Tag:Politics
State of the Union – Two Empty Seats
I wrote about my distaste for the State of the Union address last year at this time in a post here. This year is shaping up to be no less the embarrassing spectacle. Listening to the Sunday morning news shows yesterday, I heard that President Obama is planning to leave two seats empty, to which I say, “Good Start!” Maybe if they were all empty this sham would be recognized for what it is and it would be the last one we had to endure.
The quote to the right is from an article by Kevin D. Williamson, written for the National Review, titled Great Caesar’s Ghost. If you’re interested in reading it, I’ve linked it here. It’s a couple of years old, but still worthwhile.
Leaders across North Central Indiana will host Regional Cities “Watch” events on Tuesday
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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (December 11, 2015) – Leadership groups in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, collectively known as The Regional Cities of Northern Indiana, are planning “Watch” events open to the public at three digitally connected locations Tuesday afternoon as information about $84 million in economic development grants is shared statewide via “live” streaming from Indianapolis. The events, while physically hosted in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, will be cross-linked via Twitter’s Periscope application over the Internet.
Culver Candidate Night
Joel Samuelson addressing the “crowd” Thursday Evening
I attended the candidate’s night last night at the Culver Depot. Thank you to Kathy Clark, Jeff Kenney and Bill Githens for helping arrange it.
First off, let me repeat my mantra regarding these things: These are volunteers putting themselves out there so I cut them a lot of slack. That mainly applies to the Council candidates since the clerk’s position is a paid position, but even that is a public position where keeping your job is as much a popularity contest as it is an assessment of your skill.
The event was set up as a “get to know the candidates” forum as opposed to a debate. It was very easy to see that some were comfortable with public speaking while others weren’t. Weeding through that, it was a matter of determining what they were saying as opposed to how they said it. While I did form some opinions, suffice to say that I’m going to keep those to myself for now. I was there because even though I can’t vote for them, their decisions will affect my business and property.
If I had to pick up the major themes that came out last night, the three that I thought came through the most strongly were Affordable Housing, Community and Fiscal Responsibility. I’ve written a lot on my feelings about the need for affordable housing in Culver and how that can bolster our community. Those discussions were the most pertinent to me. All of the candidates made some statement regarding the importance of affordable housing and community even before it was presented to them as the main question coming from the audience. While I feel the current council lost their sense of urgency on these issues this past month, I do agree that they have made positive strides and I have hopes that whatever the new mix is, the Council continues to move things forward next year.
Beyond the housing issue, community was addressed through various advocacy efforts and questions regarding how we can fill the vacant store fronts. An item of merit was the call for surveys and interviews. I appreciated the acknowledgment that just shooting at these issues in the dark was not the way to go. There was also a call for working to bring young families back into the community. I agree that this would not only be a boon to our local schools, but would be a positive economic initiative as well. (And that once again circled back to affordable housing.)
I think the third theme, fiscal responsibility, was the issue with which all the candidates struggled most. While it is a difficult question for candidates seeking a first term, I was disappointed that they hadn’t done more preparation on this issue. It is important and all of the financial records are public records and accessible. That said, I can’t honestly say the incumbents answered the questions better. The question that was posed to them was somewhat nebulous, but I felt it might have been handled better.
In closing, I can personally say I recognized all but one candidate as active in the community, involved in various volunteer positions and generally working to make Culver a better place. I commend them for taking the chance at leadership and trying to move Culver forward. In almost all cases, I felt like their hearts were in the right place and their reason for running was to make Culver a better place. As someone who attends the majority of their public meetings, I know it’s generally a thankless job. I commend them for putting themselves out there. To all of them I say, “Good Luck!” But I honestly don’t know which outcome would signify that they were lucky!
Culver candidates in this year’s election include (top row, from left), Robert Cooper (town council), Karen Heim (clerk-treasurer), Ginny Munroe (council), Jean Rakich (council), Joel Samuelson (council), Tammy Shaffer (council), and Gil Standley (clerk-treasurer).
Candidate Picture Source: The Pilot News
Entry Level Housing Update
Jeff Kenney’s Culver Citizen article on the Entry Level Housing decision by the Town Council popped up on The Pilot News website over the weekend. (You can find The Pilot News version here or the Culver Citizen version in a previous post here.) Unfortunately in the interim, the Council rescinded the decision to move forward this year and instead chose to delay our application until next year. Thus like the wispy home I’ve shown multiple times in the past (see left), affordable housing in Culver has slipped from our grasp until at least 2017. (Wow, that was one of the sappiest sentences I’ve written in a long time!)
I can’t help but be frustrated by this. First because we had been working towards the grant deadline of November 2nd for the last 9 months. Second, after the decision on September 22nd (the meeting in the Citizen article) I was asked to rush around to get the necessary items lined up which included a special Culver BZA Hearing and a tax abatement hearing with the County Council. Both of which had been arranged prior to finding out that the plug had been pulled. (The final piece was completed at 4:55 against a 5:00 deadline. No stress there!)
The abatement hearing has been cancelled. The developer has been told to cool his heels. No follow-up meeting for the Entry Level Housing Task Force has been scheduled. The only thing that is continuing forward is the BZA Hearing. If the BZA is still willing, I plan to go ahead with that hearing. I am thinking that it can’t hurt to vet the location ahead of time. All the neighboring property owners have been alerted.
I hope our development partner hangs with us. I hope we don’t lose opportunities with our target audiences. I hope the grant availability is there next year. I hope the County Council is still supportive next year. I hope any changes in the Council following the election doesn’t realign the will of our leadership. I hope the subsequent changes in the appointed boards and commissions doesn’t change their will to move forward. That’s six “hopes” we now have in trade for the momentum we previously had. Let me throw in one more for lucky seven and say I hope all this works out.
