The City of Fort Wayne is so stupid sometimes…
Posted by Mike Sylvester - 8/28/09 @ 10:40 pm - Filed Under Featured, Local Politics
I have put off posting about this topic for a couple of weeks because it angered me so much at the time.
The City of Fort Wayne has committed the taxpayers to spending millions of dollars downtown; even when everyone knows that a majority of Fort Wayne citizens opposed the Harrison Square project.
Recently Aunt Millie’s Bakeries wanted to expand their downtown operation. As part of this expansion they wanted to close part of Pearl street. Basically the expansion would have made it easier for the company to load and unload their delivery trucks. Supposedly 1000 vehicles use this street per day during the week; 700 of them are connected with Aunt Millie’s.
As part of their proposal the company was going to handle the landscaping and pay for the project entirely.
The City Administration and a few local people opposed this project. The City Administration increased the landscaping requirements so much that Aunt Millie’s ended up withdrawing their petition.
What a load of (fill in the blank)…
These idiots in the Mayor’s Administration are willing to funnel millions of dollars on downtown projects that have clearly failed and yet they are completely unwilling to support an existing downtown employer with a simple project.
Several of the high powered business owners who supported the Harrison Square Project are Fort Wayne business owners who abandoned downtown and built new buildings near the county lines (or over the county lines). These business owners fled downtown to avoid debacles just like what happened to Aunt Millies.
At this rate the City of Fort Wayne will drive off the few downtown business left and all we will be left with downtown are failed projects like Harrison Square and the Grand Wayne Center as well as vacant office buildings.
Sometimes I get so angry at the ineptitude displayed by the City of Fort Wayne…
The News Sentinel has a quote from Karen Goldner that really irritated me. I like Karen Goldner and I overall think she has been a strong addition to City Council. She and I do not agree on many things; however, she works hard and she analyzes issues in a very competent manner. She represents my City Council district.
She is quoted in the News Sentinel as saying:
Karen Golder, D-2nd, said trucks and truck docks won’t present the most aesthetically pleasing view downtown.
You have got to be kidding me Karen!
Loading docks look a lot better then vacant and abandoned buildings.
Seriously, in my opinion if you want downtown to succeed you must do two things as a member of City Council or a member of the City Administration:
1. Support downtown businesses. Downtown will not succeed unless more people work downtown.
2. Create housing downtown, which will draw even more poeple downtown. Heck the City of Fort Wayne paid a consultant to tell them that; however, now the City is considering allowing Hardball Capital to build some office space instead of condominiums at The Harrison.
This just infuriates me.
How about you?
Mike Sylvester
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21 Responses to “The City of Fort Wayne is so stupid sometimes…”
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Mike there are only two possile explanations I can think of for this.
1) Popp (Aunt Millie’s CEO) is a contributor to Republican campaigns, and the current administratin is Democratic. Local government is not about improving things for the majority of the residents. It is about political cronyism.
2) The politicos are so used to people coming to them and asking for money that they were actually taken off guard with the simple request to do what government should actually be doing, which is simply to facilitate (not manage and pay for) the development and expansion of private enterprise. Never having encountered such a situation before, they felt they had no choice but to vote against it.
I think Phil hit the nail on the head with point #1.
Last time I checked this was street vacation that was held up by City Council. Isn’t there a 5-4 majority for the Republicans at the table?
Jeff and Phil,
You both actually think this is political?
I think it is just incompetence…
Mike
I agree, it’s #1. Popp was Kelty’s major benefactor and some people cannot get over that fact.
Mike;
It’s very likely that many of the suspicious actions taken by government are simply due to incompetence, and trying to cover up this incompetence is likey the reason for the government’s lack of openness. But whenever any government routinely offers either misinformation or simply refuses to inform it’s citizens about the facts of what it is doing, the claims of conspiracists are bolstered.
In my opinion, the Henry Administration has shown itself to be only a little more open and genuine than it’s predecessor was. I think this legitimately allows for wondering if political favors and disfavours are a significant factor in government’s decisions.
Frank;
We can proudly claim that the government here is not divided along party lines.
We have three true fiscal conservatives (Harper, Shoaff and Smith). Two are Republicans and one is a Democrat.
And when it comes to issues which the Mayor strongly supports, his employee Officer/Councilman Bender hardly ever lets him down - even though they are nominally of different parties.
The fascination with “revitalizing” downtown still puzzles me. In fact I don’t really understand what we’re trying to accomplish besides accomodating the major downton property owners. Fifty years ago Fort Wayne generated wealth from large manufacturing plants within the city limits. The people who made their wealth from these plants lived, worked and shopped within the original city limits. The major retail district was downtown.
