On any other day at the Adrienne & Co. Bakery and Café, Matt Owen, political science sophomore, could be seen working the cash register or baking his favorite raspberry cheesecake. On Friday, Jan. 28, Owen was front and center at the bakery, where he promoted his campaign kick-off for mayor of Jeffersonville.
Owen ran a press release on Jan. 25 stating his candidacy for the Republican ticket of mayor in Jeffersonville. Owen has become one of the youngest people in history to run for the position.
Owen has lived in Jeffersonville his entire life and has attended IU Southeast full time, where he has earned a 2.6 GPA.
In addition to school, Owen serves as the pro-temp for the Student Government Association and works 40 to 60 hours a week.
“The work with the SGA has given me the opportunity to work with a lot of people with diverse ideas, which has helped prepare me for the mayor’s office,” Owen said.
Before attending IU Southeast, Owen graduated from Jeffersonville High School in 2009 where he gained his interest in city politics while filming city council meetings for WJHS — Jeffersonville High School’s news program.
Owen said he learned a lot about his community during these meetings and wanted to get involved.
While filming the Jeffersonville City Council meetings, Owen met and later volunteered for the campaign of Ron Grooms, state senator of District 46.
“My first step in getting involved personally in politics was when I helped Grooms with his campaign,” Owen said. “This was my first exposure to participating in a campaign, and it was limited. I did what I could to aid in his campaign, but I wasn’t able to do very much.”
Owen said he decided to run for mayor of Jeffersonville when the city council announced Jeffersonville was going to become a second-class city.
Owen said he disagrees with what the current mayor of Jeffersonville, Tom Galligan, has put in place and hopes to provide a fresh perspective to the candidacy.
“A lot of people think you can’t run for office in Clark County unless you are a democrat and that you must be among a certain group of individuals to run in Jeffersonville,” Owen said. “I hope to discredit these claims, and I hope the citizens realize with the administration we have, we aren’t getting much attention. This administration does what they want and asks the peoples’ opinions later.”
Owen said he was dismayed when Galligan chose to uproot 15 acres of trees in Vissing Park and not previously share these plans with the residents of the area.
“Galligan didn’t think it was necessary to file a permit for clearing of Vissing Park,” Owen said. “This has now brought about a lawsuit against the city. Galligan did not take into account how the nearby residents would feel about this decision to uproot so many trees and how this would lower their property value.”
James Bonsall, business senior and Owen’s campaign manager, said he believes Owen was inspired to run for mayor in this election because Galligan is running again as the incumbent.
“He feels that Jeffersonville cannot afford another term with the current mayor,” Bonsall said. “Matt is definitely very passionate about making sure that doesn’t happen, and he feels like now is the time to run.”
Bonsall said Owen is frustrated with Galligan’s lack of communication.
“Matt doesn’t think the mayor’s ideas are necessarily bad, but he thinks the mayor should communicate with the citizens prior to making decisions,” Bonsall said. “If Matt were mayor, he would make sure there wouldn’t be a lack of communication issue among him and the citizens.”
When Owen’s decision to run for mayor hit the media, some were quick to voice their skepticism of Owen’s abilities. As a 20-year-old IUS student, Owen is facing criticism about his young age and lack of experience.
Stephen Prather, allied health junior and member of Owen’s campaign, gave reasons as to why Owen and his team are not looking at this as an issue.
“We understand that people have misconceptions about a 20-year-old running for mayor, but once they see his drive and knowledge of how the city works, they will lose interest in his age,” Prather said. “He just wants to be involved and help in his city as much as he can.”
Mike Moore, Clark County commissioner, recognizes a potential issue for Owen regarding his age but is also familiar with the inaccuracy of labels given to politicians.
“People said Ronald Reagan was too old to run for president, but in my opinion, he was one of the greatest presidents we ever had,” Moore said. “Who is able to judge what age is too young or too old?”
Galligan said he believes Owen’s decision to run for mayor is positive and a fair indication that young people are staying engaged regarding politics.
“I think Matt will bring energy and some new ideas to the table,” Galligan said. “If the people of Jeffersonville know he is knowledgeable and able to fulfill their wants, then they will vote for him. By putting his hat in the ring, he is giving the people a variety.”
Joe Wert, dean of Social Sciences, said he believes people will be hesitant to take Owen’s campaign seriously because of his age and lack of experience.
“His opposing candidates are people that have probably been involved in local politics before, but I think if he wants to win, he is going to have to defeat these obstacles and misconceptions,” Wert said.
An advantage to Owen’s candidacy is the fact that another Republican isn’t running against him right now. Prather said he believes Owen has the ability to run alone on the Republican ticket.
“Right now, it is unclear if someone will step up and run against Matt,” Prather said. “He is a very good candidate, and I think people will believe in him to represent the Republican Party and support him to go on the republican ticket solo.”
Owen said he is unsure if he will receive the support of the Tea Party or the Clark County Republicans because no one has contacted him at this time.
“For Clark County GOP, I know Grooms and David Reinhardt, and I imagine they will support my efforts, but it is unclear and a little early to see,” Owen said. “I have not spoken with the Clark County chair, but a lot of people seem to be anxious to see how my campaign turns out.”
Owen said he is working to make sure the people in Jeffersonville stay very informed during this election.
“We want people to know what the issues are and to give their feedback on these issues,” Owen said. “Our ultimate goal is to win the election, but we want to make sure that we are keeping the citizens informed of the issues of Jeffersonville and what they will be voting for.”
Filing for candidacy closes on Feb. 18, and the Indiana primary is scheduled for May 3.
By COURTNEY MCKINLEY
Profiles Editor
comckinl@imail.iu.edu
