Fadness sets sights on Fishers’ top job

Fishers’ first mayoral race has its third candidate: Town Manager Scott Fadness.

Fadness, 31, announced his candidacy in a Tuesday morning news release. He had been exploring the idea of running since August and already has raised almost $100,000 to support his campaign.

“It has been an honor to serve as Fishers’ town manager and I want to lead our city to an even stronger future,” he said in a prepared statement. “As mayor, I will implement a comprehensive strategic plan that encourages smart growth and creates a sense of identity for our community, while also spurring job creation and continuing to deliver quality services in a fiscally responsible way.”

Residents of the fast-growing suburb will elect their first mayor in 2014 after voting last year to turn the town into a second-class city with an elected mayor and nine-member city council.

The town of about 80,000 is governed now by a seven-member town council that appoints a town manager to run day-to-day affairs.

Fadness has had the job since 2011. Before that, he was deputy town manager and budget director. As town manager, he oversees a $60 million budget and a staff of almost 400.

Voters will choose partisan candidates for mayor, city council and city clerk in the May 2014 primary—typically the most-contentious election in the overwhelmingly Republican community—and return to the polls in November.

He faces opposition from longtime Town Council President Walt Kelly, who kicked off his campaign in July, and current Council member Renee Cox, who announced her candidacy on Saturday.