Councilwoman Goldner Explains Vote To Table GPS

For those that might of missed it, councilwoman Karen Goldner is now a contributor to the Allen County Democratic Party blog. In her first substantive post she describes, in detail, why she chose to table the administration's request to put GPS in FWPD squad cars.

Goldner is taking advantage of the blogosphere in a way no other councilmember is and for that she should be commended. Welcome to the Fort Wayne blogosphere Karen!

Councilmember-Elect Karen Goldner Wrong on the Smoking Ban

Rachel Blakeman posted comments from Karen Goldner on the smoking ban and the possibility of rolling back the ordinance. I applaud Karen's interaction with the blogosphere and her willingness to discuss any issue with anyone - it's one of the many reasons she beat long-time incumbent Don Schmidt in the latest election. However, in general, I disagree with her on the smoking ban and specifically I disagree with several of her recent comments (shown in bold).

I agree that "going backward" is a poor sign, and I also believe that the entire discussion has had a high opportunity cost relative to what (in my opinion) Council should be working on, which is how to improve Fort Wayne's economic condition. Therefore, I am disappointed that the previous Council passed the extended ban in the first place.

Of course one could argue that a smoke-free Fort Wayne helps the city's economic condition. Improving public health certainly has direct financial benefits to the citizenry and its government. What certainly does not help economic development is to have the city council flip-flopping on local ordinances. Businesses will be more reluctant to invest in this community if they think our legislation is unstable. And I'm not sure I want the current council attempting to improve the city's economic condition. Of course if I were a baseball team owner or a Subway or McDonalds franchisee then I might feel differently.

Of course I do not question that smoking is very bad for everyone, and I agree that the national (and international) tide is moving toward comprehensive bans. Of course, you could say similar things about the effects of cars on our communities and our health (pollution, congestion, obesity).

These are poor analogies. Cars are an integral and critical part of most people's lives - the same cannot be said about smoking. Pollution is obviously a major concern and that's why it is heavily regulated. Obesity is an individual issue - the fat man standing next to me does not affect my health one iota.

What I do question is why Fort Wayne City Council needed to make the statement that it did, creating a very unlevel playing field, with (in my opinion) disregard for the impact on local businesses and their clientele. I support a broader ban that is statewide, because that would be both fairer to all businesses and also more effective.

First, the city did what was necessary to improve public health after the county commissioners failed to pass a comprehensive ordinance. The lack of such comprehensive ordinance in the county should be blamed for the unlevel playing field. Second, there is absolutely no publicly available evidence to support the idea that the smoking ban has harmed local business. While Goldner does not say this directly, it is often the core argument for rolling back the ban. This is something that is measurable if only the county would break out the food and beverage tax receipts for municipal businesses.

I am disappointed that Goldner takes a stance that is contrary to public health and the wishes of the citizenry. Her decision to roll back the ban would only erode whatever confidence the public might have left in the Fort Wayne city council

2nd District Recount Finished

There were 13 ballot challenges made and two of them will likely change. However, of these two, one belonged to Goldner and one belonged to Schmidt so there will be no net effect from those. There is one additional vote that could potentially go for Schmidt because the machine read it as a no-vote. All other challenges are not likely to stick and even if they did there will not be enough votes for Schmidt to overtake Goldner.

It will soon be official - Karen Goldner will be the next 2nd District councilmember. Congrats to Karen (again)!

More coverage (including photos) from Roger McNett at OurDems

Tracy Warner on 2nd District Recount

Tracy Warner has an excellent column in today's JG that explains a little history behind recent recounts. He also uses the historical data to hypothesize that the 2nd District Council results will probably stay the same. I can't blame Don Schmidt for requesting the recount - 13 votes is an extremely small margin of victory. However, I look forward to officially celebrating Goldner's victory...

Election Night Interview with Karen Goldner

We spoke with Karen shortly after hearing the news that she ousted 36 year incumbent Don Schmidt. Karen was obviously excited and ready to take on her new challenge as a Fort Wayne city councilmember...


Karen Goldner from FWL on Vimeo.

Election Day 2007

The Biggest Upset In Fort Wayne History

Karen Goldner Wins!

Un-f'in-believable. What a night! Congratulations to Karen. That is how you run a campaign! She beat the streets, she knocked on every door, she talked to every single person that wanted to talk. Karen Goldner will make a great city councilmember. Karen has shown that Democrats can win anywhere in this state. What a night to be a Democrat in Fort Wayne!

Karen Goldner Up by 13 Votes!

95% precincts in - We're on the verge of the greatest upset in Fort Wayne History

Can Karen?

All eyes will undoubtedly be on the mayoral results. But I want to point readers to the 2nd district council race where Karen Goldner will be attempting to pull off the biggest upset in the history of Fort Wayne politics. She's attempting to unseat
Don Schmidt, a 9 term incumbant in heavy, heavy Republican district. The word is recent polling data showed her within striking distance so we shall see.

