Mike Sylvester On Tax Abatements
Here’s the video of Mike Sylvester addressing the Fort Wayne city council during the “fifth Tuesday” on the topic of tax abatements. John Kalb also addressed the council but my recording cut off in the middle of his comments…
Allen County GOP Denies Database to Primary Candidates!
Let me start by telling you that my blood is absolutely boiling right now.
As many of you know I recently switched from the Libertarian Party back to the Republican Party. This was a tough decision for me and some days it is a decision that I question a lot. Today is one of those days. As most of you know I am in favor of smaller Government and protecting our individual freedoms.
The Republican Party maintains a database of likely Republican voters that is known as “Voters Vault”. This database is a powerful tool that Republicans can use to market themselves to like-minded Republicans.
Scott Wise is running for Congress in the Republican Party against Mark Souder. Scott Wise spent a term on the Whitley County Council as a Republican and was active in the Republican Party for many years. Scott is a friend of mine and he “flirted” with the Libertarian Party in 2006 and wanted to be their candidate for Congress in 2006. I was going to be Scott’s Campaign manager until the Indiana Election Board stepped in and shamefully disqualified many Libertarian candidates from running in the election due to a “loophole” in the state law.
Scott Wise wanted access to the “Voter Vault” database and requested access to it. Below is the exact reponse that he received from the Indiana Republican Party and I quote:
Got A Question For Hillary Or Obama?
The Young Turks, a progressive multimedia talk show, contacted me and suggested that readers of FWP submit questions for an upcoming on-air interview with both Democratic Presidential candidates.
They are gathering questions from various Indiana and North Carolina blogs so if you have a question you want an answer to then submit it in the comments or send me an e-mail. I’ll compile the questions and forward them on to the show. I’ll also post the YouTube clips of the interview here as soon as they’re available.
And if you’ve never seen/listened to their show then you should definitely check it out…
Ron Paul To IPFW (Update)
For all you Ron Paul supporters out there you’ll soon have an opportunity to hear him speak this coming Monday, May 5th, at IPFW Auer Performance Hall. I’m not sure exactly when the event will start but it will be some time in the evening. It will be interesting to see how many Ron Paul supporters there still are in the Fort Wayne area…
UPDATE: The event will be from 7-8:30 PM…
Jim Howard & FWP In Political Notebook
Some of Jim Howard’s comments here at FWP made today’s Political Notebook in the JG.
Republican candidate Jim Howard has posted numerous comments on local blogs and hasn’t been shy in expressing his feelings.
In one post on the Maplecrest Road extension on FortWaynePolitics.com , Howard calls the City Council’s support “a sad knee-jerk spending of taxpayer money.” He also writes, “Engineers do not concern themselves with taxpayer cost … and they should.”
Of course, feisty rhetoric from a politician is expected, but in this case, Howard is also criticizing his employer, as he serves as Fort Wayne’s purchasing director.
“I can be a little strong sometimes,” Howard said. “I try to be straightforward.”
I say good for Mr Howard. The internet is just another medium for candidates to use to express their position on a variety of issues. I think Howard is wisely taking advantage of it and introducing his views to as many voters as possible. Also, I think it can only help him to speak out forcefully against the wasteful $55 million Maplecrest Extension project…
Chernobyl And The Future Of US Nuclear Energy
Note: Our own Mike Sylvester worked as a nuclear operator and it will be interesting to hear his opinion
Today’s JG had an editorial on the nuclear accident in Chernobyl and how that should give pause to those that consider expanding nuclear technology here in the US:
Some leading scientists – and environmentalists – are recommending a resurgence of nuclear power to wean the globe off heavily polluting coal to generate electricity. While policymakers consider those suggestions, Chernobyl serves as a reminder of the consequences of nuclear design, construction and operation that are in any way deficient.
It is certainly true that the Soviet-designed nuclear reactor at Chernobyl was deficient. But it should hardly serve as an example of what might go wrong here in the United States. In fact what happened at Chernobyl is not physically possible under US reactor design. Without boring you with the details the Soviet reactor design was deficient in many, many areas. But probably the most significant is that under US design an increase in temperature (i.e. loss of water) in the reactor would cause the reaction to slow while under Soviet design an increase in temperature would actually speed the reaction up.
Give Me A Break
So the mayor isn’t sure if bloggers are legitimate members of the media but far-right blowhard Pat White is credible enough to hold a town hall meeting?
Right…
Quick Thought On Tax Abatement Reform
It seems to me that everyone on city council seems to support tax abatements in general and more specifically for just about any business investment. Yet there seems to be some questions about the application process, applicability to small businesses, etc. Why not streamline the process and allow an abatement for any and all business investment in the city?
The paperwork seems to be burdensome and, in general, completed after the business has already decided to make the investment. On top of that the council (and probably the city) rarely if ever turns down an abatement to begin with. Why don’t we just take the guess work out of the process and eliminate an unnecessary bureaucracy?
If council and the city administration really believe in the efficacy of tax abatements then just give them to everyone and eliminate the headaches and confusion that keep smaller businesses from seeking them. We don’t need bureaucrats rubber-stamping applications - heck we can probably save the city some money by eliminating a few jobs in the process…
Have A Say On Tax Abatements
The Common Council will not have a regular Council meeting this Tuesday but instead will meet to discuss the issue of tax abatements and the guidelines used to determine their issuance.
A feature of the meeting will be the opportunity for the public to comment on policy issues related to tax abatements:
City Council tackles tax abatement rules (JG)
The two-hour meeting will start with a primer on abatements from city and county economic development staff. Then, council members will discuss their preferred direction for abatements. Finally, Smith said, the floor will be opened to the community for about a half-hour to allow residents to comment.
Smith does not expect the meeting will complete the discussion on the issue, but it should be a good start. He said the council will likely discuss whether the city should even be giving abatements –though it would likely be difficult to stop, he said.
Open Government Meeting Tonight
Open Government Task Force Meeting
5:30PM
Allen County Public Library Downtown Branch
Meeting Room A
The Open Government Task Force will have its second meeting tonight to discuss current and future progress towards open government goals in Fort Wayne and Allen County.
Recent progress from previous the Task Force meeting includes a proposed ordinance to required posting of public meeting information on the Internet and a consolidated website for public meeting information for all local governmental units.
Related posts:
Open Government Ordinance Held Again (4/22)
New Public Information Website On The Way (4/22)
Open Government Ordinance Back on Council Agenda (4/21)
More Problems With City Council Minutes (4/9)
Unacceptable Delay For Open Government Ordinance (4/9)
