dec CONO Candidate Forum pdf
by matthew on Wed Feb 25 10:17:33 CST 2009
 
First, a huge thanks to the CONO folks for inviting me…It was great!!!
 
It is a bummer that each candidate only had 60 seconds to answer each question. Maybe it’s the instructor in me, or, or maybe I’m just a yakker, but I thought all of the questions deserved at least 5 minutes apiece to really cover. It also got a little annoyed when some candidates went way far off-topic. Good questions deserve good, complete, direct answers.
From my side of the table, I thought the audience was great, the questions were good, there were no serious technical difficulties, and as far as I could tell, no one left too battered or bruised.
 
What did you think?
by Pat McDaniel on Wed Feb 25 12:16:41 CST 2009
Good afternoon Matthew,

I thought the CONO Candidate forum went pretty well, but I agree that one minute to answer questions that were presented did no candidate justice, unless some candidates had no idea about the topic being asked about in the first place, and their "pre-arranged" notes did not cover the questions asked.

All but three candidates kept to their answers to one minute. Caulkins, Phillips and Foster went over, but Caulins and Phillips abused the time limited the most and they were not called on it for their total disregard for the "rules". But of course they were ChangeDecatur slate candidates.

I was disappointed that more of the "neighborhood association" members did not show up, but that was the case four years ago when I took part in CONO's Candidate Forum duirng the city's municipal election campaign.

If you took the candidate spouces and individual candidate campaign staff out of the mix, the turnout really wasn't that great, but I am still happy that a number of people showed up.

One thing that really bothered me was that I was asked twice at the forum who the "ChangeDecatur Candidates" were (one man thought I was a ChangeDecatur candidate which almost caused me to have  a heart attack), and that scared me to think even with just over a month left in the campagin,  Decatur residents do not know who the candidates really are or what organization they represent.

I don't think I have ever seen such a "political gamemanship" going on with candidate endorsements of local city candidates.

Stockard is being "played and paid" by union organizations to get her vote on the Responsible Bidder Ordinance. I hope she doesn't think that the general populations of union members are going to "really vote for her" come April 7th. This situation for Stockard is "Decatur's Pay to Play" show, and she is just being used.

And being a Chamber Member, I was totally in disbelief when the Chamber endorsed Stockard yesterday even after she stated two weeks ago that she was going to vote for the Responsible Bidder Ordinance and received union organizational campagin funds to get her to vote that way , when the Chamber has been fighting against the passage for years.

Well, the campaigning continues and my disbelief on who is endorcing who continues.





by Doug on Wed Feb 25 14:41:57 CST 2009

I thought the whole evening was very nice.   First of all CONO does a really good job of making everyone welcome with smiling faces and open ears.  From being on the outside and looking in it seems like CONO has taken a harder stance with the City due to the neglect neighborhoods have been through.  I applaud all those who continue to battle the deterioration of inner city neighborhoods.  Kudos to the City MGT. and to CONO together they really are making a difference.

As far as endorsements go I am not to sure being endorsed by the Chamber is a good thing! 

I just read the about the Responsible Bidder Ordinance and don't see a problem with it unless you your a fly by night company looking for a bunch of suckers to hire you.  Whats wrong with skilled labor, companies that reinvest in the employees education?   Guidelines need to be followed and these guidelines are good for everyone not just the Companies that already follow them.  Fair bidding process does not include picking who you want for personal reasons.

Even though I am not a Change Decatur Supporter I believe Steve Daniels may be right on the money with his answers last night.  I have not read his plan for education but was impressed with his response about the City being more involved in education and the fact that he believes Council and Mayor position should be involved in bringing in jobs!  I know we have a team that works on bringing in business and they have failed its time to replace them also.  I would like to see just what businesses they have tried to lure to Decatur.  Is this "Good ole Boy's" information or is it public?

My favorite was Mr. Dawson talking about waiting 3 days for snow removal.  It made me feel better after what we have gone through just to get it done once in 2 years yep that's right once in 2 years.  This problem I hope has been resolved thanks to Mr. Mendenhall.( I hope I got the name correct)  I wanted to add I don't think this is a City Workers fault it was just poor communication and planning on their leaders part.

There was a lot of experience at the table last night and I'm sure if people will get out and vote things can get better.  If the same people get out and vote then not much will change and that is really a shame this town has been on the bottom for too long we need to get it back ASAP!

Mr. McDaniel you brought up a good point would you mind sharing what organization you represent. 

I am looking forward into hearing more with all the canidates. I hope a forum on other topics is assembled.
by matthew on Wed Feb 25 14:54:16 CST 2009
Here’s my obviously opinionated and biased take on it all.
 