No matter what happens Karen has run the best campaign of any candidate this cycle and probably in recent memory. Win or lose Karen Goldner should be proud of her service to this city including the effort she put into her campaign...

No matter how you feel, VOTE

I have basically stayed out of the fray in local politics this year. My wife believes it is because I worked so hard in the last local election that I got burned out. And while I have to admit that I was disheartened by the results of the sheriff and congressional races, I was pleased by many of the other results - especially those in my precinct where I worked so hard.

The real reason I haven't been as involved is because my special needs son, Dustin is on a modified day at school, so I simply do not have the time to do the campaigning I did in the past.

I haven't written that much about the local race - there are more blogs covering the mayoral and city council races than ever before. This blog especially has done a bang up job.

I believe the vote for mayor is a no-brainer - it doesn't take any brains to know that Tom Henry will be the better mayor and anyone who would vote for Matt Kelty probably has no brain.

The city council races are interesting. Karen Goldner has run a text book campaign. She presses the flesh, gets her message out and has the resume to be the most effective member of the city council ever.

What concerns me are some of the other council races. I've noticed, to my chagrin that there are some bloggers - who shall remain unnamed - who have fallen for the well practiced schmooze ability of one of the candidates. I too was initially fooled by the schmoozing of this candidate, but quickly came to my senses when I discovered what a mixer he/she was. It makes you wonder if the Democrats who are backing this candidate are backing him/her on policy or personality.

I do not consider myself completely partisan - I think Crawford is an honorable candidate - but we need a council who will work with Mayor Henry. Yes, I realize I'm putting the cart before the horse, but I firmly believe the majority of voters in Fort Wayne know we need a man of integrity and not a man who thinks a few white lies are acceptable.

But no matter who you are backing, make sure you get out there and vote. Right now that is Matt Kelty's only hope - voter apathy. This is how he squeaked by Nelson Peters in the primary. All of Peters' supporters assumed he was a shoe-in and woke up on a Wednesday morning in May to discover just how wrong they were. Don't let Kelty steal another election through voter apathy. Take advantage of your right as a citizen and cast your vote this Tuesday so we don't awaken on November 7 to the nightmare of a Mayor Kelty.

Karen Goldner Wins JG Endorsement

I'm sure most of you already saw that Karen Goldner got the JG endorsement but I wanted to post about it nonetheless:

Voters in the 2nd District can’t go wrong no matter which of the major party candidates they select for City Council. Nine-term incumbent Don Schmidt has a long track record as a fiscal watchdog. Democratic challenger Karen Goldner is a former high-ranking city official well acquainted with city government and especially knowledgeable about economic development.

While either candidate would represent the district well, we give the edge to Goldner.

I think this is the most interesting race to watch. Karen has run what appears to be an extremely effective campaign combining grassroots (knocking on every door) and traditional (impressive fundraising) campaign methods. Meanwhile the old-school analysts seem to think this won't make a nickel's worth of difference but I'm not so sure. Personally, I think this will be the only competitive district race come election night.

The real question is will Karen's efforts lead to victory? If so, I think you're likely to see a wholesale change in the philosophy of future local campaigns. This litmus test, if for no other reason, makes this the race to watch...

Goldner Calls for Consolidation

Saying that the time has come to act, 2nd District City Council candidate Karen Goldner today called for the City and County’s land use management departments to be combined:

"It is no secret that local businesses get frustrated with our land use and zoning functions," said Goldner. "Slow progress has been made, but we can wait no longer for further improvements. We need a dramatic change. We need to say to entrepreneurs that Fort Wayne and Allen County want their investment. We need to say that our community means business."

Goldner called for the combined City-County staff to continue to report to the Mayor of Fort Wayne and the Allen County Commissioners. "This is not uni-gov, but it will provide everyone who wants to invest anywhere in our community with a consistent set of principles and procedures that implement what was outlined in the recently adopted Plan-It Allen comprehensive plan. Plan-It Allen is a good start but we cannot afford to wait years for more progress to occur," said Goldner.

"Fort Wayne has lagged behind the nation in wages since the early 1980’s," she said. "Some of this is due to global or national circumstances beyond our control. But that is no excuse to ignore the fact that we have a land use management and zoning system that is confusing, discouraging, and too often viewed as arbitrary. A large part of these problems come from having two separate systems. We operate in a highly competitive world. Whether the business is new to Fort Wayne or one that is home grown, when we put up bureaucratic impediments to growth, we encourage that business to go elsewhere and to take its jobs, too. That must stop."

While calling for an immediate merger of the departments, Goldner also stated that the City and County should move toward further consolidation of their land use regulatory activities by creating a single Area Plan Commission. In the meantime, the separate City and County Plan Commissions would remain. "We cannot wait," said Goldner. "Government is getting in the way of business, and when that happens our city loses. Merging staffs is just common sense, and I am committed to get it done."

