Henry Thinks He Is Worth More Tax Dollars

Mayor Richard is apparently trying to take care of his fellow Democrat Tom Henry. The local papers are reporting that Richard will be asking for an increase of $10,000 for the incoming mayor. One has to wonder why the Mayor did not make this request back when City Council worked with the 2008 budget? I am sure there is a good reason but it escapes me.

I spent a few minutes checking out what some mayors make across the United States make. Henry will not be going to Arlington Texas because the mayor there only makes $90,000.

Toss out Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Mayor down there hauls down only $105,000. With cost of living adjustment Henry would need $125,000.

You will not find Henry applying for Omaha, Nebraska either. The Mayor there makes the insulting low salary of $95,000. Henry would need at least $131,000 to make it worth his while.

Besides being cold, Flint, Michigan would fail to attract Henry. The Mayor only takes home $100,000 and Henry would need $122,000.

The real kicker is Oakland, California. The Mayor there makes 183,000 a year. However, Henry would need to hold out for $270,000 to make it equal what he will be making in Fort Wayne for the 2008 year.

Now this issue will be going to City Council.

I hope the old story of attracting top talent does not sway council. They may consider having their research person check what other cities across the United States are doing. I think, they will learn that the Mayor of Fort Wayne is pretty close to the top, for a city our size, in annual salary.

The News-Sentinel story is at:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/NEWS/711150330

Steve Shine - Captain Of A Ship Adrift

While appearing on Pat White's show on WOWO Steve Shine hinted that Ken Neumeister and Cathy Hawks would remain very much a part of Allen County Republican Party. It seems he was saying both of these people, who he had appointed to a position of trust, that their media rants of dishing Matt Kelty and supporting Democrat Tom Henry was acceptable. Both of them made a conscious decision to appear at a new conference with Henry. Adding more insult, was the two of them taking a position of standing directly behind Tom Henry, for all the cameras to to capture the perfect picture.

One has to wonder when this "accepting" attitude became Shine's policy. Back in 1999 he kicked Ken Nicolet out, as a precinct committeeman, when he wrote a letter to the editor supporting Graham Richard. Nicolet clearly stated, he was supporting Richard because he was a lifelong friend. If memory serves me right, he never mentioned he was a precinct committeeman for the Allen County Republican Party. Yet Shine had him gone, within hours, of the letter appearing in print. Even though Nicolet had served the party well as the elected St. Joe Township Trustee and Advisory Board member in the past.

I can buy into Shine's story that he cannot control what any member of the Allen County Republican Party says. However, if Shine allows their return to any position within the party, he is endorsing their behavior. Plus Shine is endorsing any one in the future can do the same without any accountability.

If Neumeister or Hawks want to return to the party, then they should appear before a meeting of the precinct committeemen. Shine did this very thing with Matt Kelty, and like him, let them explain their actions. Allow precinct committeemen to decide if they want them back. That would be "inclusive", not "exclusive!"

By Shine forming some new committee, which the makeup is unknown to the rank and file of the party, can only lead to a repeat of the last seven years. He will once again be walking down the same road that has the party loosing seats on county council, the mayor's race, and at the township level.

Mr. Shine has tried to paint a picture of a minority of Republicans supported Kelty in their voting. He is wrong, and should go back and look at the election returns again. Kelty, did in fact, obtain more then 50% of the republican vote. In order for Kelty to have received less then 50% of the republican vote he would have had to have less then 31% of the vote.

With the Allen County Republican Party continued "exclusive" over "inclusive" attitude, the party will continue to see a loss the large core of hard working people Shine had built in the early '90s.

Sturges Grabs More Tax Dollars

The election is over by one day and everyone's democratic party contributor Barry Sturges is back to grabbing tax dollars for himself. He apparently is not happy with just making commissions off the sale of South Town redevelopment properties, Harrison Square leasing, and the sale of sites within the city owned industrial park. Now he picked up $65,000 for his Castlewood Shopping Center.

Read the News-Sentinel story at:
www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/NEWS/711080321

Schmidt Drops Ball - Goldner Runs With It

This is the sixth in a series of posts concerning the 2007 elections

Republican Don Schmidt may have lost his city council seat because he forgot to campaign. Schmidt has never been one to run a high profile campaign. He has pretty much left his record speak for him and it has done him well in the past. The last time he campaigned hard was when various phases of the St. Joesph Township annexation voted in the city elections for the first time.

