Archive for the “City & County Government” Category

The City of Fort Wayne. The digital darling of the Midwest, right? Wrong.

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There was little of significance on the agenda last night at council, so little in fact that members wondered why President Marty Bender had even bothered to hold the meeting. You see, there seems to be a cycle to the business of council not unlike various rhythms of life and, in council’s case, they peak during the budget season when there is a parade of paper and people to the table.

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By Jim Sack

Money talks and council members listen.  Simple as that.

The parking lot at the city county building last night was unusually filled with Lexus, Mercedes, Audis and the other rolling status symbols of wealth.  Inside the chamber was filling with the well-to-do who were up in arms about a developer planning to building on his, the developer’s land.  The citizens, most representing Cherry Hills, a golf-community on the city’s suburban north side, argued against the office complex that the plan commission had recent approved.  Their rambling arguments were simple: not in my back yard, we were promised verdant vistas forever and the tired saw of traffic problems.  Council members buckled to the will of the people.  Six members publicly stated they would vote against the change.  Done.  So, the sprawlites get their way.  They do not want the owner of the land, a developer, a businessman, a taxpayer, etc, to ruin their view.  These are people who bought land at a premium, they lament, and demand that their semi-rural setting remain same for perpetuity.  No change in my backyard, no progress unless it is progress I approve of.  The mob won.  No pitch forks or torches, mind you, but a mob, the public, taxpayers, involved citizens just the same. The sort of neighborhood “intrusion” into policy making that makes Liz Brown testy.

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By Jim Sack

Ben Lanka missed a point this morning in his political column in the Journal. His error, while slight, gave me time to think about the media in Fort Wayne.

Ben chided the mayor, Tom Henry, an old-family Fort Wayner, for referring to State Boulevard as State Street. So? Most of the old-timers in Fort Wayne, most who have been raised here would know it that way, not just as State Boulevard. Point for the mayor flub for the out-of-town reporter. Ben, however, is a very nice guy, works hard at his craft, but blew that one.

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Last year we reported this.

Henry hired Palermo Galindo as Fort Wayne’s Hispanic-immigrant liaison back in June. Palermo Galindo operates Centro De Dinero, one of those high-priced check cashing services whose target audience is the Hispanic market, and undoubtedly Fort Wayne’s illegal alien population.

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By Jim Sack

I heard the other day about what seemed to be a real blatant bit of insider dealing.  It is a lesson in how Fort Wayne works and how rumors grow into something more.

The story was of a sweet-heart deal and conflict of interest.  It involved a leading citizen and one of his employees sitting on a board making the decision on the matter.

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Having seen the intergovernmental task force on co-location today I much prefer sausage making.

At least with sausage making you can drink a nice German beer, say a Kostritzer from Gera, to dull the pain. There was no such option today. The meeting was comical at times, disappointing most of the time, disrespectful, inarticulate, confused, and oh yes, a mess.

The highly respected John Stafford chairs the task force and even as capable and articulate as he is the meeting got away from him quickly. The seating chart should have been a giveaway. One the left (literally, not figuratively) were Councilmen Tom Smith, Tim Pape and Mitch Harper. On the right (literally and figuratively) were County Council members Roy Buskirk, Paula Hughes and Paul Moss. In the middle (to their misfortune) were commissioners Linda Bloom and Nelson Peters, moderator Stafford and placed uncomfortably near Councilman Moss our fuming Mayor Tom Henry. (Bill Brown fortuitously had scheduled something else moons ago so he was spared the confusion and confrontation and pettiness.)

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Indiana News Center is reporting Henry’s ducking and running for cover.

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By Jim Sack

As one local government official said, “there was conflict between Pat Roller and Greg Purcell and Tom (Henry) chose her.”

Greg Purcell is returning to Michigan to care for ailing family members. Maybe that is the case, but it sounds as lame a reason to leave the high-paying job as Mike Pence saying he prefers the life of a Congressman to that of a Senator. Something is not right.

Purcell, is seems, did speak truth to power, was critical of the way matters such as the casino issue and the I&M fight were handled and eventually lost favor with the mayor. You might remember the mayor said he was neutral on the issue of bringing a casino to Fort Wayne and then was seen lobbying hard in the legislature for just that outcome. In the matter of the I&M lease of City Light property the matter was and remains poorly explained to the public, has become entwined in legal machinations and has not been the win for the community and himself that the mayor expected.

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By Jim Sack

Fort Wayne will miss Greg Purcell. He is a capable administrator, a relatively skilled politician and a nice guy, really.

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Karen Goldner, one of Tom Henry’s lapdogs is picking up where Henry failed in 2001 by introducing a change to Chapter 93 of the Fort Wayne city code.

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