Today, we should say from South Bend to Zionsville and everywhere in between, because my guest today is John Stehr, the mayor of Zionsville. He's a former Indianapolis television news anchor who worked in broadcast journalism for 42 years, including more than two decades. At WTHR. He was elected Mayor of Zionsville in 2023 after announcing his candidacy in 2022.
Moving from journalism into public service, he has emphasized civility and politics in a future focused on responsible growth, fiscal stewardship, and community engagement. We're gonna dive into his journey from the anchor seat to being in media to the mayor's seat up in Zionsville. We're gonna talk about all the cool things happening in the village on the bricks all around Zionsville.
I'm really excited for this one. Welcome to Get IN.
Hey, I'm glad to be here. This is terrific. You know, I gotta say, as you introduce Indiana, you talk about, you know, from, what do you say, south Bend to Evansville. We used to tell people. South Bend is in the North, North Vernon's in the South and French Lick doesn't mean what you think it does.
Yes.
That's, that's my explanation for that is an
iconic, uh, description of the state. I love that. Uh, and I mean, you're very familiar, right? This, this media thing is not new. I should be taking tips from you. You've done media, you did media for over 42 years. I think
you're doing pretty well. You're doing pretty well on your own.
You don't need tips from me. But yes, I was in media for a long time. I started on the radio and, you know, worked my way through several television stations and ended up here for the last 25 years of my career.
Where's home?
My home is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh, Penn. How did you end
up Well, okay, that's where I grew up.
My home is Zionsville. I've been in Zionsville longer than I've been anywhere else. My kids grew up in Zionsville. If you ask me what my hometown is, I should say Zionsville every single time.
I love that. Okay. So grew up in Pittsburgh?
Yes.
And how did you end up here in, in the, in Indiana?
Well, it's a broadcaster's life.
I started my broadcasting career, you know, a little different. We didn't have podcasts back then. The media landscape was certainly a lot different. But I started in Erie, Pennsylvania where I went to college and then I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan. And then I came here for the first time, uh, to WISH-TV back in the early eighties.
Then I went to Salt Lake City, then I went back to New York City and then I came back here.
Wow. Was the, the name of the game as you were coming up. It's like market size. It's like you're going from Market 200 to market one 50 to market one 10 to work your way up.
Well, market size and then opportunities, you know?
Yeah. Where the opportunities, uh, would lie.
So what were you covering the first time you were in Indianapolis?
Well, I did a show, I'm glad you asked a show called Night Beat. And Night Beat was like a local Nightline show. It was on at 10:30 at night after the late newscast. And it was a local interview show, and we used to take the big issue of the day and, you know, round it out with, with interviews with the, you know, the various parties.
And, uh, it was more, it was like a hybrid between a talk show and a news program. It was
great. Yeah. What was the most memorable thing you covered in Night Beat on WISH-TV
Oh, that's a good question. Well, we did have the, um, uh, what, what, Jim Davis, the guy who did Garfield.
Oh,
we had him on. That's pretty fun.
And this was early on. What
was the issue?
There's no issue, but, but this was early on in, in the Garfield, uh, you know, experience here. This was the early 80s
Yeah.
Um, and you know how it went from, you know, it was called Jon the, the, uh, comic strip. In the beginning it was gonna be the life and Times of the owner of Garfield.
Garfield was just gonna be a side character, but he started doing it. And realized that, hey, Garfield's, pretty popular people like this cat that eats lasagna, we're gonna have to go with this. And that's how that took off. And
Well, I, I have an issue.
Yeah.
So the issue would be Jim Davis is from Fairmount, or Jim Davis is from Marion, Indiana.
Uhhuh.
But he made Garfield while he was in Muncie. So the issue would be who gets to claim Garfield.
Oh, okay.
So that would be, you know, bring them on the show and you have both parties discuss
either way. It was very entertaining. And, and Garfield is, is an iconic figure, and I think represents Indiana well.
I mean, I love lasagna, so I could agree with that. So then you end up leaving, you're, you're bouncing around. You were, um, salt Lake City, New York City all over. And then what ends up bringing you back to Indianapolis?
Well, I, you know, I, I had reached the pinnacle of broadcasting. I was working for CBS News and I was a network correspondent.
I was traveling all over the country. Uh, I anchored the morning news show at CBS, so it was a, it was kind of a big deal, but I was traveling a lot. And I was away from home a lot. I had a young family at the time and wasn't really consistent with having a young family. So I was looking for a place that I would have a little more of a regular schedule.
Um, and the heavens opened up and the opportunity showed itself and here I am.
And so then WTHR?
Yes.
That's where you, you ended up at? Yes. And you spent over two decades there?
Yes.
Did you start as, uh, an anchor for WTHR?
I did.
Wow. Yeah. So you were like, talk about consistency, seeing the same face day in, day out.
They reporting the news for over two decades is crazy. Well,
I think it used to mean more, uh, I don't, I don't know. The broadcasting has the same kind of reach that it used to have. Well, I, I know it doesn't, I mean, I know the, the economics and the, the business has changed quite a bit. And, um, that led me to retire a little bit before, you know, a natural retirement age.
I think it was just time. It was time, it was time for me to move on. Yeah. I mean, I, I always approached it as, you know, we want to tell people what's going on. We don't wanna tell people how to think. And you know, the, the pull toward, you know, that opinion type journalism was stronger and stronger and it just, it just didn't really fit with my way of doing things.
Yeah. And well nowadays, you know, I feel like everyone in media has to have their take. It's all about your take. Right? What do you, what do we think about Garfield? Do we think he belongs in Fairmount? Do we think he belongs in Marion or wherever? Right. So I, I do think, yeah, that has just become a very popular and no one's validating or checking back of like, okay, what gives Nate the credibility to talk about his takes about Indiana, but
Right.
That's just kinda the way it is. So you end up re uh, retiring in 20.
Well, at 2018. I came back a couple times in 2019 for some special events and things like that, but after 2018, I was, I was out full time.
Okay. So you spent over two decades at WTHR as the morning, evening.
Evening,
the evening anchor.
Yeah.
What did that mean to you for, for over 20 years, you got to show up and deliver information to a metro, a a, I mean, the largest metro in the state, but also a very large metro in the Midwest and the United States. Like, how did that weigh on you every day going out there and talking to the people?
It's what I always wanted to do.
Yeah. I, I grew up watching Walter Cronkite, that's a name that maybe you're not familiar with, but, uh, your, your dad would be, uh, and your mom would be. Um, I, and it was something that I always thought was important. I mean, I learned at a young age that. There was a, a tripod that creates a society, right? And the first thing is there's gotta be some organizing body, like a, like a government.
There's gotta be an economy and there's gotta be a way for information to be shared. And broadcasting was the way that information was shared back then. It wasn't a two way street. It was, you know, we were the ones that were broadcasting and sharing, you know, bringing the information to everybody. Um, and if you go all the way back to the beginning of time, the cavemen would gather around the campfire at night to learn the news of the day.
And that's, that's the pro what we were providing. It was a public service. Um, it wasn't about making money. I mean, I think television stations made so much money back then in other ways, they didn't have to make money with news. So they didn't, and they considered it a public service too. So, uh, over time as things changed and the media landscape became more flooded.
That's not what it was. It was about attracting eyeballs so we could sell cars and furniture and things like that. Um, and that's when I, I thought, you know, this isn't, this isn't right for me anymore. Um, and I think it's time for me to move on. And really, um, you know, if we wanna take a step further, why did I decide to run for air?
Um, I see what I'm doing now is, is getting back to that public service ethos. You know, I mean, our, our job as a mayor is to make sure that the police are doing the right thing. Make sure the fire department is there, the ambulance shows up if you need it. Uh, we're gonna pick up the trash for you every Tuesday or whatever the day is.
We're gonna plow the snow, fix the potholes, and, and that's providing a public service that I think is extremely important. And I kind of feel like in my life the past couple years, I've gotten back to basics. Kind of made a big circle come back around to public service.
That is interesting. I think that the best people in media do feel that way.
Like it's very clear to see whether it's modern media, traditional media, the people that do it just to chase a paycheck. You can definitely see that, Versus the people who just have love for the game.
Well, you know what it is in, in, I think in broadcasting and in any walk of life, you can fake anything for a day, right?
If you're really good, you can fake it for a week. But I think over the long period of time, people know who you are. Yeah. You know, and, and your yourself is revealed, and either they're gonna like you or not, but it's real. And it's you and I, I think that's one of the things that, that is your superpower, that you know, you.
