Mayor Who?

While looking for the latest press releases I stumbled upon the Mayor's Office official web page. Seems like they're still adjusting to the new mayor...

New Council, New Mayor

So tomorrow will bring the new year and with it a new government for our city. Many things have happened in our city that have left me frustrated and at times downright angry. However, I believe our elected officials are stand-up citizens that are doing their best to forward the interests of this city. I've attended or watched most of city council meetings this past year and I've been impressed at the intellect and bipartisanship of the current councilmembers - there are no "duds" in my opinion.

And while we are losing 4 members from this impressive group we are replacing them with qualified candidates in Karen Goldner, Mitch Harper, Liz Brown and Marty Bender. The only one I'm skeptical about at this point is Bender. Personally I do not believe city employees should be allowed on council and I also found him the least impressive of the new candidates. Having said that, Bender has been a public servant and previous councilmember so there's a body of work there that speaks for itself.

One thing I hope to see from the new council is less group-think. At times I felt like certain councilmembers were voting on issues just because everyone else was or because they didn't want to rock the boat - I hope the new members shake that up a bit. To the outgoing members, I say thank you. It's a tough position and the pay isn't great but trying to improve your community is important and something people should be commended for.

Tom Henry will become our next mayor and it will be interesting to watch him grow into that role. There were many, many times I agreed with Mayor Richard, but other times it was difficult for me to support him because I perceived that he simply didn't believe in open government. I sincerely hope that mayor-elect Henry continues the good work of the Richard administration while simultaneously promoting open government and citizen participation every step of the way.

Finally, I would like to extend an invitation for you all to join the local blogosphere. Several local officials are readers and commenters and I believe all of you can offer a unique perspective that people would enjoy. The local blogosphere is constantly growing and I don't think we're going away anytime soon so you know the old adage - "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

Does Tom Henry Believe in Open Government?

Kudos to Tracy Warner and the JG for today's editorial that strenuously objects to the city's position on withholding the environmental studies from the OmniSource site. The Richard administration is hiding behind legal technicalities but they have not put forth any valid reason for not releasing environmental data the taxpayers paid for.

City residents paid nearly $50,000 for a consultant to study the extent of contamination at a key near-downtown site long pegged for a major development. City officials have no good reason to conceal the results of those environmental studies from the people who paid for them.

Withholding them will do little to help the city’s negotiating position – the city may have already shared some of the results with the property’s owners – and does much to cast doubt on the possible purchase of the property.

This is an opportunity for mayor-elect Tom Henry to show that he believes in the tenets of open government. Mayor Graham Richard never did; he has always believed in governing through a consensus of elitists and shutting out the general public. That style might fit in the political generation in which Richard was groomed but it is woefully lacking in today's information age. Citizens expect information and transparency from their government. Whether or not they will admit it publicly, even ardent supporters of Mayor Richard believe he could've done a better job promoting open government initiatives.

In his waning hours as mayor, Graham Richard should release the study. If he doesn’t, Tom Henry could go far toward establishing a firm position favoring open government by releasing the studies.

Involving the public at each step should include informing citizens about the extent of contamination and should help build support for the project. Withholding information only breeds distrust.

Fort Wayne citizens paid for the studies; they should know the results.

So the choice is quite simple for mayor-elect Henry. He can either embrace open government and build goodwill with everyone in the community or he can continue the stonewall tactics employed by the Richard administration and alienate a large portion of the community. This decision will likely tell open government advocates everything they need to know about the future of the Henry administration...

OmniSource on Hold

Ben Lanka of the JG brings us some good news this morning as he reports that the city is going to try and extend the purchase option for the OmniSource property so that the next administration can make the decision. I was nearly convinced that Mayor Richard was going to try and ram this through in the 11th hour so I'm glad that's not going to happen. I think mayor-elect Tom Henry would be wise to approach this cautiously and make sure the taxpayers are not footing the bill to clean up any polluted land before making a commitment...

