Wishard wins overwhelmingly in special election

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Tuesday night, workers and supports of Wishard Hospital gathered at the Madame Walker Theatre downtown where they declared victory in the special election. Hundreds of people packed the ballroom in support of the referendum.

• View the complete results of the special election

Marion County voters went to the polls to vote for a new Wishard. Voters decided to green light a proposed new $754 million facility. The hospital is seeking $600 million in public funding to re-build the hospital.

People in support of the referendum were overjoyed by the voters who turned out to support their cause.

"We are thrilled that the voters have decided to move forward with building a new hospital. It's vital to our community and we are just so excited," said Susan Decker with Citizens for Wishard.

"Those of us who work in the hospital for 30 years, it's been more than a labor love. We could have worked at other places, but we choose to work here because of the mission. It's really at the heart of what medicine is to those of us who see it as a calling," said Dr. William Tierney of Wishard Hospital.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard was on hand for the rally. He supported the referendum and said the project will be great for the city.

"I think it's a great night for Indianapolis. This will be with us for decades. The people have spoken overwhelmingly that they support a new Wishard Hospital. It just means so much. It really shows the kind of community that we are," said Mayor Ballard.

State Senator Scott Schneider is opposed to the referendum. He said he's concerned about a possible tax hike.

"There are other funding mechanisms, it has the lowest interest rate for the borrower. We certainly want them to be prudent financially, but there are other ways to finance it and they can use revenue bonds," said Schneider.

Officials said now that the voters have made their decisions, work will start on the new Wishard Hospital soon.

Out of the 590 polling sites in Marion County, seven precincts opened late but everything was running at 7:30 a.m. Marion County Clerk Beth White pointed out all poll workers got a 5 a.m. automated wake-up call.

The poll workers are those trained and responsible for bringing voting materials and setting up at the site.

Glenn Jones, a registered Marion County voter, made it a point to come out and vote.

He said, "I'm looking forward to the brand new building. I am also on the Wishard Advantage program and without that because I don't have any insurance. I'm like the other 47 million people without insurance and without that I couldn't go to the doctor or anything else."

On Monday, the hospital received a huge boost. The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation announced a $6 million gift toward construction of a new hospital.

Also on this year's ticket three Marion County school systems asked voters to approve funding increases. Those school systems are Beech Grove, Perry Township and Franklin Township. The school systems say they need money to compensate for what has been lost in property tax cuts.

Voters in Perry Township are being asked to approve $98 million in school renovation and construction projects. The vote was split evenly late Tuesday evening.

Voters appear poised to grant Beech Grove City Schools a victory. The schools want help with their multi-million dollar budget shortfall.

Beech Grove City Schools Superintendent Paul Kaiser said if the referendum is not approved, school leaders would have to make drastic cuts. Some of the cuts include building repairs and $1 million in transportation.