Columbus mayoral candidates discuss mental health solutions

Columbus Republican mayoral candidates, former State Rep. Milo Smith and Mary Ferdon, the city’s current executive director of administration and community development, are talking about the city’s role in the community’s mental health crisis.

Community leaders recently announced Mental Health Matters, a joint effort to find and fill the needs for treatment locally.

Smith said the mental health crisis is part of the homelessness problem locally.

Ferdon said that the Mental Health Matters Partnership brings many organizations to the table to address the issue.

Early voting is available in Columbus at Nexus Park, the former Fair Oaks Mall. You can vote from 8 to 5 on weekdays leading up to the primary. On Saturday, you can vote from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Nexus Park and at the Governmental Office Building on Third Street downtown.

Early voting ends on Monday at noon. Election Day is Tuesday and polls at Bartholomew County voting centers will be open from 6 to 6.

Mary Ferdon. Photo courtesy of the candidate. Milo Smith. Photo courtesy of the candidate.