OmniSource Gauntlet

Tracy Warner's column about Mayor Richard "sprinting to the finish" gives a little more insight into the mayor's plans regarding the OmniSource site.

The city's $25,000 for an option to buy the land for $4.3 million expires with Richard's term, and the mayor clearly would like to do more than renew the option.

“I think the public will be well served by the city owning it,” he said. Richard's administration came under fire during the recent city elections for refusing to release environmental studies of the property, but the mayor noted that the studies are not yet complete and said they belong to the property's owners, not the city.

I know that Mayor Richard has never had an extremely open administration but if he thinks he can buy that property without releasing the environmental data then he is vastly uninformed and he should be ready to go to court to defend his position. Any document used in the negotiation of that option is a public document and must be available for inspection. Right now he's using a loophole by saying the negotiations are still in progress to get around having to release the study.

But saying the studies aren't complete? Why the hell would the city go through the trouble of putting together a task force and public meetings that met for months on end before the environmental data was in? Of course the answer is the public meetings were a farce - window dressing to give the appearance of community input. Why would the environment study be the last thing done when it clearly should've been one of the first? I'm not sure but it could be a stall tactic while they try and lay the groundwork of excuses and misinformation before buying potentially polluted property.

We've already heard the administration discuss the idea of using state and federal dollars to clean up the property. But let me go on record - any plan to use taxpayer dollars to clean up the land polluted by one of the richest families in Allen County is economically unjust and downright un-American. Any such plan should be a non-starter with city council and the residents of this community. Of course this is exactly the type of elitist proposal I expect to see from the Richard administration...

Mayor Richard & Mayor Elect Henry Share a Moment Together

We got this short video right after Tom Henry's victory speech.


Mayor Richard & Mayor Elect Tom Henry from FWL on Vimeo.

Mayor Richard Still Fails Open Government Test

Mike Sylvester links to this story from Indiana News Center that says the city has refused to provide the environmental test results for the Omni Source property.

But because that land for years hosted scrap metal recycling, questions arise about whether there are environmental contamination issues that need to be exposed.

Indiana's NewsCenter requested records of soil testing that's been conducted, but the City Legal Department turned down that request.

The City cited state code suggesting that economic development commissions are exempt from disclosure requirements, during negotiations with a commercial prospect.

I am sick and tired of this administration thumbing their nose at the citizenry. One thing the next mayor MUST DO is vastly improve on Mayor Richard's woeful closed government legacy - just embrace the idea of citizen oversight and open government principles. Work with the people in the community instead of building a consensus of elitists.

As for the commission being exempt from disclosure they are technically correct but only until the negotiation is complete. What advantage does the city get from hiding this information? As soon as the negotiation is done the tests will be public anyway. They are not in competition with anyone over this property because they have an option to buy it that hasn't expired yet.

I'd like to share the fundamental statute of Indiana's Access to Public Record's law for ALL of you involved in local government - learn it, live it, love it:

IC 5-14-3-1
Public policy; construction; burden of proof for nondisclosure

Sec. 1. A fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government is that government is the servant of the people and not their master. Accordingly, it is the public policy of the state that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent them as public officials and employees. Providing persons with the information is an essential function of a representative government and an integral part of the routine duties of public officials and employees, whose duty it is to provide the information.

Letter Calling for an Investigation into the Handling of Chuckwagon BBQ

Below is the copy of the letter I will be personally delivering tomorrow morning. I would encourage everyone to contact their councilmen, commissioners and mayor Richard about this matter. We can make a difference but people-powered politics only works if the citizenry gets involved. If local government won't listen to you then contact the Associated Press. If they still won't listen then contact the national newscasts. Or if you're creative, make a documentary about this or other incidents and share it on You Tube for millions to see. Just do something - don't let this happen again.

Contact the city clerk - skennedy@ci.ft-wayne.in.us - and ask her to forward your e-mail on to the council.
Contact the county commissioners - commissioner@co.allen.in.us
Contact mayor Richard - mayor@ci.ft-wayne.in.us

City Council, Commissioners, Mayor Richard:

I'm sure you have all read about the tragic story of Bruce Marshall and how the local health department ruined his business (Chuckwagon BBQ) and may have even contributed to his deteriorating health. I want to share my thoughts and concerns with you in hope that you will take action that will help explain how this could happen and what can be done to prevent it in the future.

