Fort Wayne Observed

Obergfell renews plea for TIF balances, inflows and outflows at Redevelopment meeting

Council appointee Thom Obergfell renewed his request on Monday for Fort Wayne Redevelopment staff to provide financial information for the Fort Wayne Tax Increment Financing Districts.

Mr. Obergfell made the request at last month's meeting of the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission meeting.  Mr. Obergfell repeated his request at the Monday meeting of the Commission; Mr. Obergfell had asked the staff for totals of the cash balances in each of the TIF districts created by Fort Wayne.  He also asked for the yearly inflows and outflows of the various TIF districts.

A TIF designation over a particular geographic area means that property tax payers in the defined area will pay any additional property taxes above the base established at the time the TIF was created to a segregated fund corresponding to the district.  The funds are overseen by the Redevelopment staff.

Rolling history

Not something seen every day: a Maria Parra for Congress bumper sticker.

Ms. Parra is the Democratic nominee for Allen County Treasurer.  She was the nominee for Congress against US Representative Mark Souder in 2004.

Photographed at Village of Coventry on Monday evening.

Photo credit: Mitch Harper | Fort Wayne Observed.

Major power outage - New Haven - Georgetown areas

Persons in the New Haven and Maysville Road/East State area are reporting a power outage.

The cause is reportedly centered on the I & M Substation at IND 930 and Estella Avenue in New Haven - about a mile east of the Coliseum Boulevard and IN 930 cloverleaf.

I & M expects power to be restored about midnight.

Kalamazoo Idol: FWPD's Jeff Hadley now one of the three finalists

It was announced this afternoon that Fort Wayne Police Captain Jeff Hadley has made the cut at Kalamazoo.  He was named one of the three finalists for Public Safety Chief in that Michigan city; a public interview process will take place Wednesday evening in Kalamazoo.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports:

Battle Creek Police Chief David Headings, Fort Wayne Captain Jeffrey Hadley and East Lansing Police Captain Kim Johnson remain in the running to become Kalamazoo's next Public Safety chief.

City Manager Kenneth Collard announced Monday his final three choices from a semi-final field of five.

[ ... ]

Hadley, Headings and Johnson will make 10- to 15-minute publc presentations Wednseday night, detailing their law enforcement experience, their "vision for public safety and understanding of the Kalamazoo community."

The public forum is set to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the city commission chambers at Kalamazoo City Hall.

Hat tip: Scott S.

Tuesday is Ride to Council Day

On Tuesday afternoon, I am going to be taking my Trek on a trek to the City County Building for the Fort Wayne City Council meeting.

The week of May 12 to May 16 has been designated as National Ride to Work Week by the League of American Bicyclists. May is National Bike Month.

I  want to do a small part to highlight the recreational and safety aspects of bicycling. The starting point will be the Village of Coventry at I-69 and W. Jefferson.  Time of start will be somewhat dependent on the weather.

The goals of National Bike Month are:

Goal #1 Motorists Will Share the Road

Goal #2 Bicyclists Will Ride Safely

Goal #3 Bicyclists Will Wear Helmets

Goal #4 The Legal System Will Support Safe Bicycling

Goal #5 Roads and Paths Will Safely Accommodate Bicycling

Latest IN Legislative Insight: Jill "managed to stick it to the establishment"

The May 12th Indiana Legislative Insight discussed the Long Thompson/Schellinger contest:

The state Democratic party poobahs were behind Schellinger in this race, luring him into the contest, and overlooking even the early signs of impending campaign disaster from the start. They were not pleased with Long Thompson, who had to rely on the grassroots when fundraising came up short (the Democratic Governors Association stepped in Wednesday with its first assistance).

But even in Fort Wayne, where the current and immediate past Democratic mayors endorsed Schellinger, she managed to stick it to the establishment, running up 70% of the vote in Fort Wayne and Allen County, which she represented for several years in Congress.

Mr. Schellinger had been endorsed by Mayor Henry, Graham Richard and Fort Wayne Council members Tim Pape and Glynn Hines.

