Barton Going For Unprecedented Fourth Term

Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton, who was first elected to that office when he defeated Democrat incumbent Charlie Coons in 2011, has announced he will run again for a fourth term. If elected, he will be the first four-term mayor in Crawfordsville history, breaking a tie with Glenn Knecht and Phil Michael.

In his last two races he was unopposed. Those are the only two times in the city’s history that has happened, according to city records.

Barton, a Republican, worked in the fire department prior to his run for the top spot in the city. He served in several roles including Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations, EMS Director, Lieutenan, Deputy Chief and Fire Chief. Barton is a graduate of Wabash College. He and wife Jamie have three adult children.

Barton released the following statement:

I would like to thank everyone for their strong words of encouragement as Indiana’s 2023 Municipal Elections approach.  After much thought and consideration, I would like to officially announce my intent to file for re-election as Mayor of Crawfordsville.

I have been fortunate to build a very strong team and we have partnered with the people of Crawfordsville to accomplish much over the last several years.  To say that Crawfordsville is a different place than when I was first elected, would be a significant understatement.

We have made great strides in improving public safety, upgrading critical infrastructure, enhancing quality of place, and elevating our economic development efforts to a level that has resulted in hundreds of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new, private investment within our city in recent years.

All of these accomplishments have been balanced with the strengthened fiscal health of our city which is demonstrated by strong reserves and a city property tax rate that, contrary to record levels of inflation, will decrease by 6% in 2023. 

Despite all of our accomplishments, there is still much work to be done.  We have very strong momentum and I have every intention of leveraging it in the coming months, and years to continue moving Crawfordsville forward.   We are poised for continued job growth, new investment, significant housing development, and enhanced retail offerings.  The future of Crawfordsville is full of potential.

The decision to run for another term as mayor isn’t one I’ve made lightly.  It isn’t a short-term commitment and the realities of the workload involved in successfully performing the role can be daunting.  For eleven years, I have given every bit of my energy, and ability, to guide our community in a manner that allows it to fulfill its true potential.  I am committing to giving it everything I have, if re-elected, for another four years after this term.  I feel very strongly that complacency kills great cities and will continue to work hard every day to vigorously lead the city I love with unmatched effort, innovation, and energy.

I look forward to talking with many of you in the coming months and remind you that you can always get the latest information about all that is happening with the City of Crawfordsville by listening to our weekly podcast, Crawfordsville Connection.

Again, I truly appreciate your support and words of encouragement.