I really enjoyed Chuckwagon. As somebody who has a smoker and loves bbq, I enjoyed the few occasions I had to talk shop with Bruce. I remember discussing the pros and cons of tomato vs vinegar based sauces. I also remember talking about smoked bologna sandwiches as well as whether or not the slaw should go on the side or on the pulled pork sandwich directly. It truly was the best bbq in this town.

I was extremely saddened to read the story in yesterday's paper. I was not close with Bruce but yet I still mourn his passing. Maybe it's guilt for not doing enough to bring attention to this injustice or maybe it's rage - I'm not sure.

Deep down I've always felt that government should be about helping people, making sure the little guy isn't forgotten and trampled on. That's the very core of my belief in government and yesterday it was shattered. Who was there to stand up for Bruce? Where were his councilmen, his mayor, his county commissioners? This city, across the board, failed Bruce Marshall. I can only hope that his tragic death can help jumpstart the process of reforming government so that it better serves the people and businesses of this community instead of working against them.

I think the city council and county commissioners should initiate a joint investigation into this matter so that we can all learn why the health department put these unnecessary roadblocks in front of this business. This investigation should also encourage others to come forward if they feel they've been treated unfairly by city and/or county departments.

At one point or another, each and every one of you have talked about finding ways to cut red tape in order to help citizens and businesses. Now is the time. I think local government at least owes Mr Marshall that much.

Sincerely

Jeff Pruitt

Free Advice for Kelty Campaign

While you might disagree with the current mayor on specific issues, attacking him is probably not a good strategy. Despite the unpopularity of Harrison Square this mayor still enjoys a high job approval rating and, in general, has done a good job. It is doubly unwise to attack him over his lack of support for the FWCS facilities project when Kelty himself never took a stand on the issue or signed either the yellow or blue petition. From today's Political Notebook section of the JG:

Kelty attacked Richard for not offering more vocal support for the Fort Wayne Community Schools’ $500 million bond issue, which was later killed through remonstrance. Kelty said the mayor should have been out front but only sent a letter of support.

“It’s time for real leadership,” Kelty said.

Of course, the issue Kelty chose is somewhat perplexing – he didn’t sign either petition for the bond issue and has never publicly said which side he supported.

Surely I'm not the only person that sees the irony in our "smaller government" candidate not speaking out against what was going to be a massive and unnecessary tax increase levied by FWCS. Why is that by the way? Oh yea, Kelty wants to reduce public spending unless it could benefit him personally.

So my advice would be to stop the hypocritical attacks against a popular sitting mayor. No charge...

City Attorney Tim Manges To Leave at the End of September

Good Riddance.

Where Does Mayor Richard Stand on Iraq? (UPDATED)

Yesterday the US Conference of Mayors narrowly approved a resolution (51-47 vote) that, among other things, called for the "swift and prudent redeployment of US Armed Forces" from Iraq. The Fort Wayne city website confirms that Mayor Richard was to attend this week's conference but there is no mention yet of whether the Mayor voted on the Iraq Resolution and/or if he supports the resolution.

I have a call in to the Mayor's office and I'll post an update when I receive a response. Below are a few key statements pulled from the full resolution - it's short, so go read it (listed under "Other"):

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for the Administration to begin planning immediately for the swift and prudent redeployment of the US Armed Forces; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for future U.S. Military Aid; reconstruction funding, and other support to be tied to the achievement of verifiable goals by the Iraqi government, including ridding Iraqi security forces of militia or sectarian influence;

UPDATE 6-27-07: I just received the following message from John Perlich:

The Mayor was not in attendance when the vote on the Iraq resolution took place. The Mayor favors a change in policy to bring troops home.

I had assumed that was the case but it's always nice to know for sure...