Indiana Legislative Insight is a well-respected, non-partisan weekly newsletter covering state goverment for over 20 years. It is available only by subscription. It is published by the IN Group, originator of the companion online publication - Indiana Daily Insight.

Next Saturday - East State Village Arch dedication

The dedication of the East State Village Arch will take place next Saturday, May 17th, at 2 PM.

There will be food, games and activities for families attending the dedication ceremony until 4 PM.

Photo credit: Eric Fetcho.

Graham Richard to Newsweek: "It's all about the Benjamins."

Longtime Newsweek political writer Jonathan Alter quotes former Fort Wayne mayor Graham Richard saying "It's all about the Benjamins."

Mr. Richard was referring to the Democratic presidential race.

Mr. Alter writes in this next week's edition of Newsweek magazine:

Before getting to Hillary's game, let me introduce a new ace in the hole for Obama. For all the talk of numbers, there's one that will be most important for superdelegates: 1.5 million. That reflects the 1.5 million names of donors that the Obama campaign has on file. Because no contribution below $200 is publicly reported, the vast majority of those names are in Obama's exclusive possession, to be shared as he wishes. As Graham Richard, the longtime mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., explained it to me last week, it's all about the Benjamins. Local officials (that's who most superdelegates are) need the tens of thousands of Democratic donors on that list who come from their states. Their re-election depends on successful fund-raising. No Obama at the top of the ticket, no list. No list, and you may be back selling insurance after November.

Paul Helmke on The Colbert Report next week

Fort Wayne Observed has been told by a reliable source that former Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke will be a guest on The Colbert Report, hosted by comedian Stephen Colbert..

Reportedly, the segment was taped this past week for broadcast next week on Comedy Central.

Mr. Helmke is head of The Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence.  He also writes for The Huffington Post.

New Police Memorial

This morning I attended the ceremonies at the new site of the Fort Wayne Police Memorial on Wells Street just north of the St. Marys bridge.

Mayor Tom Henry, Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York, Allen County Commissioners Linda Bloom, Nelson Peters and Bill Brown, Chief Dave Gladiuex of the Allen County Sheriff's Department and County Recorder John McGauley were among those in attendance.  FWPD spokesman Michael Joyner served as MC.

Other City Council members in attendance were FWPD Deputy Chief Marty Bender, Council President Tom Didier and Councilwoman Karen Goldner. Marty Bender was part of the Honor Guard.  Tom Didier sang the National Anthem.

Photo credit: John McGauley.  Aerial photos taken by Mr. McGauley on a lift donated for use by Martin, Inc.

Council Call-In topics Wednesday to be parks and bridges

City Councilman Mitch Harper, R-4th will host his regular “Council Call-in” program on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 pm on City TV, Comcast cable channel 58 and Verizon FIOS 28.

The councilman will have as his guests Al Moll, Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation director in the first half-hour of the show. Discussion will revolve around myriad projects of the city’s park system.

The second half-hour Harper will welcome County Councilman Darren Vogt, R-3^rd to discuss the issue of bridges in Allen County — who will take over maintenance and repair of bridges? Once the responsibility of the County Commissioners, they are now ceding control and giving the job to municipalities.

Callers wishing to ask a question during the one-hour, live program may do so by calling 422.8708.

Deputy Mayor Becker leaves for NE Regional Partnership

The City of Fort Wayne announced today that Deputy Mayor Mark Becker is leaving his post.

No word was provided on who would succeed him as Deputy Mayor of Fort Wayne.

From the City of Fort Wayne's release:

Mayor Tom Henry announced he’s accepted the resignation of Deputy Mayor Mark Becker, effective May 31, 2008. Becker, who has served in four mayoral administrations (Moses, Helmke, Richard and Henry), held the post of Deputy Mayor under Graham Richard and since Mayor Henry took office.