This time Schmidt got caught in the same way that nearly cost Democrat Win Moses his state representative seat, by Matt Kelty. Schmidt and the rest of the party never paid attention to what was going on in his own district.

Upstart Democrat Karen Goldner worked the neighborhoods and met the people. She took a modest campaign fund and used it wisely. She reached out to the voters in second district. She attended all the "meet the candidate" forums that where held. She even posted comments on several local blogs in answering questions raised.

With Schmidt allowing his record to speak for him, he failed to understand in four years many people move in and out of neighborhoods. He failed to match Goldner on mailings to voters that he really wanted to serve another term on council. To many voters, Schmidt had just became a name. His flyers at the end, was too little too late.

While it is easy to blame the Libertarian party for Schmidt's possible defeat, it would be very wrong. Had he campaigned one half of what Goldner did, he would not now be considering asking for a recount in the voting. He would have won, like he has so many other times.

Smith & Didier Not Part Of Steve Shine's Spin Zone

This is the fifth in a series of posts concerning the 2007 elections

Republicans Tom Smith and Tom Didier blew away their opponents in seeking their return to city council. Both ran in districts where three candidates where on the ballot.

First district councilman Smith came away with 60% of the vote. Even with Libertarian Byran Peters grabbing almost 10% of the vote did not hurt Smith.

Third district councilman Didier swayed just about 62% of the voters to return him to office. While Debra McBride (D) tried her best, Didier's being responsive to those in his district was just too much to overcome.

For these two councilmen the "anti Kelty" vote was not present. The voters in their districts believed these where the two best people and voted for them.

The Harrison Square issue did not hurt either one. Smith had been opposed to it from the beginning. Didier, while guarded in his endorsement, voted for it.

The smoking ban appears to have played no roll in the voting. Smith supported the ban and Didier opposed it.

Republican Chairman Steve Shine, has stated that the loss suffered by John Crawford was tied to the Harrison Square voting is unfounded. Also to say the Libertarian candidates "stole" voters away is bogus. Voters who decide, on their own, found the Libertarian candidates more to their liking then what Crawford stood for.

Shine has attributed Crawford's loss to Matt Kelty's defeat in running for mayor. Had Shine and Crawford tried to work with Kelty, instead of trying to seal his defeat, Crawford would be returning to council in January. Both Crawford and Shine took their shots at Kelty and just maybe enough of Kelty voters decided it was time for Crawford to go.

While Shine may try to sell the Harrison Square and Kelty's problems as the reason for Crawford's loss just doesn't add up with people who look beyond the headlines.

Pape Taking Firth District - No Surpise

This is the fourth in a series of posts concerning the 2007 elections

Democrat Tim Pape will be returning to the city council chambers come January 1st. Pape easily defeated Republican Ron Buskirk and Libertarian Bob Fuller. Percentage wise, Pape did slightly better then he did in 2003. While the margin of the win was impressive he did not appear to gain any "bump" from the top of the ticket, in the way of Tom Henry.

The predominate democratic district appears to endorse the Harrison Square project as there was little, if any voting backlash. It will be interesting to see how this support plays out over the next four years. As Henry continues to sheppard current Mayor Richard's public supported projects along.

Pape is going to have to make some decisions regarding, being involved with issues that come before council, that his law firm has worked on bequest of the Henry administration. He might find some taxpayers object enough to this that they will file formal complaint against him with the Indiana Bar Association.

Hines Wins In Inpressive Style

This is the thrid in a series of posts concerning the 2007 elections

Democrat Gynn Hines collected three out of every four votes cast in the sixth district voting last night. Receiving nearly 78% of the vote, clearly showed the people of the district appreciated the economic development that has taken place in the southeast portion of Fort Wayne.

The redevelopment of the old Southtown Mall site served the southeast side of Fort Wayne well. It also improved the overall view of Fort Wayne when people enter the city on Highway 27, from the south. With the addition of the Wal Mart and Mennards provides a destination point for people living in the area and those living to the south of the city limits.

There was no surprise in Hines winning in the heavy democratic district. The margin of his win however was very impressive.

The people of the district used their votes to indicate they did not care about the concerns of some regarding how the mechanics of the redevelopment took place. To them, the end results justified the means taken to accomplish the goal.

