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Nancy Merbitz (Bartholomew County Council At-large, Indiana, candidate 2024)
Nancy Merbitz (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Bartholomew County Council At-large in Indiana. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.[source]
Merbitz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Nancy Merbitz provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 11, 2024:
- Birth date: April 24, 1956
- Birth place: Indianapolis, Indiana
- High school: Southport (Indianapolis)
- Bachelor's: Ball State University, 1979
- PhD: University of Notre Dame, 1993
- Gender: Female
- Religion: Unitarian Universalist
- Profession: Psychologist
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign Instagram
Elections
General election
General election for Bartholomew County Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Bartholomew County Council At-large on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Michelle Carr (D) | ||
 | Nancy Merbitz (D)  | |
| Zack Patchett (D) | ||
| Michael R. Bell (R) | ||
| Kim Bennett (R) | ||
| Marcus Daniel Speer (R) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Bartholomew County Council At-large (3 seats)
Michelle Carr, Nancy Merbitz, and Zack Patchett ran in the Democratic primary for Bartholomew County Council At-large on May 7, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Michelle Carr | ||
| Nancy Merbitz | |
| Zack Patchett | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Bartholomew County Council At-large (3 seats)
Michael R. Bell, Kim Bennett, John Prohaska, and Marcus Daniel Speer ran in the Republican primary for Bartholomew County Council At-large on May 7, 2024.
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Merbitz in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nancy Merbitz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Merbitz's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Winding Waters chapter, Sierra Club - Member (and co-founder), the Critical Care Special Interest Group, Division of Rehabilitation Psychology, American Psychological Association
- Member, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus (IN)- Q: “If Bartholomew County keeps adding sizable wage increases and benefits for employees every year, we will create expenses that will never go away.” Do you share this concern? A: There are chronic concerns about retaining Bartholomew County employees. This is being addressed by large salary increases for law enforcement, & some professional and elected positions. However, salaries continue to lag for many other essential workers. The median salary among all our county employees is $47,000, compared to $51,000 for county employees around Indiana (2023 data). With Bartholomew’s current median home price of $255,000, & median monthly rent of $1,278 for a 2BR apartment, half of our employees struggle, spending 30% or more of income.
- Q: “What are your thoughts about tax abatements that local governments use to attract companies?” A: When I consider tax abatements for more manufacturers, what comes to mind is: “water.” Bartholomew is blessed with a complex variety of ground water aquifers, but is challenged by aging infrastructure & the rising consumer costs for upgrades. We already see the decreased reliability of rainfall, & more need for groundwater irrigation by our farmers. The supply of water will shrink with more industrial development. Water treatment cost will rise due to CAFOs, applications of biosolids, & future regulations to remove “forever chemicals” (PFAS). We must ensure that development subsidies are not exchanged for public safety.
- Q: Why are you running for this seat and what do you hope to accomplish if elected? A: Change starts locally. I’m a quick study, & I have what it takes to make a difference working with others & listening to their concerns. Our county government hasn’t had a single person from the “other party” in 40 years. We need balance, accountability, representation, regular meetings at regular times when people can attend. We should prioritize water quality & preserve water aquifers. Our county’s cases of extreme cruelty to companion animals should be prosecuted. When the Council considers requests from developers for more TIFS and tax breaks, they must prioritize tax payers & community resources; public schools should not be shortchanged.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Bartholomew County Council At-large |
Footnotes