Mark has been an enormous asset and made significant contributions to my Administration and to City government over the last many years,” said Mayor  Henry. “We will miss his valuable expertise, insight and perspective, but we are lucky that he is remaining in our community to continue the good work we are all trying to do in promoting Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana

Mark will be joining the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership as Director of Regional Development and Executive Director of the Northeast Indiana Foundation.  He will be tasked with leading the efforts of the Foundation in building economic development capabilities throughout the region.  Filling an important role within the Partnership, Mark will focus on supporting regional economic development throughout northeast Indiana

Former Controller: "transaction does look very odd"

FWOb received this comment this morning on the High Performance Government contract:

As a former Fort Wayne City Controller (1989-1995), I have to say, all political issues aside, that the transaction does look very odd on the surface. It will be interesting to see how the State Board of Accounts views the issue.

Doug Lehman
Ellisville, MO

For your own eyes - High Performance contract

FWOb is providing a copy of the somewhat spare High Performance Government Network contract so that you can see the actual document that is in the news.  The contract was executed on December 27, 2007.  The first payment on the contract for all of 2007 was made on December 28, 2007.

Click here for the PDF version of the contract for download.

Click here  for the PDF version of the City of Fort Wayne's purchase order for the High Performance Government Network. Or you may view it on the continuation page.

More: "Questionable Contract" - Journal Gazette editorial by Tracy Warner

         Fort Wayne Politics post by Jeff Pruitt

Phil Marx and My HUD House

Phil Marx makes some comparisons at his weblog - My HUD House.

He will have you thinking after reading this recent post.

Cedar Rapids decision on FWPD's Jeff Hadley as chief comes Wednesday

Rick Smith of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, weblog Eye on the Island, reports that Cedar Rapids officials intend to make a decision on a new police chief next Wednesday.  Captain Jeff Hadley of the Fort Wayne Police Department is one of the five finalists.

He is also a finalist for Public Safety Chief in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Mr. Smith writes:

City Manager Jim Prosser on Thursday said he anticipates selecting the city’s new police chief from four finalist candidates early next week and asking City Council approval of his selection at the council’s Wednesday evening meeting.

The drama in the selection process is whether Prosser is going to select one of the two outside, out-of-state candidates or one of the two candidates who are current Cedar Rapids police captains.

The webpost also links to video of Mr. Hadley's interview in Cedar Rapids. Note that the audio is rather faint in the interview of Mr. Hadley.

Indiana Supreme Court sets oral argument Barnett v. Clark

The Indiana Supreme Court has set the Steuben County case of Barnett v. Clark for oral argument on May 22nd at 9:45 AM.  You will be able to view the oral arguments live by going to the Indiana Supreme Court's Oral Arguments Online page.

The case involves the civil action filed against Township Trustee Camille Clark seeking damages for the conduct of Donald Clark.  Mr .Clark was convicted of criminal charges.  He is a former District Republican chairman.

Summary:

Debra Barnett v. Camille Clark
Case Number:  76S03-0803-CV-148

Summary:

Debra Barnett filed a complaint against the Trustee of Pleasant Township alleging the Trustee was liable for the sexual misconduct of her employee under the doctrine of respondeat superior. The trial court entered summary judgment for the Trustee. The Court of Appeals reversed, concluding whether the employee was acting within the scope of his employment was an issue of fact. Barnett v. Clark, 877 N.E.2d 839 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), vacated. The Supreme Court has granted a petition to transfer the case and has assumed jurisdiction over this appeal.

Attorney for Barnett
Christopher Wheeler
Angola, IN

Attorneys for Clark
Robert Keen, Jr.
Kelly Pautler
Fort Wayne, IN

Attorney for Amici Curiae Indiana
Chamber of Commerce, et al.
Thomas Wheeler
Indianapolis, IN

Stop Hillary from embarassing herself

I can't decide whether this appeal from Senator Clinton is more offensive than it is sad:

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she said in an interview with USA TODAY. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.

Clinton's blunt remarks about race came a day after primaries in Indiana and North Carolina dealt symbolic and mathematical blows to her White House ambitions

High Performance spelling?