Libertarian Party Wins With No Wins

This is the second in a series of posts concerning the 2007 elections

You cannot look up a phone number for the Allen County Libertarian Party, because they don't have one. You cannot find a building front housing the Libertarian Party, as they don't have one. What you will find a loose collection of people who are passionate about their political beliefs. They do have a local blog and should consider adding a web site as their local "home."

The Libertarian candidates financial reports filed with the Allen County Election Board where unimpressive. The party's entire slate of candidates raised less money then some powerbrokers gave a single candidate, in either of the two mainstream parties. Yes, they spent a great deal less per vote earned then any candidate from the Democrat or Republician Party. That should tell the powerbrokers something.

This party had no money for flashy television commercials, no massive radio campaigns, and no full page ads in the local newspapers. The Libertarian candidates depended on a few political sign, handbills, and walking their respective districts to promote their ideals.

Only in a few isolated cases where the Libertarian candidates even invited in taking part in "meeting the candidates" forums. To those groups, it is nice to see that they where inclusive over being exclusive. The vote return clearly shows they did reach some voters. Even if the main stream parties don't like it.

Shame on local newspapers, who did not provide them an equal chance to get their word out. Seldom was the Libertarian asked of their views on key issues facing the city. This was a clear sign of being exclusive over being inclusive. This short changed the voters of Fort Wayne and showed how pandering the some in the local media are.

The local media complain how they are not provided some kind of information by someone on some issue. Then they write long editorials denouncing such actions. Well, they should think back about how they decided that the voters did not need to hear the Libertarian views. It is two way street!

Some Republicans claim the Libertarian candidates "stole" votes from their respective candidates in yesterday's election. This is as far from the truth as you can get. Some voters found the Libertarian candidates more in line with their beliefs, then what the other candidates offered. This is not stealing votes, it is earning votes.

One would be hard pressed to believe that the conservative Libertarian Party would draw more then a minute fraction of democrat leaning voters. Most Libertarian voters came from the conservative wing of the republican party. The local GOP turned these voters out by the candidates they offered, and their record on all of the issues.

The election allowed the Libertarian Party a chance to get part of their foot in the door. The powerbrokers of the Democratic and Republican parties will not willingly open the door and invite them in. Even some of the local media do not believe the door should be opened to Libertarian Party. They are going to need to "keep the faith!"

The future success of the Libertarian Party will be determined if they can maintain their hard work of getting their ideas out, staying on point, and be understanding of other views. They need to take advantage of the "open mike" comment sessions at city council and county meetings. They need to continue to express their support or objection to issues that come before these bodies.

It will be up to the current members of the Libertarian Party to build on what they have worked so hard to accomplish thus far. They may not have won an office, but their impact was felt. Their ideals are real and fair number of people supported those beliefs, with their votes.

Just set back and think about how the results may have changed had one of the Libertarian candidates had just one half the money some of the mainstream candidates had. Then again, I am sure that scares the heck out of some of the mainstream political powerbrokers.

How the Libertarians effected the various election results will be covered in later posts.

Crawfrod Defeat A Complex Mix

This is the first of a series of posts on the 2007 election

While standing at Republican Party Headquarters last night, Councilman John Crawford stated on a local radio station that he believed his defeat was a result of his stance on Headwaters Square, the smoking ban, and republican mayoral candidate Matt Kelty's issues. While there is no denying that these may have played some roll in his defeat, there where other issues that contributed to his defeat.

Crawford drove away former supporters by his actions on council. One was when he introduced a special clause into law that made smoking within 100 feet of any property line of the local hospitals. He angered both smokers and nonsmokers that worked within the walls of the hospitals. It was not the smoking issue, but one of hospitals using local government to strong arm the conduct of employees. For some of them, this was the very issue why they would not vote for Crawford.

While the sign ordinance was not discussed during the campaign, it did cost Crawford votes. The local real estate agents and realtors had asked council to hold up passing the sign ordinance to see if there was some way they could allow for real estate signs showing directions to open houses. Crawford was the one who spoke out it was a waste of time to even consider such. Of the hundreds of real estate agents doing business in Fort Wayne, this was the very issue why some of them would not vote for Crawford.

Matt Kelty had his share of issues to deal with. Sadly, some of those came from within the Allen County Republican Party. With the likes of Sam Talarico, Jr. in the highly publicized media event jumped across to support democrat Tom Henry did not fair well with some republican voters.

