Evansville City Councilman Dan McGinn was recently invited to appear on Tri-State Voices to answer questions from Democrat Mark Owen and Republican Cheryl Musgrave with his opponent for the May 5, 2015 Primary. McGinn refused to face his opponent conservative Tom Bozikis.
Tri-State Voices is a weekly 30 minute program broadcast on Sundays on local television and also available on the City County Observer website, the Tri-State Voices Facebook Page and the Tri-State Voices YouTube Channel. This program has bipartisan hosts who prepare questions for the candidates that are not disclosed prior to the program taping. For this election cycle the four City Council At Large candidates, four City Clerk candidates and one of the candidates for the Second Ward have already appeared. The candidates for the Sixth Ward will tape tomorrow night. The program has proven to be a fair discussion about important issues facing the community and is the only forum for the May 5th Primary where candidates must carry themselves. Unlike written questions that can be answered by anyone, candidates must think on their feet while viewers can surmise their comfort level and body language in answering tough questions.
Like Councilwoman Mosby, who also refused to appear, Councilman McGinn has a voting record he should be willing to discuss and defend. For example, in the last budget cycle, McGinn argued against budget cuts to Mesker Zoo but seemed proud of his willingness to cut fire suppression and law enforcement beyond a level that both agencies said they could absorb. Meanwhile, he wanted to spend $250,000 on the ShotSpotter program that would have had no impact on his ward while supporting cuts to public safety to pay for it that would have negatively impacted the residents he represents.
McGinn has never had an opponent for his City Council seat. He was appointed to the position at a political caucus and has never been challenged. Tom Bozikis is proving to be quite the opponent because of his true Republicans values. Both men are vying to represent an area that seems to have no problem with economic development. One difference between the candidates is how they feel about tax incentives. McGinn has professed his love for tax abatements to encourage businesses to locate in areas they would otherwise avoid.  Mr. Bozikis prefers to allow business owners to pick the spot best for them and pay their taxes. It’s an interesting debate given that City budgets have been upside down for the last three years and will have deficit spending again this year. McGinn’s willingness to cut the budget while also cutting potential tax revenue is a position worthy of discussion.
McGinn also supports annexation to grow the City’s tax base while Bozikis is opposed. McGinn’s position appears to be one of convenience, given the City cannot expand further to the east, and he would not have to take on angry annexed residents in an election. Mr. Bozikis has stated he is more interested in the City learning to live within its current means.
Other comments made by McGinn at City Council meetings are troubling. He has stated that he has no sympathy for homeowners caught in the mix of the new water meter installation and handed hefty bills for repairs. His comment was that it was the responsibility of home ownership and had no regard for large number of homeowners in the City struggling to keep their homes and who didn’t ask for a new water meter. He also stated that he didn’t care where people lived who were evicted for low level criminal acts under the Good Neighbor Ordinance. He seems to have forgotten that those people, whose behavior is not condoned here, often have families. He also rejected a rezoning in his ward that had the potential to be a worthy public housing project. He sat silently while residents he represents made broad, sweeping statements that poor people brought crime and trash. He should explain his stance concerning this worthwhile project given that the majority of Evansville residents struggle to survive. 42% of households county-wide do not earn enough to keep up with the cost of living in the area, and the median income in the County is higher than the City.  Another  troubling remark that Mr. McGinn made was at last night City Council meeting when he said “he open minded to taking away our ‘Homestead Tax Credit If economics merit it”.
We again invite Dan McGinn to answer questions and defend his record on Tri-State Voices. Our hosts will accommodate his schedule, as voters in the First Ward deserve to know how he feels about important governmental issue affecting them. The way it looks at this point is that Councilman McGinn “May Be Too Elite For His Seat”!
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