“Public safety represents the lion’s share of the general fund property tax dollars that we spend, and if we have a spending problem -- which I believe we have a significant one -- then you need to address that, even in public safety. And, I think that everything is up for grabs.”
See results from the 2015 Terre Haute municipal election here
Candidates running for contested city council seats had a chance to voice their stances on the city's financial challenges and other current issues during a forum last night. The debate, held at the Vigo County Public Library, was -- for the most part -- a friendly discussion, marked with obvious division at times. Moderator Dr. Matt Bergbower, an Indiana State University professor, asked the candidates questions involving the budget, creating new revenue,tax abatements, payroll and public safety. Other subjects were touched upon, but fire department overtime hours and the anticipation of constructing a new police station-- on what all candidates agree is a stressed budget-- quickly returned as the focus of discussion. The “elephant in the room,”as Republican at-large candidate, Ryan Cummins, put it, was brought up within the first 20 minutes with the budget deficit topping the list of questions. Cummins' plan to alleviate the problem might be “political suicide,” he says, but he's going to do what everyone else is avoiding -- by addressing public safety costs. “Then you have to deal with the ‘elephant' in the room, and that’s public safety. If there is some market alternative to the way public safety is provided, that is what I would pursue on the Terre Haute City Council.” Cummins, hoping to return to his former seat on the council, started off the question and answer session by standing to address those in attendance. He told the small audience that although it might be "politically impossible," his plan is to stop non-essential funding if he is elected Nov.3. Noting that the city will have to come up with additional revenue sources, Incumbent Democratic at-large candidate George Azar agreed that cuts will have to be made nonetheless. “I think, you know, we definitely need to look at the overtime; that’s a big part of the fire department’s budget,”Azar said, adding that the department made considerable cuts this year. Participants in the forum included:
When asked about the city possibly implementing a trash user fee to compensate for the needed revenue, incumbent Democratic candidate Don Morris said more trimming can be done from within before going that route. He suggested first cutting from parks, buses, leaf pick-up and overtime-- all things that he believes can be cut immediately.
“It’s tough when you’re on a fixed income, I’m just not ready to commit to this trash fee,”Morris said, voicing concern for city residents. Republican Ryan Humphrey disagrees, stressing that services are not meant to be given away. “I’m never a believer of taking more money away from citizens, but trash is a service. Services are never free. There is nothing that is free,” he said. Incumbent Democratic candidate Amy Auler disagrees with her challenger, Humphrey, asserting she would never be in favor of a trash fee. The candidates all admitted they’d need more information before they could commit to the idea. Democratic candidate Curtis DeBaun said he would work “in the spirit of compromise” on that issue, as well as others, if elected. Getting to the “heart of the matter,” when his turn came back around, Cummins said he thinks that when cities talk about trash fees, it’s always when searching for possible revenue and that's not what he thinks is the issue. “Terre Haute does not have a revenue problem. Terre Haute has a spending problem -- and that is where the answer lies,” he said, stating that people should be responsible for their own trash. Then, when asked specifically about cutting police department and fire department budgets, all candidates except Humphrey and Cummins were quick to say a new police station is urgently needed. Azar and Auler both pointed out that they recently voted in favor of using EDIT funds for the new proposed police station. “It’s not because they (police) want it, it’s because they need it,” Azar said, describing the current building condition as “terrible.” When it comes to cutting, Humphrey simply believes “everything must be on the table.” “As far as the police station, I’ll say this: Do we really need it? is it going to save us money? And do we have money to pay for it? If we don’t, then we have to find something else,” he said. Cummins agrees with Humphrey. “Public safety represents the lion’s share of the general fund property tax dollars that we spend, and if we have a spending problem -- which I believe we have a significant one -- then you need to address that, even in public safety. And, I think that everything is up for grabs,”he said. Auler said that she is not in favor of cutting department services. “I don’t believe in cuts, layoffs or closing fire stations,” Auler said. “Public safety here is first priority.” Running unopposed and not participating in the forum: City Council - District 3 Karrum J. Nasser - Democrat; City Council - District 4 Todd Nation; City Council - District 5 Neil Garrison - Democrat and City Council - District 6 Martha Crossen - Democrat. By Lucy Perry
