Where Do the Candidates for Mayor Really Stand on Consolidation?

By: Bill Jeffers

Our community has four men running for Mayor of Evansville, two as Democrats and two as Republicans. At the same time, the city council and county commissioners are conducting a series of workshops to modify the plan of reorganization of Vanderburgh County and Evansville municipal government submitted by the reorganization committee appointed by the mayor, the two councils, and the county commissioners. Therefore, it seems appropriate to ask each candidate for Mayor of Evansville exactly what his opinion is of the plan of reorganization, how the plan should be modified, whether a plan of consolidated government should be adopted, specifically how a consolidated government will or will not benefit Evansville, and specifically how each candidate would implement his powers and duties under a plan of consolidation if one were to pass the referendum in 2012.

Bottom line, it is time for the candidates to stop skirting this issue, and tell us exactly what they think and how they plan to support the plan, or work against the plan, and how they would behave and institute policy as mayor if and when a merger referendum passes.

Okay, here are some key issues, most of which each candidate for mayor has used in his political advertising, along with some questions asking how the candidate specifically will address each issue:
Retaining Existing Jobs and Creating New “Good” Jobs: Well, all the candidates claim to support job retention, and promise to create “good” jobs as Mayor of Evansville. Most claim job creation as issue #1, and each says he is about the business of bringing “good” jobs to Evansville. So, let’s hear from each candidate specifically how consolidated government will attract new jobs and retain existing jobs. Will it? How exactly? What exactly is a “good” job? And how will each candidate utilize his powers as mayor, under the reorganization plan, to attract new jobs and retain existing jobs. No hedging. No generic talking points. Please, just specifics related to the consolidation plan. As a side bar, how does each candidate view the fact that the reorganization plan avoids reducing existing government jobs, and thus shows no cost savings?

Responsible Municipal Budgeting and “No New Taxes:” Everyone knows Evansville municipal government faces budgetary crisis due to reduced population, deteriorating housing stock, reduced property valuations, rising healthcare costs for municipal employees, rising costs for fuel and supplies, and unfunded federal mandates imposing huge future bond debt. So, how does each mayoral candidate view the reorganization plan’s potential impact on the city budget when none of the pressing monetary issues are addressed by the plan, no cost savings are identified by the plan, the plan proposes to reduce the sewer rates for 1/3 of the jurisdiction while the federal EPA has mandated a half-billion dollars in sewer upgrades, etc.? Additionally, how can a mayoral candidate pledge to hold the line on taxes when at the same time supporting a plan of consolidation that will raise taxes and user fees on every single property owner countywide? What say all four mayoral candidates?

Public Safety: Yes, all candidates for mayor always claim public safety as one of the top two priorities during a campaign, as it should be. So, how does each of the four candidates for Mayor of Evansville see the roll of Sheriff and the roll of Chief of Police under the current plan of consolidation? How would each of the four candidates for mayor modify the plan of consolidation to fit his vision of a unified public safety department? Or alternately, how would each mayoral candidate organize the various departments of public safety if he were able to wave a magic wand and make the merger plan coincide with his vision for Evansville? Please be specific, and answer this one as if consolidation of local government is inevitable.

Listening to the People, Transparency, Accountability, etc.: All these words are warm and fuzzy when appearing on banners and in speeches. But each word has a meaning, and words such as these convey powerful images. So, as Mayor of Evansville, how would each candidate implement policies under a plan of consolidation to reflect his pledge to listen, be accountable to the People, and conduct a transparent government?

Before answering exactly how you would fulfill your pledge of open communications, transparency, and accountability to the People, thoroughly read the plan of consolidation. And please keep in mind that the current plan of consolidation creates a “strong mayor” with substantial powers to control all the other elected officeholders via his appointed budget director. Also, please take into account that the plan of consolidation gives the mayor the power to control important legislation by influencing his political caucus in the common council to withhold the super majority vote required to approve changes to the mayor’s budget submitted for other elected officeholders, or to effect future changes in the structure of government. Also under the plan of consolidation, the mayor could advise council members of his own party to attend crucial meetings only to the number required for a quorum (6) while preventing attendance to the super majority number (8) needed to amend the budget or effect a structural change, thereby killing the issue while still moving the hearing to a conclusion.

There are several sections in the plan of reorganization that grant unusually strong powers to the mayor, and each candidate should state his position on the most important of these potentialities only after carefully reading the plan. Then please state how you would modify the plan, or how you would execute policy under the plan when you become mayor of a consolidated municipality.

One Last Batch of Questions: If you are elected Mayor of Evansville in 2011, take office in 2012, and the plan of consolidation in whatever form passes the referendum in 2012, will you run for mayor again in 2014? Will you accept the condition of the current plan that the mayor will only serve and be paid to serve three years (2012, 2013, and 2014) instead of the customary four years, if the referendum passes? Do you approve the plan’s mandate that municipal elections in the off-presidential year 2014, a year sure to be one of hugely divisive national politics as are all off-presidential years? Or do you feel that municipal elections should continue to occur in odd-numbered years as currently provided by statute? Do you favor non-partisan municipal elections, or favor partisan elections as the plan proposes?

One of the four men currently on the 2011 primary ballot for Mayor of Evansville will begin serving as our mayor in 2012, when the consolidation plan goes to a referendum vote. It should be important to each of the four candidates for mayor that the voters of Evansville have a clear picture of his stand on the plan of consolidation right now, before the vote on Primary Day, May 3, 2011. Fact is, early voting already is under way, and daylight is burning waiting for specifics on the issues.