Obviously like Indiana, you know, you have a lot of enthusiasm for it and, uh, and it shows, and I think people rally around that and people, people like that.
So, 24 years on the air, what were two of the most memorable stories that you got to deliver that still stick with you today?
We got the inside information.
We were the first to know that we were gonna get the Super Bowl here in 2012. And being able to come on the air with that story was truly, truly amazing. Um, but beyond that, I think, you know, while I've gotten to, you know, I've gone to the White House to interview the president, I've, you know, I, I've gotten to know all the governors we've had on a first name basis and all those kind of things, and that's all great.
But I think, you know, the, the things that touched me the most and hopefully reach the viewers the most is, is the common folks, you know, that are willing to talk to you on their worst day and share their story with you. You know, the tornado just came through and blew away my house. All I have left is a pile of rubble.
But I'm gonna, I'm gonna take the time and I'm gonna talk to you about it, and I'm gonna. Bear my emotions and share this with you. Yeah. Uh, and trust me with that to, to take it to a wider audience and, and those kind of things. You know, there are so many of those over the years, and that's what really has meant the most to me.
I always feel for the people on the receiving end of those interviews and the journalists that put themselves into, you know, like you're watching, uh, like whatever national news, there's a tornado coming. Like there are people still hanging out there outside as the tornado is breaking ground. Yes. And you're like, get inside, like, what are you doing out there in the middle of the, the hurricane down in Florida?
Yeah. Just waiting it out and it, it just gets me, uh, one, I'm grateful for people that are willing to go and do that and say like, Hey, this is what's going on. And two on the Yeah. The interview side, like talking about your emotions and times of, of need and like then you get to the story of, hey, now we can all come together and be Hoosiers and help X, y, z.
Right. Community recover from this.
Yeah.
That's some pretty deep stuff.
And I think here's something that you understand too, whether you know it or not, you know, that we have, we have cameras in this room. We have really nice microphone. We have good audio. You have a computer in front of you. I mean, this is all really good.
But at the end of the day, it's people talking to other people, you know? And this technology is the way that we do it, but the important thing is that person to person contact. And I, I, I think that's, that's what I tried to do for all the years I was in broadcasting, and I think that's what you try to do with what, what you doing today too.
Amen.
Well, that's the interesting piece too, about running, uh, for mayor public office. Any public office in, let's say a smaller town.
Yeah.
Like, not necessarily Indianapolis, not like the big towns, but in a smaller town like Zionsville, it is. I would say one part important to have this, you know, public broadcast persona and be good in interviews and all that, but you also have to be good when you're out there shaking hands and kissing babies.
Talk to me about the camp, the campaign trail and how you ended up getting elected in the process that went in from thinking about doing it to actually going all in and running for office to become the mayor of Zionsville.
Well, here's why I did it. I, when I left my broadcasting career, I wanted to do something for the town.
I'd been in the town at that point for over 25 years. All five of my kids grew up there. Uh, I, I really felt entrenched the town and I wanted to do something. I wanted to do something to give back to the town that's given me and my family so much. So I ended up getting appointed to the parks board. And when you're on the parks board and you're retired, you know, you can go stand and talk to somebody at 10 o'clock in the morning on a Wednesday standing in the mud, you know, and, and when that happens, they make you an officer pretty fast.
You know, 'cause some of the other members are, they all have jobs and they have other things. That they're doing. So I became the president of the Parks Sport. Um, and from that position I could see that communication was not what it could have been in our town government. I think the, the town council and the mayor and the departments and, and even to the citizens communication had really kind of broken down.
And I thought, well, heck, I can help with that. You know, that's what I do. I should be able to help with that. So I decided to give it a shot and see what I could do to, to maybe help. And you know, I think if, if, if I'm being honest, I mean, name recognition is important, right? I mean, I, I had some, you know, semblance of name recognition there.
And, uh, but what I found out when I started campaigning and going door to door and talking to people is that with five children, you're connected to almost everybody. I mean, there's some soccer team or some class or something that, you know, some activity that they all did. Um, and I found that even though Zionsville has almost 35,000 people today.
It's still a very small town and very personal town. I, I say this all the time, and I believe it is absolutely true in Zionsville. People know each other and they care about each other and their families. And, you know, for me to be involved in a community like that, it, it really makes you wanna do the best you can to make the community as good as it can be.
Yeah. I I do think that Zionsville just has that vibe.
Yeah.
Like, you walk down through on the bricks in the village and it's like, huh, this is like a big small town.
Yeah.
Uh, okay. So thinking about Yeah. The campaign trail, right? Obviously name recognition is important. I always think it's fun to hear like, what were the groups that you had to, to get behind you?
Like, you know, you talk about like a presidential campaign and it's like, you gotta win the swing states. Right? Right. Like, I think with like mayor, it's like, well, you have to win. Like. The elderly community on the corner of Third and Chalin, right? Like if you, if you can get them behind you and them supporting you, then like, you're gonna win this thing.
Whoa. What were the important groups to go and talk to?
We're all in this together. Yeah. You know, and I think it was important to meet people where they live. And I knocked on over 5,000 doors.
5,000
Well, I had time. I, I, again, I was retired and I had, you know, every day and, and, uh,
I need a story. I need a good story from knocking on 5,000 doors as you're campaigning for mayor.
I enjoyed it. Yeah. I, I really did enjoy getting to meet people. You know, sometimes, maybe
some people's dogs.
Oh, I love it. I, I carry dog bones with me. Uh, Zionsville is a good dog town.
This is not your first rodeo? No. Oh. I had a, I had a kid on, um, and he spent a summer knocking, he knocked 1000 doors, Uhhuh, uh, like building his sale.
He's a sophomore in high school and was like building a, uh, lawn care company. Right. And he knocked a thousand doors and he had the greatest stories of like, people are so apprehensive at first, like, what are you trying to sell me?
Right.
Nothing. Well, I guess like my candidacy for mayor is what I'm trying to sell you.
Right, right.
I feel like people. If, if you can get through the first, like, the immediate, like, I don't wanna talk to anyone, then it's like, you can have some good conversations.
Yeah. I, and I did have great conversations. I mean, to the point where, you know, I mean, there were people that invited me in to sit down and have a cup of tea, you know, have a glass of water.
Yeah. Have some lemonade, uh, sit down with me on the porch and, you know, again, when you're retired, I had time. Yeah. You know, I didn't have, I didn't have anywhere else to be, and, and I really enjoyed those, I would say of all those doors, I mean, there were some people obviously that weren't home, but among the people that were, I think there was only one that kind of closed the door on my face and said, dude, I don't want to hear it.
You know, just leave me alone.
Hey, 4,999 to one, that's
pretty good.
That ain't bad.
That's pretty good.
Okay. So after knocking on 5,000 doors talking to all these residents of Zionsville
Yeah.
What were the overwhelming concerns that they were sharing with you?
I think people wanna know that they're being heard and that you're listening to them.
Um, I'll, I'll tell you a story from my, my broadcasting. Years ago, uh, we got Oprah in syndication right on Channel 13. And So Oprah was gonna be the lead in to our six o'clock news or five o'clock newscast, which was great. You know, back in those days, that was the key to success. So, uh, I went up to Chicago to shoot some promos with Oprah, and, um, as we were waiting for a setup and, you know, people to come do her makeup and all that kind of stuff, I said to her, so, so what do you think it is?
Why do you think people tell you stuff that they don't tell other people? And she said, you know, I learned a long time ago that people want to know that they're being heard. And you know, if you ask the question and you listen to the response and react accordingly, they know they're being heard and that's important to people.
So I, you know, it kind of stuck with me that, you know, he obviously has had great success at that. And, um, and I, I think today I think it's important that people are heard. You know, I. Somebody asked me. I was, I was at a, one of the schools the other day and the kid, third grader, Hoosier boss with his question.
Uh, and I said, you know what? I have more bosses than anybody you've ever met. Your mom is my boss. Your dad is my boss. Everybody in this town is my boss. You know, and I'm answerable to them. So, you know, I think that people deserve to be listened to. They need to be listened to. And, and I'm here for it.
It's like, Hey, buddy, one day in 10 years, when you turn 18, you'll be my boss. That's true. And it's like, that's so true. Yeah. And it's, I do think that that is people's reservation with government in general. Yeah. And, and honestly, media too is just that, like, they don't feel like they're being heard. Right.
They have whatever the issue might be. And today it's never been easier to go turn on your anonymous whatever and get on Facebook and say, I'm so angry that our park floods. Right. You know, and it's like. Well, you know, I'd love to talk about why this is the way that it is and blah, blah, blah, blah. And like if you can, we're working on making updates and I dunno, I think this, there is this aspect of being heard.