Recently, the contract between the High Performance Government Network and the City of Fort Wayne has been in the news.

The contract was executed by City Controller Pat Roller in December of 2007 with just four days left in the term of the Richard administration.  The contract committed the City to paying $95,000 a year for each of three years. The first year of the contract was for the year 2007.

$100,000 is the cut-off for mandatory review and oversight of city contracts by the Fort Wayne City Council.

The entity employs former Richard administration officials.

The non-profit entity was formed 11 months before the contract was signed.  It was formed on January 18, 2007, as seen in the information below from the Indiana Secretary of State's website.

While the organization touts "high performance" - the entity's official name misspells the word "government."  And the Secretary of State Business Services Division notes that "[t]his enity is past due on its Business Entity report[s]."

 

Credibility, Where Art Thou?

On April 22nd, the Journal Gazette's Ben Lanka reported that City Director of Redevelopment Greg Leatherman told the Redevelopment Commission members that 9 Harrison Square condominiums were sold.

Today, May 8th, the News-Sentinel's Kevin Leininger reports that Barry Real Estate officials say that only "4 or 5" have been sold.

The Journal Gazette in April:

Leatherman also said the company has contracts to sell nine condominiums. While Barry is trying to work diligently to convert its list of people with refundable deposits to sales, Leatherman said it has been slow because the company is working with people in the order they placed the deposit.

The News-Sentinel in May:

There are many factors beyond our control, and we are working our way through them,” said Irwin, noting contracts have been signed on “four or five” of the 62 condos included in the first phase of the $125 million to $160 million Harrison Square project. Construction will not start until more firm contracts are signed – Irwin could not say how many are necessary – but he still expects work to begin this summer.

Long Thompson considering Evansville's Weinzapfel

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jill Long Thompson is in Evansville today and speculation exists that she will be asking Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel to consider joining her on the ticket at the Lieutenant Governor candidate.

Mr. Weinzapfel has been touted as a rising star in Indiana Democratic politics since he won election as mayor.  Mr. Weinzapfel also has legislative service that would be important given that Ms. Long Thompson's experience has been in municipal and federal offices.

Mr. Weinzapfel had refrained from endorsing either Democratic candidate for governor before this past Tuesday's primary.  He lost a bid for congress in 1996.

Complete GOP precinct committeeperson results

The primary election is when the Democratic and Republican precinct committeepersons are elected.

There was more than usual interest in the Allen County Republican precinct races as there were a number of contested races.  Even the two Fort Wayne newspapers devoted stories as to how the races might effect the Allen County Republican Central Committee.   Yet, the newspapers haven't reported the results. Those you can find here - on Fort Wayne Observed.

You may view the complete results as a PDF by clicking here.

There were several elected officials in contested races.  County Commissioner Nelson Peters prevailed in his precinct contest; County Recorder John McGauley did not prevail in his.  Former County Surveyor Jeff Sorg won his precinct race.

Many years ago, I served on a legislative study committee that looked at primary voter turnout.  Millie Pilot of The League of Women Voters of northwest Indiana presented the results of a study that the organization had conducted on the subject.

Their findings, exclusive of highly charged presidential race as the Democrats experienced this year, was that the only consistent predictor of a higher than normal turnout was a contested precinct committeeperson race.  It's true today as it has always been - turnout is dependent on personal contact.

Hadley's Road to police chief

FWPD's Captain Jeff Hadley has been named a finalist for the post of Public Safety Chief in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He also remains a finalist for the post of police chief in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The Iowa city would like to have a new chief in place by June 1.

Mr. Hadley may not end up being named to either post.  However, it would be a safe wager that Mr. Hadley will be chosen as a police chief by some city in the near future.  He is being highly recommended by a national search firm that advises communities looking for top police chief candidates.

It would not be surprising for other cities in the near future to name Captain Hadley as a top contender.