I’ll start with me. I take too long to get an idea out…I’m used to having an hour to cover a topic, and it shows. On the positive side, I was only cut off mid-thought once (first question)…Unfortunately, it was just as I was about to brag on Decatur’s water quality, and suggest our image could be made better if we could monitor and improve the air quality in several neighborhoods.  I preface say and I write) “I think”
 
 
Larry Foster – Hopefully Larry is not going to be too annoyed with me for saying this, but sheesh!…How many times can you say “I was on the council when xxx was there, or when yyy happened?”
 
Pat McDaniel - I think (there I go again!) Pat had a good night.  He’s not in as tight with the “establishment” as Larry Foster is, and he’s sure nowhere near as “far-out” as Marcia Phillips. He’s an outsider, but he’s been around long enough to know the ropes.
 
Marcia Phillips - Had me scratching my head and wondering if we were both attending the same forum….I must be way out of her target audience, because she lost me completely..
 
Adam Brown – Didn’t have a great night, but didn’t tank either.  I think his age is a bit of a double-edged sword.  He’s a friendly enough guy.
 
Dan Caulkins - Let’s see…He’s an incumbent running as an agent of “change”…Right…
 
Jerry Dawson – Did OK. Seems like a nice guy.
 
Carey Grady – Did OK. I read a bit about his local-youth-star-search idea on his website.  An interesting thought. He had some kind of page he was reading from, and he kept practicing his lines quietly as the other candidates gave their responses.
 
Me – Could’ve done better, could’ve done worse…While trying to pack as much information into the replies, I probably threw too many abbreviations around for some people (CDBG, TIF, etc)…It was enjoyable. During the forum I made some notes to myself on 3x5 cards (oh how I wish we could have made follow-up comments!)
 
Adam Ruderman – Man, he sure likes talking about his family! He wandered off-topic more than I liked, and I he had some scripted points he was going to read/deliver no matter what.
 
Betsy Stockard – Did fine. I think she felt more on-the-defensive than she would have preferred, but she handled herself well.
 
Julia Moore Wolfe – Did well. She’s good with an audience, and was definitely in her element.
 
Steve Daniels – Not bad, but I think he was less focused on answering the questions, and more focused on pushing his campaign agenda. 
 
Mike McElroy – Going in he had me a little worried, but he did a nice job. He got off the questions while rebutting Daniels a time or two, but did pretty good.
by Pat McDaniel on Wed Feb 25 15:24:44 CST 2009
Doug,

I represent no organization.

I am not part of the Decatur "Establishment" (their man is Foster), and I don't support ChangeDecatur.

I am my own man. I was born and raised in Decatur and have lived here all my life other than two years as a kid.

I spent three years in the U.S. Army in Military Intelligence, with one year spent in Vietnam (1969-1970).
 
I was even challenged last night at the meeting by a older Vietnam Veteran who did not believe I was a Vietnam Veteran. That really bothered me. I along with other Vietnam Veterans, we did not get treated very well when we came back from the war, and to have another Vietnam Veteran challenge my service to my country really upset me last night.

Out of all the candidates in this race, I am the only Military War Veteran. Caulkins and Ruderman have served in the military service, but not in a war zone as far as I know.

And to think that as a reporter and photograhper with the Decatur Tribune I make it a point to cover the Macon County Honor Guard and other military veteran organizations, you can see why I got upset last night.

I have worked for three national companies in management, and now work for a not-for-profit, so I have had the best of both worlds.

I have never been supported by any union organization (individual union members yes, but not their parent organization).

During this present campaign race I did not send back any organization's questionnaire (Union or Chamber), because they never supported me in past campaigns, so I did not want to waste their time or mine.

I have always been out there promoting Decatur both within and outside Decatur, and will continue whether I win this race or not.. Decatur is my home.

I have no agenda except making Decatur the best community to live in now and for the future. You know why? Because I live here now. and will in the future.


by matthew on Wed Feb 25 15:50:15 CST 2009
Sorry about the out-of-sequence post…I started this morning and just finished (Work interrupts pleasure, don’t you know!)
 