'cause if you go there and sit down in person and someone's like, I'm angry about whatever the thing is, and you're like, I'm, I hear you
right?
So sorry to hear that this is what we're doing to try to fix that. Then they're never, like, usually from my experience, they're not that angry with you. They're not gonna be that upset.
They're gonna be like, oh wow, people are working on our behalf trying to make this a better place.
Well, we're trying and we're trying every day. And you know, that's one of the things that, that I also think you understand, is it Hoosier are, you know, in some ways a different breed. You know, people, people will engage with you in conversation.
You know, people, the people that come in and you know, that are really kinda hot and bothered that that doesn't last. You know, when you look 'em in the eye and listen to 'em and you know, we have a therapy dog in town. And, uh, sometimes if, if somebody's really upset about something, we'll bring the therapy dog and just introduce her to the situation.
She calms things down quite a bit.
Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You know, that's, that's a good idea. I might need to get one of those.
Yeah.
Like, hey, someone in my comments that's very angry and I was like, Hey, click this link and we'll drop off a therapy dog for a day. You can hang out.
Well, we, we have her mostly for the employees, keep everybody kind of calm and Yeah.
And, uh, that's
awesome.
And she does great.
The thing was people in the community wanted to be heard.
Yes.
And as you, you know, you're going out, how do you convey and talk to people in a way that, 'cause you're obviously out there, you know, talking to 5,000 people, you're out there campaigning, you're doing the whole thing.
How are you listening to them? And then on the backside, once you won the election, how do you start to take those learnings and put them into practice?
Communication is is not a one way thing. It's not just me talking. It's me listening too. And I, I think the listening part is a lot more important. Um, so I think that, you know, Zionsville starts at a pretty good floor.
You know, Zionsville is a pretty great town in so many, many ways. It's not life and death, a lot of the things that we're talking about, it's, you know, how are we gonna make this great thing even better, you know? And so I I, I try to keep focused on that, you know, and I, and I think people who live there are grateful to live there and enjoy living there.
And, you know, it, it kind of, it just kind of seems to work if you work together and listen.
People from Zionsville love being from Zionsville. Yeah. Like, they love to say, it's kind of like people who do CrossFit or like, people who are gluten free. It's like, they love, like that's like the first thing they say.
You'll always hear like, oh yeah, I live in Zionsville.
Yeah.
It's like, that's, that's cool. You know, I, I love it. It's like this whole, it's just like a, a persona that I really enjoy. Right. Going and hanging out. I spent a decent amount of time at Rush on Main. Oh yeah. And a few other spots up there. Yeah.
And it's always a vibe.
Yeah.
So once you won the election and you think about. Okay, I'm now the mayor. This is pretty cool. Like we can, you know, make some stuff happen. What were the first couple initiatives that you really set out to conquer?
Well, I think one thing that everybody would agree on is that the traffic flow in and around our town is not as good as it could be.
And I think, you know, we have a traffic grid there on the south end of the village, south end of the brick street that was invented 150 years ago. Um, when trains were running through town, cars weren't even invented yet. And we're, we're using that as now a traffic grid for cars. And it, it just doesn't work.
You know, people get bottled up there at all hours of the day now. So we're going to do a, a realignment of that road. We're gonna put in a double roundabout, like a peanut-shaped roundabout that'll. Slow traffic down, uh, which will make it safer for pedestrians, but it'll also keep traffic moving, which will make it better for drivers.
And also, uh, the way it is right now, our public safety personnel, a fire truck or a police car, you, you just can't get through there. An ambulance can't get through that area, uh, for most of the day. So this is going to make it, it so much better. And I think that it will give people, uh, an easier time getting onto Main Street, which is what we want.
Uh, and it's gonna be safer for pedestrians, better for public safety. Uh, and that's something that, uh, I think we've been studying in Zionsville for. Decades now. Literally decades since the gas station on the corner closed in 2006 or 2007. Um, and now we're transitioning to the execution phase. Uh, and I think by the early part of next year, we will start to get shovels in the ground and start fixing that to, to make it flow better.
Well, that's pretty, that's a good idea. If you think about the number one way to get people excited and happy, it's like, oh yeah, we got a new mayor now. I'm not stuck in traffic anymore. Like, boom, people are gonna be pumped up about that. Well,
let hope, let's hope.
Uh, I, I love it. Okay. The other piece that I wanna talk about is over the last, what is it, 10 or 20 years?
The population of Zionsville has more than doubled, right?
Oh, it's tripled.
Tripled,
yeah.
Okay, so that's just in the two thousands then?
Yes.
So since 2000, I think I saw the number. I don't know the exact stat off the top of my head. What is fueling the growth of the population of Zionsville over the last.
25 years?
Well, I think people just wanna live there. You know, it's, it's, uh, I think part of it is, it's pretty well located. I mean, it's an easy shot downtown, just down I 65. Um, I think that it is, unlike some of our other area communities that have grown really fast and have a lot of people living in a small amount of space, you know, you still have room in Zionsville and I think that's very attractive.
You know, people wanna breathe a little bit and, you know, don't ever discount the beauty and the joy of being on that brick street. You know, it's like, it's timeless. You know? Those bricks have been there for 150 years. They're real, you know, they're not, they're not made up. It's not Disneyland. It's real.
And I think, I think that authenticity. Is what really draws people to town.
Was there ever a historical moment where the idea of switching out the bricks was presented?
I'm told that back in the eighties they thought about paving over the bricks and I am so glad that cooler heads prevailed. Yeah, we didn't do that.
What we did, um, I guess in the, in the late seventies, early eighties, there was a rebricking of Main Street and then again in the late nineties. And, and I was a volunteer during that effort. You know, I, I labored and carried the bricks to the people that really knew how to lay 'em in there. Um, and you know, eventually that'll be, that'll be something that's gonna happen, happen
again.
We'll need, we'll need the community to come together and help with the rebricking.
And that's part of, that's part of it. That's part of what makes Zionsville Zionsville is that community feel.
Yeah. Speaking of community feel, this is a piece that I think is super interesting in the Village, is that what you guys call it?
Yes. Like the downtown village area?
Yeah.
You're not gonna find chains.
Correct.
You find local establishments from, you know, whether it be a dive bar or a wing joint or a taco shop. Like all this stuff isn't like the mass appeal chains. They are small community, like family, mom and pop type shots. Right, right.
Was this an idea that was curated many years ago? Like, how do you refrain from whoever, uh, Applebee's wanted to come in and, and put a corner shop up in downtown Zionsville?
I think it's just evolved that way over time. You know, back in the early seventies, the big discussion was whether or not a Burger Chef at the time could, could locate there.
Uh, and they did. And that eventually became a Hardee's, uh, right on the corner of Sycamore and Main Street. Um, and I, I think over time as it evolved, people thought, you know, this isn't, this isn't right. For the vibe Zionsville. And eventually that went out of business. There's a bank building there now. Uh, Dairy Queen has survived because everybody likes Dairy Queen.
Right. But
that is surprising. It's like the only but other than dairy joint
Yeah.
Which like, every like small town I feel like had a Dairy Queen and just an awesome place to get a cone in the summer.
Right, right.
But that is interesting and I've like noticed this.
Yeah.
Whereas other, you know, rapidly growing, like fast growing places around the state and around the country, you know, you always see these big brands, you know, all of a sudden there's a Chipotle downtown, which I love Chipotle, but the vibe of like the small community aspect is so cool and I just didn't know what went into curating that.
Part of it is a zoning, you know, that you can't build buildings with a big enough footprint that those companies need. So if you tell 'em, well, we have a 2,500 square foot space here, that's not gonna do it for Chipotle, or, or a business like that. They need more to make their numbers work and to make it all work.
So that's, that's part of it. I think it's just natural selection, you know, that, that they don't see the opportunities there that, uh, a smaller operator might see.
Are you getting requests or are there businesses that are trying to come to Zionsville and that are not necessarily that curated to the vibe?
Well, we are in a very great position, I think. Yeah. You know, everybody wants to come to Zionsville. I mean, you know, our, our job isn't to attract growth, it's to kinda manage the growth.
Yeah.
So, you know, some of those, uh, those more institutional kind of restaurants and things, you know, maybe we can push those out to Michigan Road or maybe out, you know, toward Anson out in that area, along Oak Street.
Uh, but I think the core of Zionsville. We need to make sure that it stays fundamentally what it is today.
Yeah. What are the newest developments in downtown, in the village of Zionsville that you're excited about? What are some new things that have come up?
