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> Early 2011 election talk
Southsider2k12
post Nov 12 2010, 12:53 PM
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So what are the good rumors out there so far? The names are flying around, especially in the mayoral race. I have heard everything from Ben Neitzel to Joie Winski, Ron Meer, and Jim LaRocco, to John Jones.
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Homey
post Nov 15 2010, 09:10 AM
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Anyone but Oberlie...although you've mentioned a couple of names I just couldn't support. Ron Meer being the most obvious. I won't vote if I don't have more options. Some fresh blood and honesty would be refreshing!


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huskers888
post Nov 15 2010, 03:46 PM
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QUOTE(Homey @ Nov 15 2010, 09:10 AM) *

Anyone but Oberlie...although you've mentioned a couple of names I just couldn't support. Ron Meer being the most obvious. I won't vote if I don't have more options. Some fresh blood and honesty would be refreshing!

Interesting Homey, Mr. Meer is one of the most Honest representatives I know and Michigan city has. He is the opposite of Oberlie . They cant control him he is for the people of Michigan city.Not all the special interests like Milsap the puppet . Thats also why he has had the problems he has because the administration hates the TRUTH.And he exposes it and then addresses it. Hope he RUNS. J.B.
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Ang
post Nov 15 2010, 09:40 PM
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I'm not sure how I feel about Ron Meer. I've had some personal experience with him and I wasn't too impressed, to tell the truth. My first impression of him was "pompous a$$", and subsequesnt impressions weren't much better. But, those were in different circumstances and related to his son, and everybody knows that when it comes to your children........
(I am guilty of that myself blush.gif )

So, IF he decides to run for Mayor, I would be willing to listen to his platform, but my vote is moot because I live in LaPorte.

All that being said, my first impression of Mr. Oberlie wasn't too good either. I met him under "non-political" circumstances the first time (as City Controller) and wasn't impressed with him, and the second time I met him was at the St. Joe club during his first campaign, and well..... let's just say he was "enjoying" himself at the Joe....
Not that we all haven't had good times....

But the bottom line to all this is...

IF I lived in MC, and IF I could vote for a Mayoral Candidate..

I would vote for Joie Winski!!
Joie, I hope you run again this time 'round..
Don't give up!


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Homey
post Nov 16 2010, 08:41 AM
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I agree Ang. I have experience with both of them and know in my heart that I just couldn't vote for either one.

I like Joie too...she's been quiet. When do they start announcing?


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JHeath
post Nov 17 2010, 01:53 PM
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You know what they say...sometimes, you should watch the quiet ones the closest. wink.gif
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Southsider2k12
post Nov 17 2010, 02:15 PM
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After hearing what Bob McKee said last night about the firemans insurance costs, I sure hope he didn't have any plans at running.
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Homey
post Nov 17 2010, 02:15 PM
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Good advice Jen smile.gif


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lovethiscity
post Nov 17 2010, 10:30 PM
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All the Council Representatives that said last night, they had no idea the insurance costs for city workers were going up dramatically need to resign. To blame Oberlie for not making the tough decision of terminating or laying off $1,000,000 worth of city workers is ridiculous. He made the tough choice of digging into their pockets without adding to the extreme unemployment rate. The grandstanding council members loved the press when they forced the cuts in riverboat money spending. They were told what the result would be over a year ago. They could not see past the resolution and veto override. Wow, I can not believe I am supporting Oberlie and Milsap here, but they were the only two that acted responsibly on this issue.