Pat, I don’t think the audience saw the prepared pages several candidates brought … 
 
I agree Doug.  This year, I don’t think endorsements will count for much.  Be careful with the gimmick proposals some candidates are throwing around.  Consider the source, and consider the motives.
by matthew on Wed Feb 25 16:09:35 CST 2009
I thought the crowd was fine. My wife accuses me of being better “making friends” with strangers than talking with relatives (insert joke here!).  I have a terrible time with names, but a good memory for faces and conversation….lol – I suppose that pretty much dooms all hope of higher-office …Ah well!
by Doug on Wed Feb 25 16:12:34 CST 2009
Mr. McDaniel

Thanks for the from the heart response I like that its a good quality.  
  1.   How does the City go about getting jobs to locate here what is currently being done is not working.  I know due to NAFTA it gets harder and harder to get Big Companies to locate any where in the U.S.
  2. How do you feel about the  Responsible Bidder Ordinance ?  
  3. What would your opinion be on Landlord Licensing?
  4. Would you support the annexing of Decatur addresses outside of the Decatur School District back into Decatur?
  5. Its no secret we don't have as much money coming in as we have had in the past so do we need to raise taxes?  Is there a way to lower taxes?
I know there may be a few other candidates that log on here so if you feel like it I wouldn't mind hearing from you on these issues also
Julie, Steve, Matt

Thanks again for your response Mr. McDaniel and thanks for your efforts in Vietnam and all Vets deserve better than what they have gotten from the past.
by Pat McDaniel on Thu Feb 26 09:28:41 CST 2009
Doug,
 
Here are my answers to your questions:
 
1. Unfortunately, with the country’s current economic situation, not only Decatur, but hundreds of similar communities across the country have seen factories and retail stores close down or cut back on employees.
 
If you are keeping abreast of business news in our country, companies are delaying expansions and closing plants or moving production overseas or to our country’s southern states that seem to be offering more business incentives for plants to relocate to their states. Many of the states are also right-to-work states and offer companies lower operation costs.
 
I certainly don’t have to tell you that Illinois hasn’t created a good business environment that has companies lining up to relocate to Illinois. With the additional costs of doing business in Illinois caused by added business taxes and fees, and the feeling by companies that Illinois has an “anti-business” attitude, the state government has created its own problems in attracting new industry to the state.
 
If potential companies are looking for new locations to expand their businesses and they are not looking at Illinois, then Decatur area is going to also have a tough time in doing the same.
 
What can Decatur do to attract potential new companies and in turn new jobs?
 
Even with the reality that the city’s revenue stream will be reduced because of the downturn in the economy and looming deficits a fact, the city should use their limited resources to maintain and improve the city’s infrastructure. That includes streets, bridges, water reserve capacity and the city’s aging water/sewer pipe line system.
 
Following through on these basic city services will not only improve the quality of life for community residents, but will also make the city more attractive to potential new industries and retail companies when the economy improves and companies start expanding again. In seeking locations to expand, companies first look at a potential community’s infrastructures in order to see if that infrastructure can maintain their operations and offer expansions possibilities. 
 
 
Although the city can not be overly “picky” when it comes to gaining new companies, the reality is that our community needs a more diverse business/government base to weather the periodic downturns in the country’s economy.
 
The Economic Development Corporation of Decatur/Macon County, the Council/city staff, the Chamber and community as a whole should not stop promoting the community to businesses across the country even during the present economic conditions. The economy will rebound again, and the community will be able to capitalize on its continued outreach promotional campaigns.
 
 
2. I do not support the city council passing the present Responsible Bidder Ordinance as it is written.
 
The ordinance will restrict many experienced and responsible companies that employ hundreds of skilled and hardworking employees from doing business with the city. The ordinance by restricting the number of companies that can do business with the city will drive up the costs of contracts because of the lack of competition. The passage of the present written ordinance will send another “red flag” over Decatur in attracting new industry and jobs.
 
3. I believe that the council should look into whether the community should pass an ordinance relating to Landlord Licensing. A “blue-ribbon” panel should be created to look into all aspects of such an ordinance, but should be chaired by an outsider to bring about an un-biased report to present to the council.
 
If the city passes a Landlord Licensed policy, the policy should include safeguards for both landlords and renters.
 
4. Again the city should probably look into the possibility, but I don’t think I have to tell you that the surrounding public school districts will not give up “any” tax revenues without a court fight.
 
The chances of this happening are very slim.
 
5. The council will have to look at all aspects of the city budget to see where if any cuts can be made to overset the city’s fiscal deficits and to fund basic city services. Unfortunately when 80% of the General Revenue Fund goes to paying for city employees, there is not much to cut from in the budget.
 
One small step would be for the council to drastically cut the council’s travel budget for “council members” trips. All out-of-state trips to attend Municipal League meetings by council members should be stopped, and only approved if the individual council member pays his or her own way. That would also include council members taking the Chamber Washington Fly-In trips, as well as reducing the number in-state Municipal League meetings that council members attend.
 
Raising taxes to maintain city operations should be the last remedy, but community residents can’t have it both ways. They can’t want more and more city services without looking at where the funds are going to come from to pay for them.
 
If a combination of taxes has to be implemented to maintain basic city services, those tax ordinances must be brought up for a review and re-vote every 6 or 12 months.
 