Well, have you seen the Graham Rahal Performance Center?
Uh, that's on 106th Street. That's close. The village. That's
like before you come in, that's, that's
corrects. Correct. That
thing is sweet.
Yeah.
Yeah. Is there also like a coffee shop and a restaurant out there too?
There's a coffee shop and a really nice restaurant Bowdie's Chophouse.
Yes.
That's where you go for special occasions.
It's, it's very nice and very, very good.
But then you'd have to fire up your car. I don't know. Can you walk over there to one oh sixth Street?
Um, I do. I I, I just, I'm a walker Steps. I tend to walk around, but I think, uh, yeah, you would mostly wanna drive over there and, yeah. Um, and I think we're gonna see more development on the other side of a 106th Street and I think in that southern area there, south of the, of the Village proper.
I think there'll be some, some movement
is down off 106th Street where, uh, they just, there's like a development kind of happening out there with multifamily housing and with, is there like a CAVA and stuff? Is that like,
oh, that's at, that's at a 116th. And
that's a 116th
and Michigan Road.
Yes. That's The Farm.
Yes. The Farm. That's technically Zionsville, right?
It is Zionsville, yeah. That, that's been going for a long time. That, that, that project has at least 15 years now from. From where we are today and where it began.
No way.
So it's, it's, uh, it's coming along. Uh, and it's, and I think it's gonna end up being a, a really great spot for people.
I mean, already the restaurants that are there are being well used. Uh, a grocery store is next up, which I think will be, you know, a nice, uh, specialty kind of grocery store that people will appreciate. Oh, so good stuff is happening there too.
Yeah. That, I mean, I feel like that's crazy that it, you're saying it was like a 15 year in the making thing?
Yeah. 'cause I feel like one day I drove over to Zionsville and it was normal, and the next time I was like, oh wow. There's like stuff, and like now all of a sudden there was like restaurants and I was like, this is pretty cool. It is good to have a little bit of both, I think, you know? Yeah. It's like, it has an interesting position for you to be in, uh, as the mayor, it's like curating and keeping the like very quaint, small hometown towny downtown, while also thinking about getting more economic prosperity and increasing housing.
I feel like the number one thing I hear every mayor talk about is. Housing for people. And you talk about being desirable, Zion has to be one of the most desirable zip codes in the, uh, in the state.
That's a big issue across the state right now is, is affordable housing for people and, and even just housing for people, you know, Indiana doesn't have enough of it.
So that's something that we're looking at and um, you know, we'll see how that evolves. You know, there, there are 92 counties in Indiana. I know you know this, 75 of them lose population of every, every year. So that makes, what, 17? Am I doing my math right there? 17. That are growing and Boone County is probably one of the fastest growing because of the LEAP District and you know, in some of the things that are happening, uh, in that area with Lilly and, um, you know, so our job is to manage that growth.
And if you're gonna have a problem, I'd rather be managing growth than trying to attract growth because I think we can do that effectively. You know, we need to make sure that Zionsville fundamentally remains zionsville. And even this project we're talking about before, you know, increasing access to Main Street.
Main Street is fantastic and, and there are two ways to preserve it, right? You can put a, like a glass bubble over it and treat it like a museum, and nobody's allowed to go in and touch anything. And that's, that's one way to preserve it. But another way to preserve it is to make it useful, make it accessible, you know, let people experience it and, and experience the joy of it.
And. So I, I choose the second way. I think that, uh, that that's the way we need to go, and I think that's the way it's moving. And, and I think that, you know, as long as our downtown business district prospers, Zionsville's prospering too.
Yeah. And it's like you can go and spend a Friday evening, you go there, maybe you grab a drink somewhere, you're going to grab dinner somewhere, and then afterwards you're getting dessert or you're going for another nightcap and you're hanging out.
Like that's, yeah.
Oh yeah.
It's a, it's a total vibe. Uh, what is like the population of like, like the downtown Zionsville proper?
I think we, uh, it's right around 2000. Yeah. In the, in the village area. Uh, and that's a good size, you know, and, and we're kind of constricted. We have Eagle Creek on one side, you know, we kind of have, um, you know, it's pretty much all built out.
I mean, there, there have been a few people recently that have, that have rebuilt houses there. Um, but it's not like there's a whole lot of space to put in new houses. And that, I think, works to our advantage. I mean, it's, it's a. A a, a a system that's in place and a and a town that's in place and Yeah. And it only, I think it only gets better every time the year goes by.
I'm, I'm hyping zionsville up. It, it's always fun. We'll have to go up there and visit.
You were there recently. We were and, and unfortunately, uh, you said in the video that you did was, My Sugar Pie was not open that day. 'cause you went on a Monday. They're not open. Sunday and Monday.
Don't go on Monday.
So I, uh, I made sure that you had My Sugar Pie here.
And this is the actual signature, My Sugar Pie. Whoa, whoa. That you're gonna be able to enjoy with your, with your family or your staff or whoever.
Wow. Come on. This is, that's heavy.
That's a substantial pot.
That is good pie. Yes. Holy cannoli. Hey, return plate for a dollar off your next purchase. There you
go.
There you go. That's
upcycling. Let's go.
It comes in a glass plate. We're
gonna,
the way, the way it should be.
We're gonna have to, we're gonna have to take a peek on this for the, for the viewers that are watching at home. Oh boy.
I know. It doesn't get any better than that.
I mean.
And I mentioned, I mentioned Oprah before.
Uh, My Sugar Pie kind of, kind of took off after it became one of Oprah's favorite things back in the day when she would do favorite things for
No
Way, uh, Christmas and all that. And it's a, it's a great business. They make a lot of pie,
My Sugar Pie.
And that makes a lot of people happy too.
I mean, you can't beat that.
Right. Okay. So if you think about, you know, as, you know, curating different places, obviously My Sugar Pie is awesome. What are a few of your other favorite spots? If you were like telling people, Hey, when you come visit Zionsville, you gotta check out, I know it's kinda like making you pick a favorite child,
right?
But a few spots that if you're picking a weekend down here in central Indiana visiting Zionsville. Mm-hmm. Where would you send people?
Well, it depends on what you want. Now we have a little something for everybody, you know about the The Friendly Tavern and the
wings tenderloin.
Oh my gosh. It's, it's a, it's a classic.
Mm-hmm.
Um, it's not fancy. It's good. Uh, so, so there's that. If you like seafood and you want to, you wanna really upscale, you go to Noah Grant's. That's a really good place. Is
it the oyster? The oyster spot?
Yes. Yes, yes. Noah Grant's has oysters. And then next to it is the, uh, Tipsy Mermaid.
Oh.
Which is owned by the same restaurateur.
That's more of like a Caribbean theme, a Dominican Republic theme.
The Tipsy Mermaid. Is it The Salty Cowboy?
The Salty Cowboy? Is another block over, the same? That's Mexican. Are they
the same? They have great name. Yes. Greg. I love the, I love the naming convention there,
but, but, but Cobblestone is a classic. Uh, you mentioned Rush on Main.
I mean, these, these are all great places. And there's another place called The Scoop, which makes, uh, you know, uh, ice cream, pretty high quality ice cream. And, you know, you sit out on the, on the patio and on a warm summer night and have ice cream. And sometimes they have a. Person playing the guitar and doing a little, little singing for you.
It, it's just, uh, you mentioned it, it's the vibe that is, that is existent in every place that we have. So what are, what are you in the mood for you Mood for pizza. We have good pizza. You want a good breakfast place? We have Rosie's,
the Zionsville Pizzeria.
Yeah.
Phenomenal Pizza
and Greek's Pizzeria. Don't forget Greek's Pizzeria
up the road.
I can never forget Greek's Pizzeria. I love Greek's Pizzeria. They're also shout out to Greek's Pizzeria. They're also a sponsor of a show. Yes. We love Greek's Pizzeria.
Yes.
I also had Zionsville Pizzeria for the first time at the Indianapolis Pizza Fest.
Yeah.
It was my favorite.
Yeah.
It was so good.
We have a cafe pate you now. I mean, I am and, and great coffee shops too.
I'm gonna make sure I get all my
children over there. Yeah. Oh absolutely. You gotta, but I am mad at everyone that lives in Zionsville. I'm very mad.
Why's that?
I went, I just turned 29
Uhhuh.
I went 28 and a half years not knowing. About Big Dave's.
No Big Dave's Deli.
Big Dave's Deli is incredible. And it was like, like if I had, I've had friends from Zionsville for years and just six months ago someone decided to say, I think we should go to Big Dave's.
