Mayor Henry gives Lloy Ball City Seal Pin

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry honors U.S. Men's Volleyball player and Olympic gold medal winner Lloy Ball, a native of Woodburn, at a community rally on the plaza of the City-County Building Aug. 28 for helping the U.S. Men's Volleyball team earn a gold medal at the Beijing games:

Mayor Henry announces Homeownership Week

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry speaks about the value of homeownership at a news conference announcing Aug. 18-22 as Homeownership Week. Heather Presley, deputy director of Fort Wayne's Housing and Neighborhood Services, and John Hall, the Indianapolis Field Office Director for Housing and Urban Development, joined the Mayor at this press conference Aug. 14 at one of the homes that HUD funds helped to rehabilitate:

Mayor Henry talks about his second Mayor's Night In

As part of being accessible and available to residents, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry hosted the second Mayor's Night In of his adminstration July 30, 2008. Residents met with the Mayor and members of his staff in his office. Mayor Henry talks about what he heard from residents and what he plans to do with that information:

Mayor Henry visits the Fairfield Neighborhood

Mayor Henry announces new additions to downtown

Mayor Henry announces new additions to downtown Fort Wayne:



Hat Tip - Jen Wagner

Open Government - The Next Step

In today's information age, citizens are demanding more access to local government than ever before. Despite good intentions, government agencies can fall behind the technological curve and thus fall short of meeting these requests. Technology to provide public access has become abundantly available at extremely low costs and now is the time for local government to rethink its strategy and provide more information than ever before.

Currently the city of Fort Wayne does a decent job of providing information to the citizenry. The council meetings are on cable television and the individual members are accessible as well. The new administration has also gone the extra mile by hiring a second public information officer to help the situation. Still there is much more we can do.

Recently councilman Mitch Harper has taken to podcasting the audio of the city council meetings. While this is a step in the right direction it's a step we should be able to completely skip as we look toward implementing better solutions.

Public advocacy group Fort Wayne Public 1 is requesting that the administration and the council consider forming a Public Access Board to identify new ways the city can provide information to the public. I am a strong proponent of this idea as the most efficient way to provide these services is to gather input from the public on what information is wanted and how that information should be disseminated. I feel that this board would not only help meet citizen requests, but also help the city become a national example of how local government can and should provide public access.

The following letter was sent today by Fort Wayne Public 1 to the city council, mayor and deputy mayor:

Since its inaugural meeting in December, Fort Wayne Public I has been actively espousing the principles of Open Government in the Fort Wayne community at all levels of public governance. There are a host of possible courses of changes that could be explored to further citizen interest and involvement in civic affairs through principles of open government—a goal all agree is worth pursuing and achieving.

Public I has prepared an Issue Paper including several avenues for recommended changes. Its final draft will be shared with interested parties at the City, County, Township levels of governance, as well as such public bodies as the School Boards, Library Board, and Housing Authority.

The Fort Wayne City Council could now seize the opportunity to lead an initiative to explore improvements in increasing citizen knowledge, access, and involvement in civic affairs. As a springboard for dialogue, Public I would be privileged to share the Issue Paper on this important issue.

This is a request to the Fort Wayne Common Council to form either a Public Access Board or a Public Access Advisory Committee to explore and recommend specific open government changes designed to ensure an informed and involved citizenry. This entity would consist of representation and leadership from Council members and include other public entities and public citizens.

Public I pledges cooperation in such an innovative endeavor. It is an opportunity for the City of Fort Wayne to be a model for other communities by adopting a proactive model and expressing a commitment to explore changes to further strengthen the public trust between public bodies and the citizens of the community.

We thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely:

Daniel J. Jehl, Coordinator
Fort Wayne Public I

Human Resources Director To Leave the Henry Administration

Chloretha Davie is on administrative leave and will be leaving her job as Director of Human Resources. No further details at this time.

Chloretha is the wife of recently retired fire chief Tim Davie

Budget Smackdown

Regular readers of this blog have probably followed the story of the Henry administration trying to retroactively change the budget and increase property taxes by roughly 4%. They are doing this to try and offset some of the revenue losses that will be generated when the state legislature passes HB1001 or some equivalent - i.e. the governor's bill to cap property taxes at 1% among other things.

Today, councilmen Mitch Harper and Tom Smith held a press conference to give that idea (and the city controller) a public smackdown. You can see the remarks from both Harper and Smith below (again sorry for the shaky video). Before I delve into the politics of this I want to point out that Smith discusses some excellent ideas on how the city could go about using citizen input to help control government costs. The rest of the council and the administration would be wise to at least follow up on his ideas.





I expect this issue to get some discussion and debate at tomorrow's council meeting but why hold a press conference? Well, the Republican councilmembers haven't gotten the best press lately and this is probably a way for them to try and turn the tables a little bit and show the Democrats, including the administration, that they are willing to play politics if that's what it takes. In other words, this is probably a little retribution for Pape leading the charge against the illegal caucus held by the Republican majority.