The average republican voter has long thought of Crawford as a leader among the elected officials. His standing mute, thus endorsing Talarico's behavior, told the conservative wing of the party that he really was not the leader they thought he was. For some, this was the issue as to why they could not vote for Crawford.

Crawford used a council meeting to chastise and hold Matt Kelty up to contempt, over a radio spot sponsored by some outside political PAC. This ad ran on an extremely small market share local radio station. While many found the radio spot distasteful, but id did not break any laws and it did not contain any lies. For some, this use of a council meeting to further a personal belief was the issue as to why they could not vote for Crawford.

The media did not pick up on it, for whatever reason, Crawford's campaigning manager was his young teenage son. To some, this was making a mockery of importance of having a good knowledgeable campaign manager. For a few, this was the issue as to why they could not vote for Crawford.

Some believe the issues Matt Kelty faces did not help the republican party, across the board. However, looking at what other republicans did in the voting that would be error in thought. They held their own. The negative Kelty effect was minimal in their success.

Crawford has stated his support of Harrison Square, the smoking ban, and the sign ordinance are things he strongly believed in. While this may be true and he should be respected for standing by his convictions. However, it was not what many of the voters believed in.

Crawford stood tall on these issues and should stand tall in accepting his own defeat.

My Endorsement Goes To Matt Kelty - Even Though I Said I Would Not

My endorsement will not swing the election for mayor one way or the other. Then again, my vote may well be the deciding vote. I was not going to endorse anyone, but as the hours grew shorter my mind said, do it. So I am!

I am going to do it with bullet points

Matt Kelty is an outsider. He owes no one that is in office. His financial support has come from the grass roots and a few like minded people. He did not attract several hundred thousand dollars of money from law firms, contractors, and so forth from places like Indianapolis, Chicago, and Michigan.

Matt Kelty is not from "this is the way we have always done it" club. By not knowing this is the way it is always done, opens the chance to explore new avenues in how the City of Fort Wayne runs. It provides a chance for the taxpayers to come forth with new ideas.

Matt Kelty has firmly stated the OmniSource property should not be purchased without full disclosure and City Council approval.

Matt Kelty has stated he will see Harrison Square through. However, there will not be, what has become the norm in local government building projects of, "Oh, by the way we need to add this and that to the cost!"

Matt Kelty has promised to hold the line on property taxes. At first he said he would cut taxes but as the campaign ran on, he learned that was a promise he could not keep. Instead of continuing with a false promise, he modified his platform to hold taxes.

Matt Kelty has been subjected to more political stress then most Mayor's face in three years in office. While some of the stress was at the hands of people within his own campaign he stood tall. He did not duck the issues. He took the heat. To me, that means if something happens within in the city he will be there to take the blame and get it corrected. He would not hide and let someone else be the fall guy. It is hard to believe we will hear "no comment!"

Matt Kelty is concerned about jobs. Without jobs, Kelty understands all the public-private feel good projects will only serve as a monument to a failed period of time in Fort Wayne in generating jobs.

Matt Kelty does not see entering economic development, backed with tax payer guaranteed bonds, as a wise mode of operation. Kitty Hawk is the latest example of poor decisions made by others.

Matt Kelty will stream line all the boards and commissions. Ones no longer serving the best interest of taxpayers will be done away. People appointed by the Mayor who appear to have a conflict of interest will be asked to resign or will not be reappointed.

Matt Kelty will see that the public has input on projects. No longer will unknown groups, who happen to be appointed by the mayor, will become the mouth piece of the public. Look at what Mayor Richard did to the people who volunteered thousands of hours to the North River project, only to learn he was not being honest and open with them. He was using them to try jamming a land purchase down the throats of the public's throat.

Matt Kelty will try to work with the people already employed within the city. Many are employed at the sole desecration of the mayor. These people will be given a chance to work with Kelty. If they elect not to, they should move on before being forced to move on.

The legal issues are real. However, as I have said from the time they where handed down that they most likely will go away or he will be found innocent. I still stand behind that belief.

The birthday cake was a joke that just went from bad to worse. We all have been around places where a joke was told or a cartoon displayed that turned out to be just in poor taste. This is just one of them. It is not a deciding factor of being a good mayor.

I will not bash Tom Henry, like those who oppose Matt Kelty have. Tom Henry is a good man and does not deserve to have every little error that his campaign has made, to become a focal point to ridicule the man.