The taxes that are implemented to secure the sale of bonds to finance city capital improvement projects, unfortunately those taxes can not be reviewed on annual bases because a municipality must have a steady stream of revenues to pay the bonds back or potential bond buyers will not be interested in buying them.
 
The only way to lower taxes at the local, state and national levels is to either reduce services or stop creating new programs that eat up limited revenues.
 
I do not have all the answers to the challenges that face the community, but as a citizen and a councilman I will certainly work with others within the community to come up with common-sense approaches to finding the solutions to them.
by matthew on Thu Feb 26 11:40:35 CST 2009

 

  1.   How does the City go about getting jobs to locate here what is currently being done is not working.  I know due to NAFTA it gets harder and harder to get Big Companies to locate any where in the U.S.
As much as politicians of all stripes would like to take responsibility for bringing jobs to the township/city/county/state they represent, about all any office holder can do is promote an environment that is employer and employee-friendly. It’s the job of elected officials to maintain and improve the infrastructure and quality of services for which their particular level government is responsible.  Tax breaks and special deals for business are tools that can be used to attract business to a point, but the elected official has to be careful.  “Giving away the store” to court one or two big employers, then having nothing left over to maintain basic services like snow removal and neighborhood infrastructure is a sure-fire way to promote bedroom communities like….well, you know! 
  1. How do you feel about the Responsible Bidder Ordinance?
I’m for it.  And I have been from the start, no donations or endorsements necessary!  My understanding is the objectionable-to-business issue is the inclusion of a clause that states “responsible bidders” must have some form of apprenticeship program.  Apprenticeship programs demonstrate a company’s investment in continuing their trade, and a commitment to growing employee’s futures. It fits well with the city and council’s aim of growing a vibrant, viable long-term-sustainable community… I don’t have a problem with that. 
  1. What would your opinion be on Landlord Licensing?
Good idea. I am interested in hearing the practical licensing suggestions on this.  Should licensing be per-unit, or per-location, or per-landlord?  What would constitute compliance, and what happens with non-compliant landlords? What happens to a property whose landlord looses their license?  I’m inclined to be a supporter of licensing – but I need to hear a concrete implementation proposal, and assure myself we’d be accomplishing what we intend - improving the quality of rental properties and responsibility of their owners.
  1. Would you support the annexing of Decatur addresses outside of the Decatur School District back into Decatur?
When it makes sense, yes. First, the school district and City of Decatur are two different bodies of government, and have different footprints (both physical and responsibility-wise). The question becomes “what does when it makes sense” mean? A property becomes a candidate for annexation when we extend city services to it, when we surround it, when it is abutting the city limits and its owners ask to be annexed, or when there is some compelling reason of public interest.  That’s what makes a property becomes a candidate for annexation.  The final decision of to annex or not depends on all these factors – in addition to the growth-potential of an area, and how it fits with the city’s long-term urban development plan. Lol – you asked for it!   
  1. Its no secret we don't have as much money coming in as we have had in the past so do we need to raise taxes?  Is there a way to lower taxes?
It would be nice to say “No!”, but that wouldn’t be honest. So, my answer is “Only if we have to”. Allowing revenue to drop to the point of eliminating snow removal, or animal control, or police officers, or fire fighters is clearly unacceptable, and none of us wants that.  The trick is to see tax dollars are spent responsibly and wisely.  That means thinking in and making decisions for not only the short term (tempting as it may be), but also the long and medium term.  Council members hold the public trust and their charge is to ensure value-for-money, and quality of service. 
 
Is there a way to lower taxes? No, and yes. In the short-run, I don’t think there is without suffering the consequences I mentioned. If you disagree, I’m open to suggestions. 
 
In the long run, you bet! – How?  Grow the community, make wise long-term decisions and invest in the community… Then we can look at reducing taxes once our start seeing dividends.
 
OK, Lunchtime!!!
by Doug on Thu Feb 26 12:41:28 CST 2009
Thanks Mr. McDaniel and Matthew


Oh I know its an uphill battle for who ever is elected.  Good answers with many points thanks and good luck to you both.


Doug
by Doug on Sat Feb 28 16:39:56 CST 2009
Hey Matt

Whats the disclaimor issue on cadidates signs?  What should they say on the bottom.
by matthew on Sat Feb 28 20:47:23 CST 2009

They've got to say “Paid for by” and then whoever cut the check for the sign/display/billboard/commercial. Have you seen something that doesn't have a disclaimer?


 

by Doug on Sat Feb 28 21:36:37 CST 2009
I have not seen any because never really looked.  I just read the article on the Trib's site.  I don't think it said what was required but I really just skimmed over it.
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