Karen Goldner On 2nd District Infrastructure Needs

The topic of neighborhood infrastructure came up at last night's city council meeting with councilmen Didier and Hayhurst suggesting that part of the $40 Million City Light Fund lease should be used to address infrastructure concerns within our neighborhoods...

“NO STREET LEFT BEHIND”
Goldner commits to greater neighborhood involvement in 2nd District infrastructure
For immediate release August 29, 2007

Fort Wayne, IN---Together with residents of Renfrew Drive in northeast Fort Wayne, 2nd District Council Candidate Karen Goldner pledged to make sure that funds designated for neighborhood infrastructure improvements are targeted to the areas of greatest need in north/northeast Fort Wayne.
“Renfrew Drive is in as bad a condition as any in the 2nd District. Despite the neighborhood requesting resurfacing several years ago, nothing has been done,” said Goldner. “At the other end of the district, sidewalks in Lakeside are so grown over with grass and weeds that residents in wheelchairs cannot use them, but these needs are also ignored.”
“At one time the 2nd District was relatively new,” said Goldner. “However, over the past thirty years there has been considerable decay in neighborhood infrastructure, and it is long past time to address it.”
Goldner added that streets in the Parkview Addition off of St. Joe Center Road, several streets in Pine Valley, and Tanbark Lane are other trouble spots in the district. These and other areas have been identified during Goldner’s extensive neighborhood walking campaign and talking with neighborhood leaders.
“One of the roles of the District Councilperson is to be an outspoken advocate for the district and its neighborhoods,” said Goldner. “If elected, I pledge to be the advocate that we need.”

Goldner Campaign Takes to the Street

Karen Goldner, 2nd District Council Candidate, issued a press release today detailing the progress of her grassroots campaign effort. According to the release, Karen has walked half of the 2nd district precincts - that is impressive and shows how dedicated and serious she is about unseating longtime incumbent Don Schmidt. It's a tough district for a Democrat but I don't believe any recent candidate has taken on the task like Karen has. Regardless of party affiliation and/or ideology it's the tireless efforts of people like Karen Goldner that breathes life into local politics. Congrats to Karen and her campaign.

GOLDNER HALFWAY THROUGH THE 2ND DISTRICT
Hears that voters want change

For Release August 1, 2007

Fort Wayne, IN---Second District City Council Candidate Karen Goldner announced today that she has walked door-to-door in one half of the precincts in the council district, which stretches from the confluence of the St. Joseph and Maumee Rivers downtown to the city’s northern and northeastern boundaries.

“Many voters are frustrated and want change,” said Goldner. “Talking to people at their doorstep, I have heard over and over again how they feel that the City Council needs to be more responsive to their concerns. People have different opinions about different issues facing our community, but the constant theme is that people want to be heard.”

Goldner has walked in 19 of the 38 precincts that comprise the 2nd District, including neighborhoods from Northside to Tanbark and Pine Valley. She has spoken with well over 1,000 people during these neighborhood walks.

“The greatest thing about running for office is the opportunity to meet so many people and hear their hopes and their concerns for Fort Wayne,” said Goldner. “If I am given the opportunity to serve the people of the 2nd District, I will continue walking neighborhoods and listening to our residents.”

Goldner plans to continue walking the district through the fall, with the goal of reaching every part of the 2nd District by late October.

Karen Goldner Releases Buy Fort Wayne Plan

Fort Wayne's 2nd District City Council Democratic nominee Karen Goldner released a plan today that would help ensure that our local tax dollars stay local. Readers of this blog will know that I'm a big proponent of this concept and I addressed the city council on this very topic during the Harrison Square public hearing. I am absolutely thrilled that Goldner takes this seriously and I would encourage everyone to put pressure on their candidate/councilman of choice to support Karen's plan:

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

The plan includes the following components:

• A “Buy Fort Wayne” preference would be included in commodity purchases, ranging from 1-5% based on the size of the purchase.

• All professional services or “RFP” contracts handled by the Purchasing Department would be scored on a 100-point scale. Bidders would be given points for their experience and quality and their price. In addition, bidders would be given points for whether they were a business located in Fort Wayne, Allen County, or the region. Bidders from outside of the region could earn points by subcontracting a significant amount of their work to a local company.

• The Purchasing Department would be required to maintain a registry of companies which express interest in selling to the City. This registry would be consulted as bids or Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) are issued by the Department.

• For large contracts of $100,000 or more, the Purchasing Department would hold a pre-bid conference where prospective bidders could meet prospective sub-contractors and the details of the project would be explained.

“Fort Wayne spends millions of dollars every year in buying the goods and services it needs to operate and serve our citizens,” said Goldner. “I believe that the City’s dollars are best spent in supporting local businesses whenever possible. That recycles more of our tax dollars into jobs and income for workers and businesses in our city and our region, which is good for everyone.”

This is the best idea I've seen from any candidate to date. Kudos to Karen Goldner...