We wish him well and hope that Fort Wayne Observed is a help as communities weigh the candidates for chief.  FWOb knew earlier that Mr. Hadley was likely being considered for a Michigan post; the first tip was that the SiteMeter showed that an FWOb visitor from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was directed to our positive post after "Googling" "Jeff Hadley."

More: Prior FWOb posts regarding Captain Hadley here and here.

Knuth signals Democrat campaign strategy on Armstrong

Kevin Knuth is not yet on the ballot for an Allen County Council seat.  He is likely to be named to fill one of the two Demcratic ballot vacancies as soon as the election calendar allows that to occur.

However, he has already outlined a few themes and issues he expects to deploy in the fall campaign.

After viewing the election returns showing that Robert A. Armstrong had been nominated as one of the three Republican at-large candidates for Allen County Council, Mr. Knuth said that Democrats would likely make an issue of Mr. Armstrong's meeting attendance record during Mr. Armstong's terms on the Fort Wayne Community Schools Board and the Wayne Township Board.

Mr. Knuth is the former chairperson of the Allen County Democratic Party.  He was a Democratic candidate for County Council in 2000.

Ronald Reagan scholarship awarded to Fort Wayne's Jeff Fraser

The Phillips Foundation announced today that Jeff Fraser of Fort Wayne was awarded a $5,000 renewable scholarship by the organization.  Mr. Fraser is a student at Indiana University.

The award is part of the Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship Program of the Foundation.

The Phillips Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 to advance Constitutional principles, a democratic society, and a vibrant free enterprise system.

Mr. Fraser attended Carroll High School in Fort Wayne.

Henry and Richard supported Schellinger; they ought to publicly ask him to step aside

UPDATE: 4:26 PM - Schellinger does concede.

Mayor Tom Henry and former mayor Graham Richard supported Mr. Schellinger's candidacy for governor.  Ms. Long Thompson shellacked Schellinger by racking up 70% of the vote in Fort Wayne and Allen County.

As a consequence, Ms. Long Thompson doesn't really owe anything to the Fort Wayne mayors if she were to become governor.

Mssrs. Henry and Richard could regain a little bit of ground with our former congresswoman if they publicly asked Mr. Schellinger to concede the race to Ms. Long Thompson before he uses up more of the Henry and Richard goodwill.

It's Wednesday. Jim Schellinger refuses to concede to Jill

Word from Indianapolis is that Jim Schellinger is refusing to concede the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to Jill Long Thompson.

Perhaps the next thing will be a cease and desist letter from the Schellinger lawyers to Jill Long Thompson demanding that she immediately stop referring to herself as the winner.

The Schellinger campaign is checking with every county hoping against hope that certified totals might tighten the gap with Ms. Long Thompson, Fort Wayne's former congressional representative.

Gregg shorthand for Long Thompson

Jill Long Thompson's victory in yesterday's gubernatorial primary did not provide an "up arrow" for the few prominent Fort Wayne and Allen County Democrats who backed her primary opponent, Jim Schellinger.

Mayor Tom Henry and former mayor Graham Richard bet on the Democratic establishment choice of architect Jim Schellinger.  Allen County voters went 70% for Long Thompson.

Congratulations are in order for former State Democratic Chair Ann Delaney who backed Ms. Long Thompson in her effort.

Now comes the hard part for the Long Thompson campaign. She needs to raise money and unite the party so as to have a credible shot at the very well funded Mitch Daniels reelection campaign.

One of her key choices in gaining credibility will be her pick for Lieutenant Governor. One caller to FWOb this morning was wondering whether Ms. Long Thompson might team up and ask Jim Schellinger to join the ticket.  My opinion is that would be a long-shot that wouldn't add much to the ticket.

My suggestion was that former House Speaker John Gregg might be the inspired choice who could bring the most to her fall campaign.  He is an entertaining speaker who would play well with the media, business and labor audiences.  He would bring an immediate help in papering over any breach with the Schellinger camp.

Importantly, he brings legislative experience.  Members of Congress are often not the best at grappling with state issues; experience in Congress doesn't necessarily help in understanding the facets of state concerns.

