worthwhile ideas out there, and many have shared theirs with me. Some would have me spend it all on improving streets, others want more or better parks, some want a senior center, and some want the old Dairy Land property improved and of course, sidewalks. All valid, all important, but $1,000,000 wouldn’t be enough, so you’ll never be able to do everything at once. That’s where my experience will be helpful.
First, I would attempt to make sure it benefits as many people as possible. I’d look at all the things we are already working on and apply the funds to allow all of them to be completed sooner. The sidewalks, the Senior Citizens Center, improving our streets, our parks, all issues would be included. Public safety would be included as well, making our city safer by including the needs of our police and fire departments.
Eric Jochim
The first thing I would do is get ahold of the VA bus and see what requirements need to be met for them to come here like they did when Sherer Family Medicine was open by the high school. That bus was a valuable commodity to our community for our veterans, and a lot of people don’t know about it. I was told a long time ago that the city wouldn’t let it parked on their property for insurance reasons. I would take part of that million dollars and pay for the insurance to park it somewhere once a month like it used to. This topic has weighed heavy on my heart for years, and I will continue to push for it.
Second on my list would be to take bids for various upgrades to our Senior Citizen Center. I believe the city is still looking at this, and I would like to see it through. Our senior citizens are a valuable commodity to our community. They are the walking historians of our town.
Whatever else is left, I would divide up between finishing sidewalks throughout town and road maintenance.
What neighborhood do you live in? Why? Where are your favorite places to spend time in our town?
Eric Jochim
You can find me right on North Chestnut going towards the FedEx building, across from the Keystone subdivision. I picked the area because I remember walking into the house before we bought it and seeing two teenage boys running around and thinking how that could be my boys one day. At this time in my life, I had just started my business, and we lived in a very small apartment—the kind of apartment where you could sit on the couch and see everything. My boys were just 2 and 3 at the time, I believe. I wanted nothing more but to be able to give them a yard and their own rooms, so as luck would have it, Tenille and Alex (previous owners) were selling their house. It’s all pretty well history after that, but the real selling point was seeing another loving family was in there before us, and you could feel it when you walked in. It just felt like home. And now my boys have their own rooms and neighborhood kids to play with. This is probably my biggest accomplishment to date, but what father wouldn’t say that?
My favorite places to spend time are with my friends at Current Blend! No, it’s not a coffee shop, although we do have a coffee maker. You can catch me eating breakfast sometimes at Old School Cafe or maybe getting lunch at Fry’d. Fourth Street is full of places I like to visit, like Marshals Mancave. I’ve fallen asleep in their recliner more than once watching TV. Gaslight, Yard Goat, Gehlhausen’s Flowers …. I just love Fourth Street. However, since I was a little kid, the City Park has always been there for me. It’s a great place to take the kids or just to go sit and collect my thoughts. No matter where life has taken me, nothing ever felt like home except Huntingburg.
Tim Wehr
I live in Precinct One on Second Avenue. When Jackie and I chose to return to Huntingburg in 1994, there weren’t many houses available in my price range. We settled on our current home and have lived there since then. We’ve had opportunities to move, but we love living here and have no intention of going anywhere.
Our historic downtown shopping district, events at Market Street Park, and our local restaurants are favorites of ours. I also enjoy time at our city lake property and Niehaus Park.
Why should voters choose you?
Tim Wehr
I’ve been involved in many things over the years. I was involved in the Huntingburg Citizens Advisory group, the Huntingburg Girls Softball League for 14 years, currently 18 years with Friends of Raider Softball, the YES for Southridge campaign, and I’m active in my church. My experiences help me to make good decisions about the way our city business is conducted and how taxpayer funds are allocated.
I’ve always had an open ear to discuss issues in town and have stayed connected to the people of Huntingburg. Many people contact me with questions, concerns, and comments, and I have always taken each one seriously, doing what I can to find a solution. Huntingburg is moving in the right direction. I campaigned on change, and that’s what I’ve delivered. There’s more to be done, and I’d like to have the opportunity to continue to serve the citizens of our great city.
Eric Jochim
My father had these words of wisdom for me growing up, “You are brought into this world with two things: your word and your life. Be careful not to lose, either. Once gone, you can’t get them back.” With that said, I will always give 100% to the citizens of Huntingburg. I will listen, and I will always be earnest in my answers. I represent you! The husbands, fathers, brothers, blue-collar workers and those who wake up every day working for a better tomorrow. I started my business from the ground. No loans, just a small bag of tools and an old beat-up truck, dead broke. I understand the value of hard work and the drive it takes to make a change. We are all in this together; allow me to be your voice and use my drive to push for change and accountability. We will have a new mayor next year, and that mayor is going to need a fresh council to make possible the change and advancement in our community that we need. We deserve better; Vote Jochim for Councilman At-Large.