I'm not suggesting that what Harper and Smith were talking about isn't substantive - it is. I'm merely pointing out that there's more than meets the eye regarding this press conference. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in tomorrow's council meeting...

Councilmen Speak Against Proposed Tax Increase

As mentioned in Ben Lanka's story in this morning's JG, councilmen Mitch Harper and Tom Smith held a press conference to discuss their objections towards the mayor's request to increase property taxes. Both councilmen questioned the legality of retroactively changing the budget as requested by the city controller. You can read the full press release here.

I will have video of the press conference up later tonight or early tomorrow but I wanted to touch on one specific part of their press conference that I found particularly troubling. During his remarks Harper mentioned that the administration had wanted to move forward on this proposed tax increase without a public hearing. Frankly, I was somewhat surprised by this and so I asked councilman Harper if he would elaborate on that point. (Apologies for the shaky video, I didn't have a tripod)



You can read the letter to the city controller that Harper mentions in the video here

It's certainly unusual for a new administration to try and retroactively change the budget after a new council is elected, but to do so without a public hearing or a formal opportunity for the public to speak for or against the idea is an outrage. I have to think this is the work of mayor Richard's holdovers.

Just because they can make a legal argument for such action doesn't make it the right course of action to take. Mayor Henry showed a propensity towards open government when he hired a second public information officer but he needs to reign in his entire staff and make it clear that this is not how the city will do business.

More to come...

Just Say No to Two Way Streets

The JG penned an editorial yesterday supporting the mayor's request for converting Berry and Wayne into two way streets. The JG goes even further by suggesting the city council should try and restart the work to make Calhoun a two way street.

Mayor Tom Henry is right to ask the City Council to reconsider converting several downtown streets to allow two-way traffic. Examining ways to improve downtown traffic patterns is prudent given the flourishing development downtown.

Henry wants the council to revisit converting Wayne Street to two-way traffic between Van Buren and Clay streets, as well as Berry Street from Clay Street to Broadway.

The priority for city leaders, however, should be converting the one-way section of Calhoun Street. Council members last year approved making Calhoun a two-way street between Washington Boulevard and Berry Street, but that plan was ditched because the cost of converting it proved to be higher than expected. The project was expected to cost $2.4 million, but the lowest bid for the project was 3 percent higher than the estimate.

Calhoun is the most pedestrian friendly street in all of downtown - especially between Berry & Wayne. The city, and the JG, wants to screw that up by widening it which would certainly cause some of the trees to go away and also put parking along one side of the street. And why? Because their other decisions to build buildings across major streets have screwed up things so badly they don't think they have a choice. Notice a pattern here?

As for making Berry and Wayne two way streets - where will the money come from? We're facing a $10 Million shortfall due to HB1001 and this type of project is certainly not necessary - something councilman Smith has rightly pointed out. Evidently the JG isn't concerned about that:

In 2006, the council defeated a request to convert Berry and Wayne streets downtown from one-way to two-way in a vote that split according to party affiliation. Republicans were looking at the costs then. Since then, the Harrison Square development has begun, creating a need to re-examine downtown traffic patterns, and four council members have been replaced.

The part they left out is that cost control is even more important now than it was then. In fact it's going to be quite interesting to watch the administration go before council and request money for a "nice-to-have" project right after the controller was saying we needed to raise taxes to help offset the looming budget shortfalls...

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...

A 2nd Public Information Officer

FortWayneNews.com has confirmed (and I have as well) that Ozzie Mitson has been hired as the city's 2nd PIO. For those that might not remember, Mitson was the campaign manager for Nelson Peters and was an integral part of John Crawford's campaign as well. It appears that mayor Henry is taking open government seriously and adding a 2nd PIO should make it much easier for citizens to get information. However I do have a couple of concerns.

First, the 2008 budget passed by the last city council only allocated money for 1 PIO (see image below) so it's unclear to me where that money is going to come from - especially in light of the City Controller's presentation on Tues night showing the city finances could be as much as $10 Million/year in the hole thanks to HB1001. Second, it's a little disconcerting that a press release was issued about the hiring of two PIOs yet nobody seems to be able to get a hold of it. I would suggest the first action the new PIOs should take is to place all the press releases in an easy-to-find place on the city website in a timely manner...


Click on the image for a larger version

Rachel Blakeman Named New Public Information Officer

Rachel Blakeman, who ran the blog Be Part of the Solution, was being considered for the PIO position within the Henry administration. Rachel frequently updated her content until a few days ago when it went dead. Now her blog has been taken down completely so obviously that was a flag that she had been offered the PIO position.