He also offers geographic balance.  That both are seen to be outside the orbit of Indianapolis is a plus, not a detriment.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will note that I have known John Gregg since Indiana University and we were colleagues in the legislature.  However, that really doesn't color my judgment as to the strategic value Mr. Gregg would bring to the Long Thompson ticket.

UPDATE: AdvanceIndiana picks up on this FWOb post and generates several comments regarding Mr. Gregg.

No, and he isn't the Armstrong who walked on the moon, either

An FWOb reader informed us this morning that during last night's coverage of the election results, an Indiana's NewsCenter personality referred to Robert A. Armstrong, winner of one of the County Council nominations, as the former Mayor and County Council member.

INC News Anchor Melissa Long then gently corrected her colleague on the air and noted that the new nominee is not the same person as the former Mayor Robert E. Armstrong.

Hillary Clinton ends campaign in indiana

The speech by Senator Hillary Clinton in Indianapolis was a signal that the time had approached to consider the reality that her campaign for the White House was at an end.

As I write this the results from Lake County are not yet known.

However, Senator Clinton's speech was an odd affair.  The telling messages were coming from the faces of Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.  Both appeared to signal that they were aware of internal results from Lake County and that the news would not be good.

Chelsea Clinton appeared to be near tears during parts of the speech.  Bill Clinton facial expression was of a man who thought that his wife might end her speech with a concession.

Senator Clinton has no personal appearances scheduled for Wednesday.

The campaign is over.  She did not win Indiana with the margin she needed.

On Tuesday, I obtained results from the Forest Park United Methodist Church.  I called the results to a Republican worker.  I then drove downtown. As a courtesy, I provided the presidential primary results to the Obama headquarters on the Landing.

Later, I visited Republican Headquarters.  After it closed, I  visited the Obama supporters who had gathered at La Margarita on South Calhoun.  As I arrived, Senator Clinton was giving her speech.  I began to make a digital video recording of the speech as it became clear that this was not the normal victory speech.  I thought I might record the reactions of Obama supporters, including field director Chris Farrell, if Senator Clinton conceded.

She did not. But, in reality, her campaign is over.  It's done. It came to a close in Indiana.

Prediction requested

A little over a week ago, I returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. 

The trip was to attend a one-day conference but I also had made time to visit Capitol Hill to talk about issues facing the Maumee River Basin.  The trip was at my own expense.

On the evening before the conference, I had the opportunity to attend a reception at the residence of the European Union Ambassador to the United States.  Ambassador John Bruton has had a distinguished career including service as the Taosaich of Ireland (Prime Minister).

Toward the end of the reception I had the opportunity to speak with Ambassador Bruton on a number of topics.  A question he asked me was "Who's going to win Indiana?".

My reply at the time was Senator Obama but that things were changing since the end of the Pennsylvania primary with the remarks in San Francisco and, of course, the controversy regarding Reverend Wright.  I said that I would soon be back in Indiana and provide a reassessment.

My reassessment a few days later was the Senator Obama was falling but time would tell whether his campaign would be able to stop the fall and get back on track.  My prediction was Senator Clinton by a margin of 2% to 6%. 

I think that prediction is still accurate.  However, assessments over this weekend are that Senator Obama was finishing on something of a high note.  The GOTV efforts of the Obama campaign are sophisticated and active.  The early voting was impressive.  It will be an interesting night.

I ended my conversation with the Ambassador by noting that my hometown was home to the largest number of Burmese people outside Burma.  I simply asked him to remember Burma. 

In light of the news coming out of Burma regarding the Cyclone death toll,  the ongoing oppression of its peoples by the Myanmar government should be a point of reflection for all of us today.

Schellinger photographed electioneering in polling place

ElectionJournal is a website dedicated, as it describes itself, as carrying news of "Fraud. Cheating. Dirty Tricks. Absurdity. And other election news…"

The website covers election news nationwide and invites reader submitted material.  One of their latest posts shows Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jim Schellinger inside a polling place - other than his own - shaking hands and greeting folks.