COMMUNICATIONS
The Clerk read the following letter received in the Clerk’s Office on July 28, 2009,
July 28, 2009
Mr. Thomas Fedder
City Clerk
100 East Michigan Blvd.
Michigan City, IN 46360
Dear Mr. Fedder:
Please find attached ordinance #4066 adopted by the Common Council on the 21st day of July, 2009.
While I agree with the concept of the ordinance to reduce the amount of Riverboat funds utilized for operating
expenses, I do not believe this is the time to reduce the restrictions presently in place. As you know, to comply with
the recent state laws establishing property tax caps, the City of Michigan City must already reduce our 2010 budget
by two million dollars. This requirement alone is a formidable task.
The Common Council has previously, at my request and consent, authorized a 45% cap. By reducing the cap at this
time through this ordinance to 35%, one million dollars of additional appropriations will need to be removed from
the 2009 budget for the year 2010. Thus, if this ordinance is enacted, a combined total of three million dollars will
need to be removed from the 2010 budget.
In an attempt to reduce reliance on riverboat money for operating expenses, numerous initiatives are already in
place. This includes reduction of four police officers, four firefighters, nine dispatchers, and three mechanics in the
Central Maintenance department. In addition, upper ranks in the Fire Department have been frozen until, by
attrition, the number of Asst. Chiefs and Captains is in line with the current station alignment. We have
implemented energy saving measures in all departments, converted to a self insured worker’s compensation program
and brought our IT support back in house as the cost of private support escalated.
As I look ahead to the 2010 budget, I anticipate significant changes in the health insurance program for the
employees. I have anticipated a phase in over two years but, under the consequence of ordinance #4066, we will be
required to institute significant changes in a single year. I also anticipate additional staff reductions and replacing
our T-1 lines with a connection to the Michigan City Area Schools fiber optic.
Furthermore, property tax assessments have not been established for the years 2007 through the current year and the
2008 and 2009 municipal budgets have not yet been approved by the Department of Local Government Finance
(DLGF) leading to uncertainty and some financial risk as we proceed forward. Actual revenue and expenditure
lines are not known in spite of the fact that the 2008 budget has been closed and we are more than one-half way
through 2009.
Based on the uncertainties created by the state property tax loss (both tax caps and assessment process) and the cost
reduction programs already imposed, I am vetoing ordinance #4066 pursuant to IC-36-4-6-16.
Page 3 August 4, 2009
Should you support my veto of the ordinance, I can assure you that the administration has no intention of submitting
a budget that would exceed the existing 45% cap, but, will strive to reduce those obligations.
Sincerely,
Chuck Oberlie, Mayor
City of Michigan City


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MichiganCityDDS
post Nov 18 2010, 09:36 AM
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The big, heavy cart of the local nomenklatura needs to be overturned, and voting in a new, unconnected Mayor is but the first step.


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Southsider2k12
post Nov 18 2010, 09:43 AM
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QUOTE(MichiganCityDDS @ Nov 18 2010, 09:36 AM) *

The big, heavy cart of the local nomenklatura needs to be overturned, and voting in a new, unconnected Mayor is but the first step.


The problem is that the baseline was set at $50,000 to win the mayors race last time around by Oberlie. If you aren't connected to something, you need to get your name out there somehow, which in this day and age mostly means cash. And usually you can't raise that kind of cash unless you are connected. Its a sad, vicious circle.
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Michelle
post Nov 18 2010, 06:23 PM
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Underfunded candidates shouldn't let that hold them back. An organized door-to-door campaign is still considered one of the most effective ways to win a local election, and all that takes is lots of time and lots of supporters. There are plenty of ways to campaign on the cheap.
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RedDevilMC
post Nov 18 2010, 08:50 PM
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MM..Lovethiscity,

I didn't say I didn't know insurance or health benefits could go up. My point is that the Mayor has to make hard decisions to figure out how to overcome shortfalls. My issue is I had no idea or input on what plans would be offered or when. He waited until the 11th hour to implement a new plan. He's known he had to deal with this for months. This plan, whether anyone likes it or not, is better than most of the insurance our taxpayers are paying out of pocket. No one said the Mayor couldn't ask the concil for relief from the riverboat cap. I just don't like the fact that we were back doored and pushed into a corner like it's the council's fault so that he (the Mayor) doesn't have to take ownership. He'd rather push it on us. Cool with me. We will just deal with it, like we always do. Some of you may or may not like my comments but it is what it is, I don't have a reason to grandstand politically since I'm not running again.

Our workshop is this Tuesday at 6:30pm at the CIty Hall. I guess we'll all find out what investigation was done on making the decision on these particular plans and why it happened so late in the year.