Seeking a third term, incumbent mayoral candidate Duke Bennett shot down his opponent, and current Vigo County councilman, Mark Bird’s criticism regarding the Powerdyne-related lawsuit during a candidate forum held at the Vigo County Library tonight. “Because of a backdoor deal, the city of Terre Haute got involved in this situation,” Bird said of the plan to create a sludge -to- diesel fuel facility in the city , adding the city is facing a $172 million lawsuit (alleging breach of contract and fraud) and incurred costs of around $70,000 in a period of just a few months from the Powerdyne-related deals. Bennett responded that the situation is more complicated than many realize and because it is in litigation, he is limited what he can say at this time. “I can sure tell you a couple things. The company that’s suing us is a separate entity from Powerdyne,” he explained, alleging that they (Highland TH and Overseas Lease Group) spent money they shouldn’t have spent without having a finalized contract by the city council. He told his opponent that the city is actually in good standing from a legal perspective. Meanwhile, he believes the negativity surrounding possible business deals for Terre Haute reflects poorly on the community. “Anytime we can do something creative and outside the box, I’m going to pursue those opportunities,"Bennett said. A large audience had a chance to learn more about where the two Terre Haute mayoral candidates stand on that lawsuit and other local issues during the hour-and- a- half showdown. Moderator Max Jones explained that audience members could submit questions beforehand, but some pre-planned questions would be asked of the candidates as well. The candidates had restricted response times. Bennett ( R ) and Bird ( D) had a couple of conflicts on some other topics during the forum, mostly regarding the budget, public safety and the need for a new police station. They stood on relatively even ground on other community subjects, such as future funding for Hulman Civic Center renovations, the planned overpass for 19th Street and Margaret and other enhancements. They also both hope to see legislation pass in the future for pseudo ephedrine to become a prescription drug in effort to tackle methamphetamine use in the state. A Terre Haute native who attended local schools and earned college degrees in telecommunications and in business administration, Bennett said he is running for the office of mayor a third time to give back to the community. He finds the role as mayor personally rewarding. “It is a challenging job,” Bennett said. “I’m very happy about the past eight years. We’ve made some tremendous accomplishments, considering we faced some unprecedented times with (property) tax caps.” Bird, born and raised in Fench Lick, said he moved to Terre Haute while his brother, Larry, played basketball and attended Indiana State University in the 1970s. Candidate Bird later returned to college himself to earn a degree in business. “It’s not a matter of how much money we lost (on tax caps,) they (city administration) could have done the same thing we did (in county government,) but they chose not to,” he said, suggesting poor planning by city officials. “As your mayor, I hope to remedy that situation and get the city back on track.” Bird explained he has several plans to reduce the multi-million dollar general fund deficit, as phrased on the particular question asked, which includes a transparent administration and setting up a committee if he is elected. He is concerned about service contracts and police and fire departments overtime work hours. “It’s time we get our house in order,” Bird said, suggesting the city take a look at all avenues before implementing a user fee to solve the problem. Bennett said implementing a user-fee is a practical solution to the general fund issue. He noted that surrounding cities already have one in place. The two candidates clashed on ideas for a new police station, which both acknowledge is needed, but don't agree on using EDIT funds for the project. Bird said he’d like to consider possibly combining a fire and police headquarters with a single public safety building. Because a new police station will boost the neighborhood and entice more business to locate near there, Bennett said it makes perfect sense to use EDIT funds for the facility. “Public safety is a big cost for us out of the general fund. It’s a tremendous cost for us,” Bennett agreed, adding, “There is nothing more important than being safe in your community. Early voting for the Terre Haute Municipal Election is underway. Vote Monday - Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and until noon the day before the election at the Vigo County Courthouse. Please remember that you will need to show a driver's license or state-issued photo ID to be able to vote. It should be noted that registration to vote in this election ended Oct. 5.
Please click the following link to see the complete list of voting centers: http://www.vigocounty.in.gov/egov/docs/1439904936_120971.pdf List of Candidates Mayor Mark D. Bird - Democrat Duke A. Bennett - Republican City Clerk Charles Hanley - Democrat No Candidate Filed - Republican Judge of the City Court Sarah K. Mullican - Democrat No Candidate Filed - Republican City Common Council Member - At Large George J. Azar - Democrat Curtis A. DeBaun lV - Democrat Don W. Morris - Democrat Ryan J. Cummins - Republican Steve W. Ferree - Independent City Common Council Member - District 1 Amy Auler - Democrat Ryan H. Humphrey - Republican City Common Council Member - District 2 No Candidate Filed - Democrat O.Earl Elliott - Republican Sarah E. Dillon - Independent City Common Council Member - District 3 Karrum J. Nasser - Democrat No Candidate Filed - Republican City Common Council Member - District 4 Todd Nation - Democrat No Candidate Filed - Republican City Common Council Member - District 5 Neil Garrison - Democrat No Candidate Filed - Republican City Common Council Member - District 6 Martha Crossen - Democrat No Candidate Filed- Republican -- |
Lucy Perry
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News Writer: Lucy Perry
EMAIL: lperrynews@gmail.com |