And I was like, what in the heck is Big Dave's? And they. We go and I get the big Dave's breakfast sandwich and I get a side of syrup to dip my sandwich.
Oh yeah.
The best breakfast sandwich I've ever had in my entire life. And I'm like, how have I lived in Indianapolis since 2019? Like, been down here. No one's told me about Big Dave's Deli.
That place is crazy.
I've been around there long enough that I remember Big Dave, uh, big Dave, uh, you know, sold and moved on and retired a few years ago, but they have kept up the quality. Um, and that's a little bit outside of town that's, that's, uh, on Oak Street. Yeah. You get out, get out of the, the village a little bit.
But even up in that area, there's a Amore across the street, which is a, um, uh, a great pizza spot if you like. New York-style pizza. You know, there are a couple of Mexican restaurants there. Uh, it is, you know, you could, you could eat your, so eat well eat your way through Zionsville for really a couple of months.
Oh my goodness. If you wanted to,
is there a big, does Z Zionsville do a festival? Do you guys have like a time of year that's like your big signature event?
Well, that would be Fall Festival.
Oh.
Uh, which is done by the Lions Club, which includes a parade and includes, uh, a lot of vendors. Uh, we have a Brick Street Market in the spring where we shut down the Main Street and people come out and sell their wares, uh, along the bricks.
Um, and that's, that's always a lot of fun. Yeah. That's during the, the spring festival season in Indiana.
Now I have a, maybe a trivia question. Do you know what one of the most, uh, significant gatherings of Zionsville uh, citizens was in history? Was it
when Abraham Lincoln came to, uh, speak to the people?
Sure.
Is it, is it Lincoln Park?
It is Lincoln Park.
Not the band, the president. Didn't he show up there and address the people of Zionsville on his way while he was going to D.C. for his inauguration?
That is correct. And we have a park there today, Lincoln Park, which, uh, we're just going to do a kind of a refresh on this year.
Mm-hmm. Uh, we're gonna make sure that the grass is able to grow by changing the drainage a little bit. We're going to, uh, rebuild the gazebo that houses, uh, some music in the fall, in the summer. Um, it's gonna be fantastic. I mean, people are gonna love that. I think it's gonna make a real nice, uh, element for us, just, just one block off of the Main Street.
But I'll tell you another piece of trivia that this is unfortunate, but a lot of time has passed, right? Not too soon. When Lincoln was assassinated and his funeral train came back, it followed the same route that it took when he went for the inauguration. It stopped in Zionsville and there was a, a service held in Zionsville.
Um, and there weren't many towns along the way where it stopped for any period of time. But it stopped for several hours in Zionsville to allow people to come out and, and, uh, have a ceremony and mourn the, the fallen president. Uh, so if you go to the Lincoln Center over there in Springfield, Illinois, and they talk about the funeral train and they talk about his route, Zionsville is prominently mentioned because it was unusual for the train to stop for that long.
I wonder why they did,
I don't know,
like maybe, maybe the, like the train conductor, like loved The Friendly tavern tenderloin. Could have been back there in the 1860s and was like, you know what, I guess gotta grab lunch here. They had a good spot. Friendly, this is a good pie.
The Friendly wasn't quite there in 1860, however, uh, a lot of the houses were.
And in fact, that's been a big push in our town to mark those that are century structures. So you see the brass plaques on houses showing when they were built, and there are quite a few from the 1860s.
Do you know the oldest business in Zionsville, like the business in, in Zionsville that's been operating the longest?
I'm not sure the, the, The Friendly would probably be close, but it wasn't always a, a restaurant and a bar. I mean, it was a metal working shop. It was a plumbing shop for a while. They made carriages there for when? When the horse and buggy days. I know that building has been there for a real long time.
I've recently been getting into, yeah, the history of like what's been around for a long time. I just think it's so fascinating. Yeah. That's always a question I like to ask. Okay. This is, this is a part I wanna dive into 'cause we're gonna get a lot of other government officials that listen to this episode to one, learn a little bit about the secret sauce that is zionsville because.
The thing is, you said, is it 75 counties, population is declining.
Correct.
Uh, and 17 are growing and there are a bunch of really motivated, driven mayors all across the state of Indiana. Other government officials that want to build up their place. If you could give advice to every mayor, every town council member across the state on how to increase the quality of life in their town, what would you, what advice would you give 'em?
Well, I don't know that I need to be giving advice to mayors. I, I, I'll tell you one thing that I've learned as I've joined the brother and Sisterhood of Mayors is that there are some fantastic people that really care about their communities and are really trying to do the right things. And, um, I'm relatively new to it still, so I have reached out to those who have been there longer and they have been nothing but.
Uh, willing to share their expertise and share their thoughts. Uh, particularly, you know, I'm sort of an adjunct member to the Hamilton County Mayor Group. You know, you got Willis and, uh, Jensen and Sue Fcom and Scott Fadnes. They have been fantastic to me, and I, I appreciate those, that group very much. Um, you know, we have Matt Gentry up in Lebanon who has been, uh, you know, always open, always takes my calls.
I mean, it's, it's lovely. It's funny, you know, when I was in my previous job, mayors didn't always take my calls, but, uh, but now they do, which is good. Um, so to answer your question, I think, you know. You gotta, you gotta listen to the people that live there and you gotta, you know, let that be your guiding, your guiding light, because they are your bosses.
They're the ones that, that elected you and put you in office. But by the same token, they did elect you and put you in office. So you need to lead and you need to, you know, pull people in directions. Sometimes that might be a little bit uncomfortable, but in the long run you gotta believe that what you're doing is the right
thing.
Yeah. How do you get everyone as much as possible? 'cause it's never gonna be a hundred percent right. How do you get everyone rowing in the same direction?
That's hard. That's
hard. All believing that, you know, what we're doing here is the right thing and that, you know, we all need to, you know, be the best citizens possible to make our community great.
I think people in Zionsville do have a common goal. And the, and the first goal is to, to recognize that, that our, our village is, is fantastic. It's special, it's unique. We need to protect that. As best we can, but there are a lot of people that live out in the rural areas too. You know, we're 67 square miles, our municipality, so a lot of people out in the rural areas that want to protect that rural heritage and want to make sure that we lean into that too.
So I think we, I think we can listen to that and I think we can do both, because again, we have 67 square miles. That's a lot of land. We're bigger than Noblesville and Fishers combined as far as land area. Most of it's corn, you know, but, but nonetheless, it's there. So we, we have, we have a lot of opportunity to do a lot of different things.
Wait, if I Google Zionsville, it is interesting that the, uh, like the map thing has two separate.
Yes.
Is that part of Zionsville?
That is, that's the old Perry Township. And, uh, that, that became part of Zionsville during the reorganization. So you're talking about the area left, uh, left west of I 65. Yeah. Um, that's, that's, uh, an important part of,
you get in, in the Zionsville proper area or the Zionsville area in general.
You get the quaint downtown feel, you get the rural feel, you have the airport out there. There's this, there's a lot of, uh, geographic, you know, differences there, which is kind of cool.
We have a lot of high achievers in Zionsville and, and, uh, and I'm proud of 'em. I'm proud of all my constituents and, um, you know, our, our kids are high.
Gonna be high achievers too.
Yeah. I mean, good schools, right? Great schools. Very, very sought after, isn't it? One. So, one, I did have a question about this. It is interesting. Some other school districts, you can live anywhere and go anywhere. But for Zionsville it is for the Zionsville citizens, right? Correct.
Like you have to live in the district.
Yes.
I mean, that's pretty cool because I feel like a lot of people would flood in there and wanna be part of part of the eagles and nutrition they're building over there,
right? Yeah. I, we, we consistently rank in the top three. Um, as far as academics, I think it's 97% of our kids go to college.
Uh, not that going to college is the only way to, you know, to, to advance in the world and all that, but, um, you know, there academic achievement is, is something that's important to us. And, and, um, you know, athletic achievement, uh, in the arts, uh, I, I have to mention that I have a couple of my kids we're in show choir and, and you know, those kind of things.
It is, it is really extraordinary the amount of work they put in and the, and the success that they have on all those different levels.
I love it. So here's what I wanna know. Zo seems like a very great place to live.
Yes.
What keeps you up at night as the mayor? What's the thing that you're just like, man, I really wanna get this to the finish line.
I really wanna be able to, you know, provide, like, produce, whatever the thing is.
I, I'm gonna flip this question around. Yeah. And say what keeps me up at night? Is the excitement for how great things are gonna be in the future and where we are heading in the future. Zionsville in 20 years is gonna be different than it is today.
