Posts Tagged “Liz Brown”

By Jim Sack

We understand there is a political poll underway in Fort Wayne. Judging by the questions it is to determine if a fourth candidate would stand a chance in the current field and whether he would have a shot at beating the mayor come November.

The questions are relatively straight-forward: Do you plan to vote in the Fall, what is your opinion of Mayor Tom Henry, what is your opinion of city council? Hmmm. That question prompts consideration of who is paying for and who is behind this poll.

The poll taker droned on, we are told. with a nearly flat, perfectly unobtrusive cadence. In your opinion is the city going in the right direction or the wrong direction? What are the issues that effect the city of Fort Wayne? A list was presented, including other. The bland questioner ticked four or five. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

The Mitch Harper era has begun.

Last night’s council meeting was blandly civil, exasperatingly cordial, and smoothly managed, front to back. Hardly a hair was out of place, matters came up, matters were politely discussed, hands where reservedly raised to vote with little pinkies extended.

Mitch was fully and completely in control last night and it was a bore.

Even Councilwoman Liz Brown was generally polite, except for one little snarky moment, but generally, every vote was unanimous. And, be it known that large amounts of money and large projects were read, discussed and voted. Perhaps Councilman Pape’s absence contributed in some way to the rather un-Fort Wayne-like evening.

The single highlight of the evening was when Councilman Tom Smith put everybody in the economic development community on notice: he held a copy of the Journal Gazette up, to the delight of Ben Lanka, and explained to everyone the circumstances surrounding a failed deal between Trine University in Angola and Steuben County government. He had highlight paragraphs in green. A $28 million dollar deal to create high-tech, high-quality investment had fallen through because the county government up north could not come up with their match. Here is a link to the JG story…

Smith called loudly on the local job hustlers to get to Trine by sun-up, if not sooner (if they hadn’t already been circling around the carcass) and pitch that the project be brought down here. As the deal has fallen through in Steuben it would not be poaching, Smith noted, but rather a matter of saving a valuable project for the area and for Mother Indiana. (Certainly, there are ec dev types in Toledo who can also read…and they would be poachers.)

So, Smith put the local quasi-governmental “job-creators” on notice that they better pitch this one immediately, will be under pressure to win it, and better have a report on the table by noon, perhaps the Mayor could include the successful deal during today’s State of the City address. One could imagine that Smith and others at the table were thinking I&M money as seed to build new industries, not just jobs, but lines of businesses, in Fort Wayne. Ring the bell, document the salivation. Perhaps a convoy formed this morning for the trek up with walkie-talkies to report back from the front.

That was it. Smith rang the bell. The rest of the meeting was rather staid, which is, I believe, how Mitch prefers it. Taking the House of Commons and transforming it to the House of Lords. Here, here. Pip pip.

There was a light moment last night, Charles Eberhard humored the group during “public mic time” with a call for more Pickleball Courts in Fort Wayne. A matter of some general concern, certainly. Pickleball is tennis for foggies and geezers like myself. He explained it is played on half of a tennis court and involves much less stress and strain. He called on John Shoaff to be his doubles partner in Over 70s competition. I think someone suggested the two might rise to represent Fort Wayne at the World Cup or Olympic levels.

So ended the meeting. Pip pip.

By Jim Sack

Mitch Harper was on time, in plenty of time, but is still getting his sea-legs.

Marty Bender was mercifully silent.

Sampson and Udris were stellar.

Mrs. Brown had her attack collar on again.

Mr. Howard clarified with a smile.

Mrs. McGauley went on and on and on.

And the smell or a rat was detected. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

I can only imagine the frustration Mitch Harper must have felt as the shiny new president of Fort Wayne city council struggled in his car plowing through snow, slowed by the grey-hairs in their rear-wheel-drive Buicks, to get to the meeting he was to chair, a meeting in which eight other council members were patiently (to degrees) waiting, where the city clerk had laid out the table as if for Thanksgiving dinner, where two “real” reporters, a couple scruffy bloggers, an intern, a police officer, the new fire-fighters union chief, a few administration representatives, two men from City TV and a couple of aspiring candidates patiently checked their watches in the hope that by staring at the second hand the president would magically appear.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

It came as a bit of a surprise to John Shoaff when he was nominated for vice president of Common Council. But, it underscores how non-partisan, at times, our council can be. Shoaff, despite being of the minority party, was moved, seconded and unanimously approved by all five Republicans and the three other Democrats in about seven seconds. Electing Mitch Harper to the presidency a scant minute and a half before, by comparison, took well over 30 seconds. Shoaff looked mildly bewildered. But these things are worked out before the meeting, which saved everyone time. Someone, however, might have warned him. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

Tim Pape met last night with eight neighborhood leaders for his quarterly gauge of public sentiment and neighborhood needs. He got an earful…in fact, he always does. Tim’s district is the southwest side sandwiched between Mitch Harper on the west and Glynn Hines to the east. It runs from the center of town to a cornfield somewhere out near Waynedale. We range from the well-to-do in 5,000 square foot homes to cottages in neighborhoods troubled with nitwits selling drugs, driving arrogantly and disappointing their neighbors. Read the rest of this entry »

Liz Brown: Debates and Town Hall Forums
Necessary for Informed Electorate

Planning for debates and town hall forums should begin now.

January 3, 2011 - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Liz Brown, candidate for the Republican nomination for Mayor of the City of Fort Wayne released the following statement concerning the upcoming Republican primary election and the need to begin planning and preparing for candidate debates and town hall forums: Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

Here’s what I have learned from sources high and low.

The benefits and problems of instituting a local city court had been researched by City Clerk Sandy Kennedy for months before its introduction. Fort Wayne had such a beast in the past, and before which I once had to pay my dues to society. $49 and costs.

The five “signators” to the introduced ordinance included as least one member of council who was surprised to see he had “signed” on. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

There was no council meeting last night. Given the break, given the pause from passage of one tax break after another, cross examination of administration witnesses, presentations by sewer and insurance experts a few matters are worthy of contemplation.

Who will be the next mayor? Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

What a mess.

The agenda, often with misspellings and other little problems had two big holes in it last night.

First, Tom Smith sort of welcomed a pair of the local high and mighty to the table by saying they were not on the agenda. Huh???? Papers shuffled all over the place. Council members scratched their heads. Eyes darts to and fro. They, the representatives of the Grand Wayne Center, WERE supposed to have been on the agenda, seems somebody had simply failed to add them and their report on the written agenda. Then, much later, at the end of the meeting two representatives of the administration, Matt Gratz and Bobby Kennedy strode to the table to help council conduct a vote on another matter that was missing from the agenda, amendments to the garbage ordinance. Was it the City Clerk’s office that dropped the ball or the legal department of the city. Fingers were pointing in both directions and each was pointing at other. Call it a scrivener’s error. Just move on. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sack

It was what was missing that proved most interesting last night at city council.

First, the ordinance concerning the new yellow-topped recycling bins was withdrawn to be reintroduced another time. The city could not find a local bank to loan the money to buy the carts, $2.7 million. The project is designed to pay over time for the upfront costs through your water bill. The upfront costs, however, are substantial and the city prefers to borrow. Unfortunately, those pesky banks, the ones that won’t loan a farthing to their formerly best customers, had real qualms about loaning such a huge amount to such a questionable entity as the city. Perhaps the city’s finances are in worse condition than anyone has told us. The city will go, hat in hand, again to the fat cats to scrounge the cost and represent the ordinance at a later time. Read the rest of this entry »