While some have said Kelty has little support from fellow Republicans may be true. However, at the same time, the elected Democrats have not rallied around Henry. No city wide public endorsements from Mayor Richard, who Henry said he would follow many of his ideas. No city wide public endorsements from council members Tim Pape, Glynn Hines, Tom Hayhurst, and John Shoaff. Let alone state representatives Win Moses and Phil GiaQuinta.

So as I go to sleep tonight, I know in my heart I am doing the best for my family and myself in voting for Matt Kelty

The "WHAT IF" 2007 Election

It is now less then 24 hours to when local Fort Wayne voters start voting for what the Fort Wayne government will look like for the next four years. Then tension is high for every candidate running for office. Few, if any of the races seem like an automatic win for a given candidate.

The weather forecast for Tuesday seems to be one of what if. The weather is supposed to include cold cutting winds, possible light scattered rain, and maybe even a snow flake or so before the polls close at 6 P.M. What if the weather turns out just overcast and cool?

The turn out of voters is forecast to be very light. The number of absentee ballots returned often indicates the percentage of voters who will actually vote. A smaller absentee percentage, when compared to previous elections, has trended to indicate few voters going to the polls. What if they are wrong?

Who will vote appears to be in question. Some say, based on previous turnouts, that in bad weather many Democrats do not make it to the polls. In mid October, a poll indicated many republicans would be voting for Democrat Tom Henry. The margin has changed but neither candidate has been willing to share what their data shows. Republicans may stay away from the polls or just bypass making a selection in the vote for mayor. What if a little of each takes place?

The At-Large City Council race seems wide open. The voters will be selecting three people to represent the entire city on the nine member council. There claims that the new smoking ban may lead to victory or defeat for one incumbent member. Others have staked their political future on where they stand on the Harrison Square project. Will voters make these the defining issues?

The upstart Libertarian Party has fielded three candidates for the at-large race. They have been given little space, by the local media, at the political table. Yet, they have worked hard with their limited funds and seldom provided media exposure. They will attract some voters from both sides of the two main political parties. Depending on the voters, they just might be able to grab a seat at the city council table starting January 1st. Even if they do not win, they may well be the spoilers to some other candidate's hopes.

The 2007 Fort Wayne City Election is all about "WHAT IFs!"

The only thing that we know for a fact is that the people who get out and vote will help mold the future of Fort Wayne for the next four years. The opinions and beliefs of the local media, bloggers, letter to editor writers, talking heads, special interest groups, and outsiders will become mute.

Regardless, the people will have spoken! These are the real people who care about Fort Wayne's future. The ones who did not vote, could care less.

Mayor Richard - We Are Not That Stupid, But You May Be

Check out the latest Mayor Richard's OmniSource con game....

Yep, he is now telling us he wants someone else to pay for the cleanup of OmniSource, with our federal and state tax dollars. He has no clue when such could or would even happen.

Then his people try to compare the OmniSource cleanup to the Bowser Avenue cleanup. The only thing these two have in common is the word "cleanup." Comparing the two is like comparing a person with a broken arm, to someone suffering massive body trauma.

Everyone running for office, or holding office, should be standing tall on this issue. They should either state they support Mayor Richard on this issue, or not.

The only two people I know who have outright rejected what is going on is Matt Kelty (R) and Karen Goldner (D). Kelty is running for mayor and Goldner is running for the 2nd district seat on city council.

This is so stupid, I cannot even express my thought without yelling. My only guess is Richard's has some vested interest in seeing this property purchased by the city. This is past common sense.

Check out the report here.....
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/10980506.html

The OmniSource property is closer to the cleanup project of the I. J. Recycling grounds on North Clinton. It took 20-25 years to get cleaned up. All at the cost of taxpayers!

Think of this. If companies could just sale contaminated property to local government, then have the EPA/IDEM clean it up, there would not be one court case in the United States of the EPA suing companies for cleanup. Every company owning contaminated property would just sale it to the local government for a buck, and walk away.

PROUD TO SAY I AM FROM FORT WAYNE

Maybe this is what Fort Wayne is really about. Please read this story and then pass the link on to others. If this does not touch your heart then I am not sure it can be touched.

This makes me proud to say, I AM PROUD TO BE FROM FORT WAYNE.

We may have our issues, but we have some damn fine people living here.

