Zionsville center stage in election

By Eric Smith/Times Sentinel writer

Democratic Party candidate and Zionsville resident Nels Ackerson opened his campaign headquarters in the Village in October 2007. Now it’s home base as he vies for the Fourth District congressional seat.

On the other side, key members of Republican Party candidate Steve Buyer’s campaign have Zionsville ties, as well. Campaign Manager Jon Clark is a graduate of Zionsville Community High School, and Chief of Staff Mike Copher is a Zionsville resident.

ACKERSON'S DOWNTOWN PERCH

Ackerson’s campaign headquarters is above Eagle Creek Coffee Company at the corner of Main and Cedar streets. Rent in the downtown district is more expensive than many campaigns are willing to pay, but Ackerson chose it because it’s within walking distance of his home.

Boone County is a traditionally Republican county and district. Still, Ackerson said Zionsville’s residents have been welcoming and receptive to his campaign’s presence.

“We have a number of friendships that have developed since I’ve been here, in addition to friendships that have been here a long time,” Ackerson said.

Ackerson grew up just outside Boone County on a dairy farm near Westfield, and he said several family members still live in the county. Ackerson became a Zionsville resident about a year ago after moving from the Washington D.C. area.

“This area has always been my home,” Ackerson said. “It’s a convenient location, it’s a very pleasant community — I really love the character of Zionsville.”

Ackerson recently represented the N.K. Hurst family in a property rights dispute involving the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium. A settlement in April 2007 kept the family’s bean factory from being demolished.

He began thinking about running for Congress about the time that case ended, he said. Many people were asking him then if he would consider running for Congress at that time. He attributed the encouragement to the visibility he received because of the N.K. Hurst case.

Ackerson also met his eventual campaign chairman Jim Hurst, a Zionsville resident, for the first time because of the case.

“I worked very closely with Nels and developed a deep respect for him,” said Hurst, who was surprised when asked to take the role in the campaign. Hurst said although he is a Republican, he thinks Ackerson’s ability to listen and proactively address issues is what Fourth District constituents need from a congressman.

Ackerson said he’s getting plenty of help from other local residents. His campaign has about 24 volunteers from Zionsville, and a total of 35 from Boone County.

QUEST FOR RE-ELECTION

While Ackerson has only run for elected office once before — an unsuccessful bid for Indiana’s Fifth Congressional District in 1980 — Steve Buyer has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993. He represented a northern district until 2002, when the current incarnation of the Fourth District was formed.

He runs the re-election campaign out of his Monticello office, but Zionsville’s influence stretches out to the district’s extreme northern and southern boundaries. Jon Clark joined the Buyer campaign on July 1, and manages the congressman’s re-election out of an office in Brownsburg.

A 2002 graduate of ZCHS, Clark worked for the congressman on the Republican staff of the House Committee of Veterans Affairs, and jumped at the opportunity to help his re-election bid here in the district.

He believes Boone County is representative of the Fourth District, which stretches from White County in northern Indiana to Lawrence County in the south, and runs along the western suburbs of Indianapolis in between.

“(Boone County) is suburban in places but it also has rural areas,” Clark said. “The residents of Boone County have been supporters of Congressman Buyer for years.”

Mike Copher, the congressman’s chief of staff, grew up just outside Zionsville in Pike Township. He became a Zionsville resident this winter. Lebanon resident Michelle Price also brings a Boone County perspective to the campaign, working out of the Plainfield Congressional District office.

Since the Fourth District’s formation, Buyer has received more than 60 percent of the vote in all three races, including 71 percent against Bill Abbott in 2002, according to the Buyer campaign. He has also dominated the fundraising competition in each election cycle.

In 2006, Buyer raised $745,000 compared to his democratic challenger David Sanders who raised $135,000, with $100,000 of that money contributed by Sanders, according to opensecrets.org.

For the Democrats, that was much better than the two previous election cycles. According to the Federal Election Commission, in 2004, Sanders only raised $21,000 compared to $662,000 for Buyer, and in 2002, the Democratic candidate Bill Abbott raised $28,000 compared to $946,000 for Buyer.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS

Gaining an advantage in the Fourth District has been a grueling uphill battle for Democratic candidates in the past, but with 2008’s second quarter fundraising reported on July 17, the two campaigns are more competitive than in recent elections. According to the Federal Election Commission, Buyer’s campaign has raised $484,073, while the Ackerson campaign has raised $396,697 in the 2007-08 election cycle.

Buyer, however, has $628,854 in cash-on-hand — Ackerson’s latest cash-on-hand total sits at $177,536.

Republican Party Fourth District Chairman and Zionsville resident Bill Soards said cash-on-hand is the only figure that really matters in a campaign, and Buyer is well ahead in that regard.

Ackerson contends the source of each candidate’s funds is indicative of support from voters. Eighty-eight percent of Ackerson’s contributions ($346,993) comes from individual contributors, while 25 percent of Buyer’s contributions ($118,562) are from individual donors.

A spokeswoman for Buyer, Stephanie Mattix, said the nature of the congressman’s events will largely switch to fundraisers in homes around the district in the coming months. She believes Buyer’s support from individual donors will be increased significantly.

Fundraising is a pie that can be cut any number of ways. Money, like polling, is never a flawless indicator of the outcome, but the work of these current and former Zionsville residents will be measured on Nov. 4 when the votes are cast.

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