Image Source: www.homeloanstoday.com
Image Source: Unknown (found on Pinterest)
Press Release from MCEDC on the Northern Indiana Regional Cities Initiative Presentation to Governor Pence’s Office
Regional Cities of Northern Indiana present innovation plan to Governor’s board
Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph county leadership in harmony
Click here for photos and videos from today’s presentation
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (October 6, 2015) – At 10 a.m. this morning in Indianapolis, a team of regional leaders representing more than half a million people in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, presented a transformational economic development plan called Innovate Indiana to state officials from Governor Pence’s Regional Cities Initiative. The plan outlines a projected budget of $703 million with more than 60 percent coming from private sector investment.
“It is extraordinary to think of the ideas that will be presented to this Regional Cities committee over the next two days,” said Indiana Governor Mike Pence, who opened the daylong session with a welcome message for all attendees. “I want to ensure all of you that as we reconvene the General Assembly in the ongoing future that the existing collaboration we’ve seen means this is just the beginning of the Regional Cities Initiative.”
Today’s presentation represents the final phase of an application process for a portion of $84 million in grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) that fall under the Governor’s Regional Cities Initiative. The Initiative was funded earlier this year by the state legislature’s tax amnesty program.
Dallas Bergl, President and CEO of INOVA Federal Credit Union in Elkhart set the stage for Northern Indiana’s 90-minute presentation by thanking state officials and complimenting the Governor for developing the Regional Cities Initiative.
“The Regional Cities Initiative has already proved successful in that more than 2,000 leaders from throughout our region have been working together on transformational projects that will benefit every man, woman and child in our three-county region,” Bergl said.
Bergl is one of five Regional Development Authority (RDA) board members who helped guide the multi-county development work and who approved the detailed Innovate Indiana application that was submitted on August 31st. John Affleck-Graves, Executive Vice President of the University of Notre Dame serves as President of the RDA; Regina Emberton, President of Michiana Partnership serves as Vice President. John DeSalle, Vice President of Engineering & Manufacturing for Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. and Pete McCown, President of the Elkhart County Community Foundation serve as fellow RDA board members.
All five RDA board members joined South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the official presentation which was held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. All members of the Governor’s Regional Cities Initiative board of directors convened in the auditorium setting for the presentation.
“The South Bend/Elkhart region is in the middle of one of the most transformative periods of our lifetime,” said South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “If we can cultivate and accelerate the comeback that is now underway, these years will go down in history as the pivotal decade in the lives of our communities.”
Buttigieg, who often speaks publicly about the connected nature of cities and towns in Northern Indiana, spent a generous amount of time talking about the challenges faced in the city of Elkhart a few years ago when it led the nation in unemployment during the recession. He also talked fondly of Studebaker Corporation, but not so fondly of the 50-year legacy it left when operations ceased in South Bend back in 1963.
“Over the years, South Bend lost 25 percent of its population. But today, the region is picking itself up, seeking new opportunities that are true to our identity and history of excellence in making things, while growing in industries that did not even exist when the last Studebaker rolled off the line,” Buttigieg said. “We are ready to take full advantage of what we have always had going for us—a tradition of innovation and excellence in workmanship and production, an unbeatable work ethic, a distinctive location with an edge in infrastructure from asphalt and rails to energy and fiber, and the resources of a world-class university that has accepted a leadership role in the life of our region.”
“There are over 40,000 students enrolled in our region’s colleges, academies and universities,” added RDA Board Member Pete McCown. “More than 40 percent of them come from out of state or from other countries. So, we’re building an innovation culture to keep them here. Each of our marquee projects are designed to improve density, productivity, connectivity and amenities. We agree with the recent articles in Forbes magazine and Harvard Business Review that this is a place where collaborative partnerships are building a culture of innovation.”
Regina Emberton, Vice President for the RDA, detailed five of the 39 major projects outlined in the Innovate Indiana plan that will drive population growth, productivity, innovation and spur more activity across the region. The projects include major amenity improvements to the Riverwalk area in downtown Elkhart, the east side of the St. Joseph River near downtown South Bend, further expansion into Marshall and Elkhart counties of the “dark” fiber optic network called Metronet, major improvements to the South Shore rail system and further development adjacent to Ignition Park in the old Studebaker buildings where a technology boom is taking place.
“Today, I have the honor of presenting the marquee projects that we see as being catalysts for every other project in our region,” Emberton said. “We’re at a precise time in our regional history where we have permission to believe in bold innovative ideas.”
To view the 10-minute video Innovate Indiana, click here.
To view the 4-minute video Don’t Underestimate Us, click here.
“Ten years from now we will be bearing the fruit of the Regional Cities Initiative,” said John Affleck-Graves, President of the RDA. “We will be a region where each of our 22 cities and towns will truly be integrated into one place that attracts and retains highly talented and successful individuals. (This initiative) breaks down borders and brings people together. Our future is unlimited. We look forward to working with the state on making this a watershed moment in history. We are the South Bend/Elkhart region and we are on the move.”
Regional Cities of Northern Indiana is working with private, academic and public leaders throughout the region to nurture and formalize large-scale projects that will transform the region by spurring population growth and improve quality of life. The RDA, led by its five-member board, will be guided by this comprehensive strategic development plan as it oversees projects of regional importance.
About Regional Cities of Northern Indiana Regional Cities of Northern Indiana serves over half a million people in 22 interconnected cities and towns in Northern Indiana through a commitment to pursuing transformational economic development projects and strategic initiatives for the entire region. In doing so, the group consists of and leverages the vast experience and services of Northern Indiana’s leading business, academic, philanthropic and government leaders. For more information, visit www.RegionalCitiesofNorthernIndiana.org.