All that has changed. Manufacturing died, people migrated outward away from the old core and their wealth went with them. Services followed them to the suburbs. “Downtown” is now basically another office district sustained mostly by government entities. So what makes downtown more deserving of taxpayer supported projects than any other part of the city?
I believe Tom Smith (R-1st district) had some questions about the proposal.
Since he is on the Plan Commission as well, he gets two chances to stop things like this if he wants.
Evert,
I agree that downtown does not deserve special treatment. But it happens to be the part of town that councilmembers and newspaper reporters see everyday.
This coming from the guy that is pissed off every time someone gets a tax abatement or property deals for Harrison Square?
You should be heralding this as a strong move on the city council’s part for upholding a to some sort of standards. What you neglect to mention is that the plan called for $400k of investment to help Aunt Millie’s deal with their delivery trucks. No jobs created.
So you are saying that the city council should have vacated a street for Aunt Millie’s to throw up a $400k car port? Com’on mike, now you’re just looking for something to get angry about.
If the council approved this, it would be no holds bar on what people thought their entitlement of government aid should be for any small investment downtown.
Thank you city council for not selling our streets, especially at a blue light special rate
Mike, to use your words, Good Grief.
Cole,
I have no idea what you mean by the plan called for $400,000 of investment to help Aunt Millies.
Please be more specific.
Mike
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090626/NEWS/906260310
Reread what I wrote. I didn’t say help Aunt Millie’s I said it was for them to help them deal with their trucks.
That is not the point of my response. A $400k investment in my mind does not justify a vacation of a street, PERIOD. Now, if they were going to expand their operations from their current building to their parking lot across Pearl Street. Increase the number of jobs, with a significant amount of investment. An investment that convincingly says, “Aunt Millie’s is committed to downtown”. Then I would say the city council has something to consider. Pearl Street is worth more than a $400k car port.
Cole,
If a business has been downtown since 1901, how much longer do they need to be there before you feel they are committed to the area?
From the article:
“The company, formerly known as Perfection Bakeries, was founded in 1901 and has about 250 employees. The expansion project would not add jobs but would solidify the company’s commitment to downtown, Popp said.”
If the president brings it up, apparently they have not ruled out moving locations. The project is not happening, therefore their commitment is not solidified.
John, again the point of my comment was that mike said that the council should have approved the vacation of Pearl Street, while I contend that a minimal investment ($400k) and zero added jobs does not justify a vacation of a street, PLUS tax abatements.
I just find it funny, because I followed all of Mike’s complaints over the usages of abatements, and this seems to go contrary to all of what he said earlier.
yes, no, maybe so? thread closed? winner?
Cole,
I overall think you are right.
I did not realize that the City would have to spend $400,000.
Knowing that, I would oppose the project.
Mike
Mike,
What? Seriously? Did you read anything I wrote?
Aunt Millie’s was going to spend a total of $400k to install semi docks. In return they were asking to shut down a section of Pearl street, and they were asking for tax abatements.
I am contending that for Aunt Millie’s to invest $400k is not a fair swap with the city to vacate a street.
Cole,
I did read what you wrote…
The City approves well over 95% of all tax abatements; I disagree with that; however, it is their current policy.
I did misread what you wrote.
I am back to my original stance.
The City should have done what Anunt Millies wanted.
Mike
You think the city should vacate a street and give them tax abatements for 400k improvement?
I don’t believe you actually think that. That is just laughable.
How many ways do you want to describe stupid -
bad restaurants
a bartender for a mayor
talk show hosts that couldn’t inspire an 8th grade drop-out
terrible roads - (except I69 - which is under utilized)
no East/West thorough fare
an ugly downtown
highlight for local residents is to sit in their garage and listen to police scanners
a gang problem out of control
a city school administrator wanting to spend useless money to promote herself to a larger school district
and yes to be redundant - terrible restaurants - Casa - Granite City - Hunan - Etc — ALL below standard
Pluses include Hyde Bros Books and Allen Co Library
what city boasts about a kid’s zoo or a world famous fire escape
how about most all intersections with barely any street signs
entrances to one-way streets unidentified
of course if you don’t have money or inclination to go to a REAL professional sports game - you can see minor league baseball- hockey - basketball –whoopee - let me catch my breadth
let’s look at city politics and spending - enlarge and renovate Memorial Coliseum and then build Grand Wayne Center to compete against it with neither having 50% scheduled events
how about building a sports arena - having lots of parking - Interstate access and then tearing it down the year it is paid for??? how do you spell dumb?
Park System hiking trails - not properly marked - and NO loops
Sorry for the negatives - I just had a TERRIBLE meal at a Casa restaurant and the whole FW experience is grating on me
I forgot I am in FW and it is time to set my clock back 40 years — of course is that daylight time or not?!?!?