I have now confirmed that she has accepted the PIO position. I want to offer my congratulations to Rachel and say kudos to the Henry transition team for selecting what I'm sure will be a great PIO. For those that might not remember I made a post shortly after the election suggesting that Henry choose Rachel for the PIO position:

I don't think it's any big secret that there has been some frustration between citizens of this community and the current administration's public information office. While I believe Mayor Richard has done a fine job overall in running this city I definitely see this as one area that needs improvement. In order to realize this improvement the city needs a public information officer that understands marketing, traditional media and new media. I think this is an easy choice and I'd like to throw my recommendation out there.

Rachel Blakeman

Rachel was a reporter for the JG, currently works in marketing in sales and also runs a great new blog entitled Be Part of the Solution. Now Rachel has absolutely no idea that I'm writing this so I don't know what her reaction will be. However, I would encourage Rachel to send her resume to the Henry transition team and I'll definitely send my letter of recommendation as well (for what that's worth).

Again, congratulations to Rachel!

Tracy Warner Weighs in on Property Tax Increase

Tracy Warner has a column in today's JG where he takes the same position I have over the Henry administration's property tax proposal. Specifically, he discusses the political problems I wrote about last weekend:

From a fiscal government standpoint, Mayor Tom Henry’s request for the City Council to restore $3.7 million it cut last fall from the proposed 2008 budget is sound.

But from a political viewpoint, the new mayor is essentially asking for authority to raise property taxes by $3.7 million as one of his first policy initiatives, a move few voters are likely to support and one that will undoubtedly face intense City Council scrutiny.

...beginning his administration with a proposal to raise property taxes could well set the wrong tone if popularity matters to the mayor.

It had better matter to the mayor. The reason mayor Richard was able to steamroll Harrison Square through the council is due in part to the rapport he had built with the councilmembers, the business community and the citizenry. Mayor Henry doesn't have that yet and hopefully his department staff realizes that they're not still in the Richard administration. It's one thing to hit the ground running but it's another to just hit the ground with a thud...

The Politics Behind Henry's Request to Increase Property Taxes

I've reported about the upcoming city ordinance that might raise property taxes. I've also talked about the policy behind it and why the original decision made by council may have not been the wisest choice they've ever made. But we haven't discussed the politics behind this ordinance and how it relates to the new administration.

This ordinance provides an ideal example of the dangers of carrying over department heads from a previous administration. Tom Henry kept Pat Roller on as Controller and that wasn't a bad decision considering her experience in the position. However, Roller has been insulated from recent politics due to her position in the Richard administration and the fact that he wasn't seeking re-election, so it's not surprising that she would advocate for a property tax increase at the worst possible time. But where is mayor Henry's political advisor? Somebody should've been in his ear telling him it's not the right time or circumstance to fight this battle.

This situation has been mismanaged from a political point of view. First, there's no guarantee that the governor's property tax bill will even pass so why in the world would Henry want a front page story in the JG discussing a future property tax increase that he is asking for? Second, you simply can't author an ordinance to increase property taxes in this environment on your 3rd day in office - nobody has that kind of political capital. As Clinton used to say, good policy doesn't always make good politics.

So what should've happened? The administration should've worked on a contingency plan behind the scenes in the event that HB1001 or something similar was passed. In the meantime they could've been publicly discussing the problems to warn the citizenry and council about the likely effects. This way if they couldn't build the necessary council or community support they could save face because they didn't advocate for a specific ordinance calling for a property tax increase.

Now what we have is an ill-conceived ordinance being thrown to the council as a political hot potato. And I'm sure the Henry administration is lobbying all the councilmembers, especially the Democrats, to support the ordinance. The problem is the administration is on the verge of starting a major financial battle with the council that wasn't even necessary. Budget battles can get ugly and it's not what Henry or the city needs right now...

Mayor Henry to Explore Casino

After months and months of listening to politicians tell us there's no way to get a casino to Fort Wayne we find out that Steuben County might just be a little more resourceful than the Fort Wayne folks. You mean we could get a new business that local government wouldn't have to massively subsidize and would actually create millions in annual tax revenue? Say it ain't so. And guess what that might mean? Yep, your property taxes could go down. Or you could fix some of the Fort Wayne Community Schools without breaking the public bank. There are a number of possibilities that become instantly viable with a casino.

Thankfully our new mayor is picking up the previous mayor's slack and plans to look into the possibility:

The topic of gambling has crossed the mind of Henry at the start of his administration.

Concerning the idea for a new casino at Buck Lake in Steuben County, Henry wants to push to have that re-located in Fort Wayne, and he will try and lay the groundwork for such a change through the spring and summer months.

H/T: Fort Wayne News

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...

Mayor Elect Henry Names 6 Members of his Administration

No surprises here. Henry announced the following people would be staying on with his administration:

1. Deputy Mayor Mark Becker


2. Controller Pat Roller


3. City Attorney Carol Taylor


4. Police Chief Rusty York


5. Fire Chief Pete Kelly


6. Director of Community Development John Urbahns

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...