Yeah. And it's, and I gotta believe it's gonna be even better, you know, that we're gonna have even more opportunity there. Uh, we're gonna have more, uh, services to offer people. The parks are gonna be even better and, you know, things are just gonna continue to increase because, 'cause that's the focus of the people in Zionsville and that's what we wanna bring them.
So 20 years from now when they're talking about how great Zionsville is today, and they look back at your, your tenure as, as mayor. Yeah. What do you hope they say about your administration? Is that what you call it? Like all the people that are currently working to build the best Zionsville possible right now, what do you hope they say in 20 years?
I hope they say that we didn't jump the gun, we didn't reach for things that, you know, maybe we shouldn't be reaching for. That we, that we grew in a responsible and orderly way. Um, you know, lately some of the new housing that we've approved. Have come, it's come along with other things. So one, uh, area is going to have 26 acres.
It's gonna come back to the town and we hope that we can develop a, a, uh, baseball and softball complex there. There's another that has a 25 acre farm that's being cut out of it, and that's gonna be used for adults with developmental disabilities. There's a program called Watch Us Farm. That is fantastic.
Um, and Purdue is gonna be involved in the, in the agricultural aspects of it. IU is gonna be involved in the social aspects of it, and we're gonna give, um, adults with developmental disabilities a segment of our population that, you know, that could use opportunity. We're gonna give them skills and we're gonna create a business there.
It's gonna be a show place and we're already getting, um, interest from around the country. People wanna know more about it. People wanna be involved. People want to contribute to it. So, um, I, I think those are the kind of things. It's not just growth for the sake of growth. It's growth that brings some value to the community too.
And so, I guess to answer your question in, in a short sentence, I hope that people will look at what we've done and say this, this, this brought value to Zionsville, not just more, you know, more sprawl.
What does a day look like? Like you wake up in the morning and. Like, is it all ribbon cuttings and shuffles in the ground?
Is it meeting, are you like holding court and like people come in and like air their complaints about whatever's going on? What does it look like?
I think it's a little bit of everything. It depends on the day. Yeah. Um, you know, for me personally, I get up, I, you know, have a little breakfast, maybe take my dog for a walk.
I'm walk over to town hall, which is kind of nice, you know, that I can, I can walk to work in the morning. Um, and I, you know, I see people that I know, I see neighbors, I see friends, um, and you know, sometimes people have things that they're a little worked up about, but other times, you know, people patch on the back and say, you know, I appreciate that you did that.
I appreciate, you know, seeing this, this develop in the way that it has. Not always, people tend to complain more than they compliment, but I, but I, but we do get compliments from time to time too.
Yeah. I do think that that is something that holds a lot of people back from holding any sort of public office is that.
It's not a lot of attaboys, not a lot of pats on the back. Not a lot of people that are just like, oh my gosh, thank you for running such an effective government and doing blah, blah. It's a lot of, well, I don't like this or I don't like that. If there were future potential politicians, if you wanted to convince me that one day I should run for office, why?
Right.
You know, I, I'll say, first of all, for me, 42 years in broadcasting kind of made me have a little bit of a thicker skin. So, you know, I don't take it as personally as some other people might. Uh, but I think at the, at the end of the day, you know, if you wanted to serve your community, if you want your community to be better, uh, if you have a vision for what you want it to be, then you're probably the best person.
When I just, when I was thinking about running, I called up a, a, a person that I knew you would know him. Politician, uh, I already said him. Okay. That eliminates half the population. But I, I called him up and I said, I'm, I'm thinking about running for mayor. And he said, well, why? And I said, well, you know, because communication, I mean, he said, okay, in 10 words, you need to tell me why you wanna be mayor.
All right? And I said, okay, I want the town, we all love to do better. He said, that's good. And he said, uh, why should it be you? Uh, 10 words gotta tell me in 10 words because I have the communication skills to do the job. And then he said, okay, you're ready. And he made, he was my first donor to my campaign too.
Hey.
Yeah.
What's the hardest part? Like, what's the part that, you know, the, obviously, you know, the mayor doesn't always get to be up there saying, oh, you know, life's so, I mean, you know, you're growing the town, people are looking to you for leadership, but what's a part of public service that maybe you didn't know about getting into it?
It takes a lot more time than you think it should. Everything takes more time than you think it should. Everything is a little more complicated than you think it should be. And it costs more money than you think it should. I mean that, that's just the reality of it. Um, I've learned to be patient in this job.
Yeah. And you know, any, anything that that's worth doing is gonna take a little more time. You just can't snap your fingers and have it be done.
If you could, if you could snap your fingers and it would be done anything, one one free wish about Zionsville, you could snap your fingers, what would it be?
I think this road project is gonna be transformational for Zionsville.
I think it's going to help the business community. I think it's going to help the residents and I think it's gonna lead to so many great things for the town. I mean, it's gonna be something that's gonna carry the town into the next. Next century. Um, so I wish that it will, it's not gonna take a couple of years to get it done.
I wish I could do it tomorrow.
Will there be bricks on this road?
We're not gonna disturb the brick and our bricks are sacred. We're not gonna, we're not gonna disturb the bricks on, on Main Street.
So this leads right up to the bricks?
Yes.
Yes. Ah, this is the, this is the last line. And then you stop right there.
Right. 'cause we gotta make sure no bricks will be harmed in the creation. No, no. Bricks will
be
harmed of this roundabout peanut.
Yes. And if we, and if we built, you know, so this was one of the things that, this is getting way deep into the weeds, and I'll tell me to stop if you want me to, but if we tried to put bricks on the roundabout, you have that lateral movement of the cars driving over them.
Mm-hmm. That's not good for maintenance.
No, I think that that's a great thing to say because people would be like, why don't we put bricks on the, on the peanut roundabout and be like, well, hey, the engineering of that doesn't work.
And, and they're very expensive. So Main Street, uh, the bricks are the best surface for Main Street because it's basically a straight shot.
You know, you're not moving. Laterally on it the way you would be if you're turning to the left or turning to the right. So, um, which is why, speaking of, that's why the speedway ended up paving over the bricks because they were getting lateral movement in all the corners and it was a, it was a maintenance issue.
So, oh, how often do the bricks have to be like a singular brick? Like is there someone out there that has like, swap out bricks like on a, a random Tuesday?
We don't do that. No, we don't do that. Uh, it's a, it's a remarkably, um, resilient surface. So, you know, we last did it in the late nineties and I don't think there's any thought the next, you know, seven or eight years having to do it again.
I think we, you know, we're always evaluating, but I think maybe in. 15 years, 20 years. We might have to relay 'em, but we're good for now. Maybe
that'll be, so maybe that'll be some other mayor's problem.
I think it will be, yes. In
20 years down the road, uh, definitely
will be 20 years down
the road. Yes. Yeah.
There we go. Well, I love it. If there were any final, you know, talks of, of zin of what we can expect coming out over the next couple years, what, obviously the road project, are there other things that get you excited looking through the future of Zionsville?
You know, one of the things I did in the beginning was I, I set up a youth advisory council, uh, because I think that a lot of times adults don't listen to young people the way we should.
Um, and we have had, uh, two classes now and we're on the third and they are fantastic. I mean, those, those kids are smart. They have great ideas. Some of them are just there because they want something on their resume, you know, to go to, yeah. College or get a job, whatever. But, but even, even them, I, I think, I think everybody gets something out of it that's been part of it.
And, um, I'm just so impressed with 'em and, and the way they think and, and the desire they have for community service. I mean, they're not, they're not sitting back in, in full take mode. They're willing to give too. Yeah. Um, and I, I've been so impressed by all of 'em.
Has there been an idea from someone on the Student Advisory Council that's come to life?
Well, that, you know, they, they do a project every year and this year their project is gonna be, they're gonna go and interact with some of our retired, um, neighbors. And, and I think that's fantastic. Um, they did a survey last year on, on what they wanna see the town be in the next 20 years, you know, as they consider coming back and raising their families here.
Yeah. I always think that's funny. Look, what does a 17 or an 18-year-old say that the town needs?
I, I think what they want is maybe a little more to do, you know, a little more, a little more activity for them to do. And I, and I think that, you know, that, that we're moving in that direction. I think that. Um, you know, the, the baseball and softball complex will do that.
And you,
you know, I think, I think that's like every 17-year-old, like you could put them in the middle of anything and they're like, I, it's boring. You know? There's nothing to do. Right, right. I remember being that way and it's like, oh, there's nothing to do. And I look back and I was like, well, well we did have all those things to do.