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/SPORTS/711020304

Mayor's Appointee Speaks Out On Kitty Hawk Failure

In this morning's edition of The Journal Gazette, Amanda Iacone writes a news story of the response of Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority regarding the shut down of the Kitty Hawk sorting hub. Her contact for the story was one of Mayor Richard's three board appointments. Michael Gouloff, board president, is never directly quoted but one is led to believe this he is the person supplying the information.


Increasing property taxes will likely be the last option airport officials consider to pay off a debt left by departing cargo carrier Kitty Hawk.

Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority officials said Thursday they won’t know for a while how much of a $34 million bond the airport authority will have to repay. The airport authority issued the bond to lure Kitty Hawk to Fort Wayne International Airport.

Two weeks ago Kitty Hawk filed for bankruptcy and in all that time no one had considered checking to see how much of the bond was still outstanding? Bond payments go to one place. Either that person has the outstanding balance or the person who they may forward the payment to would. One could understand that it could take a couple of days to get the exact balance but over two weeks?

One has to wonder if the delay in releasing the information is more political? By releasing the figures would only provide Matt Kelty with additional ammunition of unwise government guaranteeing of bonds, for marginal private businesses.

By not releasing the numbers, Gouloff also makes Kelty's claim of some boards and commission of not being transparent to the taxpayers to be true.


Kitty Hawk's shut down its sorting facility Monday, putting 300 people out of work. The company filed for bankruptcy last month.

The airport authority borrowed the money to build the air cargo company an overnight cargo hub plus an aircraft ramp in the late 1990s. Lease payments were intended to cover the bond issue. But when Kitty Hawk announced it was closing its Fort Wayne location, it defaulted on a 20-year lease with an option for two five-year extensions.

The airport authority has a reserve fund set aside with one year’s worth of expenses. Officials will tap into that fund to cover bond payments for now, board President Michael Gouloff said after a board meeting Thursday.

The airport authority is setting on a "slush fund" of enough money to maintain a full year of expenses? The City of Fort Wayne does not even attempt to maintain a fund to maintain our police or fire protection for six months, let alone a full year. Again, this only offers for strength to Kelty's drum beat of some boards not being transparent to the taxpayers.

When an unaccountable board can build a "slush fund" of this size, one has to wonder how much additional revenue they bring in annually that is spent on other things? These are taxpayers dollars they are hoarding!

While they may claim it is money from tenants at the airport they would be wrong. Every property taxpayer in Fort Wayne contributes annually to the operation of the airport. If the airport was totally self-supporting, then their potential claim could be considered true. But currently it is not!


The courts will determine what relief the airport authority will receive, Gouloff said.

Gouloff should have told the writer that the airport authority is an "unsecured creditor." Which puts airport pretty far down the list of those who may receive any money. When it is all said and done, the amount left to the taxpayers will be well in excess of twenty million dollars.


Using property taxes to pay off the debt is an option of last resort. But if the airport authority had to raise taxes, the increase would be minimal, he said.

This is the exact thinking, that has in part, lead to the property tax crisis all across the state of Indiana. In Fort Wayne most property tax bills are composed of a composite of taxing units. This includes city government, county government, township government, school district, library, county redevelopment special tax, public transportation, and the airport authority. A "minimal" increase from each of these non-related eight taxing units becomes "massive" to the taxpayer.

This is one more sign of the arrogance that some appointed members of various boards have towards the taxpayers!


Gouloff is hopeful the airport authority will be able to fill what he called a great air cargo facility, including a 240,000-square-foot warehouse. Gouloff believes other companies will recognize the facility and be willing to use it, he said.

Gouloffs statements and thoughts should tell us he does not see Kitty Hawk returning in any form.

Oh well, one more case of wasted tax dollars.

How To Flood Out Your Neighbor - Fort Wayne Style

1- Dig a deep hole in the ground

2- Find a place where the river narrows down

3- Find the worst place along the river. That would be where the river makes a sharp "dogleg" turn and the river is very narrow.

4- Dump the dirt next to the river bank, in the flood plain

5- Rains come, snow flys, snow melts, and water has no place to go.

6- Water backups in the rivers

7- Homes and properties are flooded

8- Remove some of the dirt after the flood season is past

9- Level out reaming dirt

10- You have just filled in a flood plain area without a DNR* permit


*An inquiry to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources was made nearly two weeks ago. They have yet to respond indicating what permit was ever granted for the property to be used as a temporary storage site of dirt, or that the flood plain could be forever raised.

That is how you flood out your neighbor. Thank you Mayor Richard. You got us one more time!