McCarty Moments 24

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

VICTOR

• Sworn in along with my fellow elected officials to serve Westfield for the next four years.

• Attended a Planning Conference at Ball State, the Road School Conference at Purdue, and several other continuing education learning opportunities.

• Lead efforts in updating our Mobile Food Vendor policy to provide Transparency, hold Accountability, encourage Community, and establish Ownership.

CHELSEA

• Started new job as the Marketing Manager at Westfield Washington Township.

• Graduated magna cum laude from The University of Alabama majoring in Hospitality. ROLL TIDE!

• Speaker at the Social Media Strategies Summit for Public Agencies and Government.

BUDGET

After joining the city council during the 2024 budget season, this was my second budget cycle as a city councilor. 2025 was a much more positive experience due impart to the transparency and teamwork between the administration and my fellow city councilors. Although we may not agree on everything, I am thankful that the goals I had at the beginning of the year were all addressed. A few of the highlights from the 2025 Budget are the establishment of the Neighborhood Vibrancy Grant, a historic investment in our infrastructure which coincides with the new Capital Improvement Plan, and quite frankly restoring civility in how we treat our city staff.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

From local entrepreneurs to billion-dollar companies, we welcomed over 20 new businesses to Westfield in 2024! While attending the ribbon cuttings, I was assigned the role of confetti cannon popper as one of my official duties. It's a special feeling to see a completed project after being involved with it during the approval process, and we are blessed to have many new opportunities in our community!

• B's Bagels

• Barkefeller's

• Becky the Bakester

• Face Foundrie

• Gatsby Glass

NEW BUSINESS OPENING HIGHLIGHTS

• HNTB

• Market District

• PetSuites

• Raising Cane's

• Re/Luxe Med Spa

• Rise'n Roll

• Slim Chickens

• Sushi Station

• Ultimate Canine

• Urban Apples

2024 also kept us busy with many new projects that were vetted through the approval process. Some of the proposals were already in approved zoning areas so they were lighter in scope, but others required months long deliberation. An example of this was when Mayor Willis and I had several meetings with an area task group regarding the North Point 2 development, and, because of working together, we were able to pass it this time around as opposed to when it was previously under consideration in prior years. Whether it's neighbors, staff, or, yes, even the developers themselves, it's important as appointed and elected officials to listen, analyze, and plan while evaluating all factors when taking an action. Not everyone will always agree nor be happy with the result, and there were times this year where that applied to me, but that's where we must remain cordial despite differences. With all the new businesses above, there's still much to look forward to!

EVENTS

• Westfield Welcome hosted dozens of events including the once in a lifetime Solar Eclipse at Grand Park. I always enjoy volunteering with the team!

• City staff planted 30 new trees at Asa Bales Park.

• The Westfield Fire Department opened their new HQ as well as welcomed new fire fighters, an engine, and a tiller to the team. Station 84 was also approved!

• The Westfield Library and Township opened their new shared building. They are awesome and were much needed upgrades!

• Westfield Washington School's broke ground on three new schools and Shamrock Station. For more information, please visit Destination Westfield.

GRAND PARK

• After being vetted through a committee, this was the only proposal that allowed the city to retain control of GP as well as condensed all prior contracts into one.

• Increases WYSI use for both the field and diamond sides and continues free access for Westfield residents to GPSE youth sports events.

• Paves the way for a mixed-use district within GP akin to Disney Springs to create an in-house destination for families during events.

• Protects key mark city events such as Westfield Rocks the 4th and Colts Camp to be held on campus.

• The Public-Private Partnership Agreement (PPA) is initially for 10 years, with four five-year optional extensions based on performance.

The search for an operator of Grand Park first started in 2022 when the then administration issued an RFP. Fast forward to Dec. 9, 2024, and a deal was finally agreed upon. With our new administration and city council being handed this huge decision, there were many times during negotiations that I didn't think that this was ever going to happen, and I constantly battled back and forth with where I stood. The final vote of a unanimous favorable decision, though, is a testament to the collaboration of everyone involved. While the City of Westfield maintains ownership of Grand Park, Grand Park Sports and Entertainment (GPSE, a joint venture between Bullpen and Indy Eleven) will now manage all activities instead of the city. They will also absorb GP staff, whom my heart constantly went out to throughout the process as being in a constant state of unknowing is never easy. Is that to say everyone is 100% happy? Absolutely not, but at least there is now clarity. Thank you again to everyone, and I look forward to seeing how Grand Park continues to evolve while maintaining being a world leader in sports and events.

AGREEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

WESTFIELD HEADLINES

• Chatham Hills was announced as the Indianapolis host to the 2025 LIV Golf Tournament.

• FIFA announced Grand Park as a possible team base location for the 2026 World Cup.

• Isotopia selected Westfield as their new North American HQ, a nearly $20M investment.

• Portal Diabetes selected Westfield to relocate their HQ, a $4M investment.

• The City of Westfield purchased Woodwind Golf Club to preserve it as an amenity for the community.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS MADE 2024 MEMORABLE!

For these updates and more throughout the year, please follow my Victor in Westfield Facebook page.