Angie
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lovethiscity
post Nov 19 2010, 07:29 AM
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QUOTE(RedDevilMC @ Nov 18 2010, 08:50 PM) *

MM..Lovethiscity,

I didn't say I didn't know insurance or health benefits could go up. My point is that the Mayor has to make hard decisions to figure out how to overcome shortfalls. My issue is I had no idea or input on what plans would be offered or when. He waited until the 11th hour to implement a new plan. He's known he had to deal with this for months. This plan, whether anyone likes it or not, is better than most of the insurance our taxpayers are paying out of pocket. No one said the Mayor couldn't ask the concil for relief from the riverboat cap. I just don't like the fact that we were back doored and pushed into a corner like it's the council's fault so that he (the Mayor) doesn't have to take ownership. He'd rather push it on us. Cool with me. We will just deal with it, like we always do. Some of you may or may not like my comments but it is what it is, I don't have a reason to grandstand politically since I'm not running again.

Our workshop is this Tuesday at 6:30pm at the CIty Hall. I guess we'll all find out what investigation was done on making the decision on these particular plans and why it happened so late in the year.
Angie

RedDevil, welcome back. I did not even hear you say anything about the mayor making the hard decision. What caught my attention was when the guy next to you said "the mayor did not make the hard decisions of firing people". To cut a million bucks from the budget, that is a lot of people loosing jobs. In fact kudos to you for attempting to get the insurance information. So that you could at least have the knowledge of what was going on.

P.S. Angie was one of only two council members with enough concern to even attemt to get the information before the meeting.
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edgeywood
post Nov 19 2010, 07:53 AM
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QUOTE(lovethiscity @ Nov 17 2010, 10:30 PM) *

The grandstanding council members loved the press when they forced the cuts in riverboat money spending. They were told what the result would be over a year ago. They could not see past the resolution and veto override. Wow, I can not believe I am supporting Oberlie and Milsap here, but they were the only two that acted responsibly on this issue.


In the past, the Mayor repeatedly stated that Riverboat Money should not be used for operational expenses. Its only recently that he's changed his tune.


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Southsider2k12
post Nov 19 2010, 08:16 AM
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QUOTE(lovethiscity @ Nov 17 2010, 10:30 PM) *

All the Council Representatives that said last night, they had no idea the insurance costs for city workers were going up dramatically need to resign. To blame Oberlie for not making the tough decision of terminating or laying off $1,000,000 worth of city workers is ridiculous. He made the tough choice of digging into their pockets without adding to the extreme unemployment rate. The grandstanding council members loved the press when they forced the cuts in riverboat money spending. They were told what the result would be over a year ago. They could not see past the resolution and veto override. Wow, I can not believe I am supporting Oberlie and Milsap here, but they were the only two that acted responsibly on this issue.



The irony is that this is the exact same thing as the property tax caps from an economic sense.
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MichiganCityDDS
post Nov 19 2010, 09:16 AM
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Bob McKee [I think it was he, maybe Jankowski?] at the Council meeting, "I wonder how many of the [attendees of the meeting] voted for the property tax cap?"


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Southsider2k12
post Nov 19 2010, 10:29 AM
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QUOTE(MichiganCityDDS @ Nov 19 2010, 09:16 AM) *

Bob McKee [I think it was he, maybe Jankowski?] at the Council meeting, "I wonder how many of the [attendees of the meeting] voted for the property tax cap?"


I know McKee mentioned a mayoral run in the midst of all of the Sanitary District mess, but with a couple of his recent statements, hopefully he reconsiders. He is burning a lot of bridges.
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edgeywood
post Nov 19 2010, 02:53 PM
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QUOTE(MichiganCityDDS @ Nov 19 2010, 09:16 AM) *

Bob McKee [I think it was he, maybe Jankowski?] at the Council meeting, "I wonder how many of the [attendees of the meeting] voted for the property tax cap?"


It was Pat Boy.
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lovethiscity
post Nov 19 2010, 11:09 PM
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QUOTE(edgeywood @ Nov 19 2010, 07:53 AM) *

In the past, the Mayor repeatedly stated that Riverboat Money should not be used for operational expenses. Its only recently that he's changed his tune.

Shows that what he says and does are not very compatible. As Controller under Brillson the spending of the gaming tax was started and has remained the same since the boat opened. The "Gaming" tax revenue is spent as followed.
1. Police and Fire pention fund
2. City employee health care (including a rainy day reserve)
3. MCSD sewer projects
4. There is no four after one two and three there is nothing left.
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