I just, it's kinda like that thing when you ask someone like, where do you want to eat? They're like, I don't care. And yeah. And no one ever like has the, uh, the motivation to pick where you're gonna go eat. So, um, no, I love that and I love that you're getting, you know, high school kids involved with that and it exposes 'em to a little bit of government.
Yeah. I just do think that there is. Such a bad rap on public service today. And it just seems like something that a lot of people, you know, in the younger generation aren't that interested in.
Yeah.
Uh, and so yeah, getting, you know, into the fact that, hey, if you volunteer your time or do whatever, you can make an impact in your community and it's really, really important.
Right. I think that's true. And, and, uh, you know, one thing you didn't ask me and I thought I thought I was expecting it, you know, is, is why Indiana? Why do you live in Indiana? You know? Oh,
you, you're reading the end of my script here.
Oh, is that right? We're gonna get to that.
Oh, the, oh, the whole end of the, uh, the whole end of the episode.
Okay. All we do is talk all things Indiana.
Okay.
I have one more, uh, like Zionsville niche. We, wait,
we'll wait for that then.
Okay. We'll, we'll put a, a brief pause. Is there a spot down near. Yeah. And on one of the parks I've heard about this legend of, 'cause some of it I can hold some water when it rains a lot.
Uhhuh, at one of those parks, is there a building that marks how tall the water has ever gotten to? Oh, sure. And how tall is that?
Lions park?
Yeah.
Uh, is a flood plain. Yeah. That's why it's a park. That's why over the years nobody's ever built anything more substantial there because it's, it's made to catch the equal creek when, when it overflows.
So in the restroom facility on one of the sides, there are markers for the various floods we've had. And I think the highest flood was maybe 2013, uh, when it got to be about six feet, uh, below floor level.
Who's got the job, who goes out there in a little boat and marks that off.
I don't, I don't know.
Probably one of the lion goes
out in the, like one of the lion out there with like the little arm floaties, like trying to get out there and mark that thing off.
But, but one thing I know for sure is that uh, the opening of the little league season was, uh, delayed that year for a couple of, couple of weeks until the water went back down.
That checks out. Uh, I love it. Well, okay, we go to the end of the show where we talk all things Indiana. Okay. Alright. So this question is brought to you by our friends.JC Hart, they're a leader in creating enjoyable living experiences at apartment communities all across Indiana and beyond. Check them out at homeisjchart.com. So my question for you, yeah, why do you call Indiana
home? I think that there are people of good character everywhere, you know, and that Indiana doesn't corner the market on that.
But I think the difference here is that people are really upfront, they're really willing to help you. They're really willing to reach out. Uh, in other places that I've lived, I've known people like that, but you gotta get to know 'em pretty well before they're willing to make themselves vulnerable and willing to open themselves up in Indiana.
That's just not the case. I think people here are real, people are friendly, you know, Midwest nice. And I'll tell you a quick story. My, my wife went to the University of Alabama. So you remember that Alabama played Indiana in the Rose Bowl this year and during the college football playoffs.
Oh, do I?
And, and there were her old, uh, classmates calling her singer, people running a lot of smack at you.
Are they giving you a bad time? And she said, no, people don't do that here. People are nice here. You know? And, uh, that made her actually. Um, you know, root for Indiana, even though she has, you know, she went to Alabama and that's been her team. She was rooting for Indiana because, you know, it, it's time. No, it's time for a changing of the guards.
We, we like out. Nice. Her enough, she you
out, you out. Nice her and brought her along.
Absolutely. That she switched sides. That's incredible.
But it's a real thing, you know, that Midwest nice is a real thing. And, and you know, I lived in New York City for a while and you know what they tell you there is, don't make eye contact with people.
Don't smile at people. They'll think you want something from 'em, you know, and, and here it's just, it's just what you do. You know, you, you say hello to somebody when you pass 'em on the trail. You, you know, you help people if you can. Uh, and I, I, I find myself being very happy and very comfortable in that kind of environment.
I love it. Is there ever a time that you break back into your, your like old news anchor voice and you start like delivering whatever the address might be?
Uh, you know, people, people have asked me that. Yeah. You know, do your news voice and it's like, I don't really have a news voice because again, I think, you know, it goes back to being real with people and being real over a long period of time.
And I'd like to think that that was partially responsible for any success that I had, that, you know, I'm just me. And if you. If you don't like me, fine. But if you like me, you know, let's, you know, let's sit down and have a little talk and yeah. You know, kick it around a little bit.
Okay. What's your favorite Zionsville tradition?
Oh, Zionsville. I, you know, I love the Fall Festival. Everybody comes out and, uh, everybody takes part in that. Uh, the parade is great. In fact, there are so many people in the parade. You wonder who's left to watch the parade. You know, it's, uh, it's just a, a great community celebration. Our Lions Club has been doing that for, I don't know, 75 years now, and they are such a great community player.
It's, it is just such a wonderful time to really celebrate our neighbors and celebrate our count.
Is there an iconic, uh, float? Like does someone have like a very memorable float that goes through the parade where you're like, that's Randy on his flying, whatever?
Well, we have a, uh, isn't there a Calliope?
I think there's a Calliope that the American Legion has that they bring in. Um, and you know, it always starts off the same way. You have the police cars leading the parade and the fire trucks and there's lights and sirens and um, you know, you know when you see that that good things are coming,
what's the most frequently asked question you get as mayor?
I think you've asked it. You know, why did you do this? Why did you come outta retirement to do this? Um, and you know, my answer is always the same 'cause I love the town. Yeah. And I want the town to do better.
What is the longest day of the year for the Zionsville Mayor? So I, I'll preface with this. I had Doug Bowles on the podcast and he talks about his hour by hour itinerary for the Indianapolis 500.
Like, what is yours? Like, oh, what's the day where you're going at? Five or six o'clock in the morning and you don't get done till late.
Well, I think maybe the Fall Festival would be that. Um, yeah. You know, I've had the pleasure of being in the Fall Festival parade Now, the last several, well, even before that, you know, was in the parade a few times for various things.
Um, so that starts pretty early and that goes pretty late. You know, there are opportunities to get down there and talk to people and, um, be involved in, uh, demonstrations of, of what the, the police do and the fire department does. Um, I allowed myself to get attacked by a police dog last year. Not wore the suit, obviously.
Yes, yes, yes. Um, but no, it's, it's, it's,
it's all, it's just a day in the life. You never know.
It's, it's a great celebration. And, um, you know, one of the things that, that, you know, I always talk about with Zionsville is we're neighbors. You know, we're in this together, you know, it's not like, um, you know, people are all in it for themselves.
They're in it together and, you know, Zionsville's gonna sink or swim. Based on the efforts of all of us,
what is the most underrated job in the whole Zionsville government? Like, what is the job where you're just like, oh man, like that person has like the craziest, like they're doing whatever it might be.
Who has the most underrated job?
Woman in our parks department, who is the keeper of our therapy dog? Oh. And, uh, you know, that's, that's a good job. You know, the, the, the dog goes home with her at night and is, is a family pet for her family. But when she comes to work in the morning, this is the dog that is, yes.
I mean, she immediately changes and she is in it and she's doing her therapy thing and it's, uh, it's great. It's really a nice, uh, element to have in our town
in one week. I've heard about this Zionsville therapy dog twice.
Oh, is that right?
So it has to be, it has to be a winner. I love it.
Well, you know about dahlias in Zionsville.
Uh, there was a Dahlia Farm years ago, and that was known for hybrids and, and creating. Dahlias that were unique and special. Mm-hmm. Um, and so Zionsville became known as the Dahlia City. So our therapy dog's name is Dahlia. We call her Dolly. And uh, she's just, you know, a ray of sunshine for everybody.
There we go. I love it. Okay. These are the final three questions Okay. That we ask every guest who comes on the show.
Okay.
First thing, you've been all over. I have Salt Lake City. New York City. City. Grand Rapids.
Yeah.
All these places. If you could shout it from the rooftop, what's something the world needs to know about Indiana?
That the people here are real. And, and genuine and nice, you know, and, and you know, Hoosier, I I, here's what I say about, about Zionsville especially. We didn't invent Hoosier hospitality, but we perfected it. Uh, and I think that, you know, when people smile at you, it's as real as the bricks on our street, you know?
And, and it's
this guy,
excuse me, it's me, this guy. It's meaningful. It's meaningful. It's a great place to be. Great. Great environment to be in.
Yeah. That's so awesome. I love what you said, we didn't create Hoosier hospitality, we just perfected it. That might be the name of the episode right there.
Second question.
Yeah.
This is your opportunity to shed some light on a part of the state that more people need to be talking about. It can be in Zionsville, it could be not in Zionsville, it could be anywhere. But what is a hidden gem in Indiana?
I have two. Uh,
yes sir.
And one of the first one's in Zionsville, uh, and I don't know if you've ever heard of Starkey Nature Park, which is an, a nature park that we have.
I have heard of this.
So Starkey Nature Park is 80 acres. It's along Eagle Creek. Uh, and it is completely natural. There are trails that go through it, but you know, there's no improvement really done in it. It is, it is made to be a nature park. And in fact, the Starkey family gave it to Zionsville, uh, I guess almost 50 years ago now.
And before that, we didn't have a parks department. The parks department was created to manage Starkey Nature Park. Um, and I think the real name of it is Starkey Nature Park, because it, it, you know, allows students to come down and have nature experiences. The creek is right there. People fly fish, you know.
Oh. With, I mean, it's, it's just an awesome. An awesome park. It's the oldest park we have. Uh, and I still think it's the best. Every time I walk in there, I, I will see, you know, wildlife, I see deer coming through. It's just fantastic spot. But along, you know. Okay, let's, let's broaden out the, the spotlight a little bit here.
Um, my wife and I have enjoyed several times heading up to Wabash and, you know, the, the Charley Creek Inn up there in, in Wabash and the Honeywell Center.
Yeah.
Uh, it's fantastic. It's a great little town.
That's crazy. We just had the president of the Wabash County Community Foundation on
ah,
talking about all the work they're doing.
Yeah.
To become like a, they're a rural municipality up in North. Northern Indiana. Yeah. And they're doing a ton of work to Wabash County and Wabash. And, obviously the Honeywell Center. Yeah. They get some really cool acts that come through the Honeywell Center.
They get great acts there. And the, the Charley Creek Inn, if you've, if you've never been up there, but you gotta see it, it's a a hundred year old hotel that I kind of, I guess, kind of went through a.
You know, a little down period, but it's been brought back and refurbished and it's a great restaurant. I think the restaurant's called 1920, which is when the original restaurant was built. And it is, it is a really, a fantastic spot for a little weekend getaway, you know, and it, I love it.
There we go. My, I mean, little weekend went to do a mayor swap, so whoever, whoever's running Wabash, gotta come down to Zionsville.
There you go. There you go. There you go. Uh, I love it. Finally, this is where we get future guest recommendations and learn about other Hoosiers that are doing really cool things. Who's a Hoosier? We need to keep on our radar. Someone who's doing big things
well, I'm gonna go back to our youth advisory council.
I think they're are great group and they're, they're gonna do great things. Um, you know, I, I, I keep in touch with them regularly and, and talk to them regularly. Uh, I'm just so impressed with their outlook and their goals and their desires to, to do great things and to be civic minded. Shout out
to
the youth of Zionsville.
You're doing great work.
They are doing great work. And they, you know, it's been, it's been, it was a great place for my kids to grow up. I mean, they, they're all doing terrific now as adults and I, and I go back to their upbringing in Zionsville and the people that they were around and the friends that they had, and the support that they got from other parents and, and other parts of the community.
I mean, we, we have something special there and, and my job as mayor is to make sure that it continues.
I probably know 20, 20 something year olds that are from Zionsville. I bet. Like my number that I actually know, like, I would, like go and like, right, if I saw them out, I would, you know, hang out and catch up.
And I have never heard one of the, they might not all live back in Zionsville, but I've never heard one of them say a negative thing. They all love being from Zionsville. And I just think that culture, that community, the whole nine yards there. It is just so real. And so even if they don't, you know, move back immediately, like some of 'em will come and live in Indianapolis, but then when they're ready to settle down, build a family, like they end up moving back up there.
And everyone just talks about Zionsville, hold zionsville in such a high regard. Yeah. People that are in that community. So, hats off to you, hats off to the staff, all the residents out there making it an awesome place to live. Like keep up the good work.
Well, thank you for the hats off, but I, I want to give you something here that'll give you a hat on.
Oh
boy. Hold on a second. Hold on a second. We didn't come empty handed here. So here's a little something that you can take with you on those cold days. Wow. Now, normally you have to be an employee to get that hat, but I think we'll make a special, uh, you know, special occasion. There you go.
There we go.
Look at that.
Nice and warm. There you
go. Zionsville. Home of the Eagles. Come on. And,
and here's still something for your, your, uh, hot or cold drinks. A little something to carry
with you. Oh, come on. Wow. I not off. Got gifts coming
in. And then here's, and here's the last one I have. These are, um, um, coasters.
That are made by one of our local merchants. There cards on the back if you wanna order more, but
there we go. Shout out to AJ Schnell.
AJ Schnell.
AJ Schnell Woodworks.
Yeah.
Come on. Custom designed wood furniture, accessories and gifts. Handmade and built to last a lifetime. I'm running rep Zionsville, you guys. I said if, if there ever comes a time where I need to move, like I'm thinking about moving to the suburbs, I'm gonna have to do like a, like a reality show.
Yeah.
And it's like, I'm, I, you know, I'm gonna be sitting here and, you know, mayor Willis is gonna give his pitch on why Nate and family should move to Westfield. Getting the pitch for Zionsville. It's like, yeah. Hey, we got coasters. Don't forget about those.
That's right.
No. Incredible work by you.
Incredible work by your staff. Incredible work by all the residents. Seriously, if you haven't made it up there. Uh, to spend some time in the village. It's awesome. Like, go there for a Saturday afternoon, go get brunch, go do whatever, get a drink, get some ice cream, get some pizza, hang out at the Fall Festival.
It is, it's a total vibe for sure.
Yeah. And we have a DORA in Zionsville too, so you can get that drink and you can go shop and, and walk through the village and, you know, and, and enjoy it, uh, the way you wanna enjoy
it. Hey, I love that. Keep up the good work. Uh, I, it's just fun to see Yeah. All of the, the progress and all the happiness that comes outta zionsville.
Truthfully, if there was one closing piece,
right,
if you could speak to every resident of Zionsville and say. One thing, what would you say to them?
I think I get it. I've been there long enough that I, I get what Zionsville is and um, and I wanna see it prosper. Just the way they wanna see it prosper. I, I think there are good things ahead and uh, boy, I hope that I'll be there to enjoy it all.
Mike Drop, thank you so much for coming on sharing about Zionsville. It was a ton of fun. We will talk to you soon.
Alright. Thank you Nate.
Everybody in this town is my boss, you know, and I'm answerable to them. So, you know, I think that people deserve to be listened to. They need to be listened to, and, and I'm here for it.
That's a big issue across the state right now is, is affordable housing for people and, and even just housing for people, you know, Indiana doesn't have enough of it. So that's something that we're looking at and um, you know, we'll see how that evolves. You know, there, there are 92 counties in Indiana. I know, you know this, 75 of them lose population of every, every year.
So that makes, what, 17? Am I doing my math right there? 17. That are growing and Boone County is probably one of the fastest growing because of the LEAP District and, you know, and some of the things that are happening, uh, in that area with Lilly and um, you know, so our job is to manage that growth. And if you're gonna have a problem, I'd rather be managing growth than trying to attract growth because I think we can do that effectively.
You know, we need to make sure that Zionsville fundamentally remains zionsville. And even this project we were talking about before, you know, increasing access to Main Street. Main Street is fantastic, and, and there are two ways to preserve it, right? You can put a, like a glass bubble over it and treat it like a museum, and nobody's allowed to go in and touch anything.
And that's, that's one way to preserve it. But another way to preserve it is to make it useful, make it accessible, you know, let people experience it and, and experience the joy of it. And so I, I choose the second way. I think that, uh, that that's the way we need to go. And I think that's the way it's moving.
And, and I think that, you know, as long as our downtown business district prospers, zionsville's prospering too.
Like all the people that are currently working to build the best Zionsville possible right now, what do you hope they say in 20 years
that the people here are real? And, and genuine and nice, you know, and, and you know, Hoosier, I I, here's what I say about, about Zionsville especially. We didn't invent Hoosier hospitality, but we perfected it. Uh, and I think that, you know, when people smile at you, it's as real as the bricks on our street, you know?
And, and it's
this guy,
excuse me, it's me, this guy. It's meaningful. It's meaningful. Yeah. It's a great place to be. Great. Great environment to be in.
Yeah. That's so awesome. I love what you said, we didn't create Hoosier hospitality, we just perfected it. That might be the name of the episode right there.
