A shining city

GOP mayoral candidate shares his vision

Tim Smith

I’m frequently asked, “Why do you want to be mayor?” The answer is simple: I want to be mayor because I, along with my family, friends, colleagues, and almost everyone I have met on this journey, expect more for Fort Wayne.

Our city has a great foundation, but we can be so much more. I love this community and want my children and grandchildren to benefit from more opportunities and a better quality of life than my wife, Angie, and I have experienced in Fort Wayne.

Downtown Fort Wayne has come a long way but, citywide, we can do better. Since becoming mayor, Tom Henry has increased our debt by 230%, a remarkable fact given that he added a wheel tax and property taxes have increased 56%. Henry continues to take more of your money, while wages in Fort Wayne remain lower than the national and state averages.

But not only has the Henry administration failed to improve our economic prosperity, Fort Wayne has become less safe. During the time Tom Henry has been mayor, violent crime has increased 17%, while nationally it has decreased 20%. Under Henry’s administration, the city has twice set the record for homicides in a single year, and today there remain more than 350 unsolved murders.

I don’t want you to merely feel safe in every part of our city; I want you to actually be safe. I want every child free from harm while walking to, and learning in, school. I want you to personally know your police officers, believing your neighborhood-assigned officers will help keep you safe. I want you to benefit from more officers working the streets where you live and work, deterring criminals and encouraging freedom.

I want our children to achieve the highest level education they desire (whether college, trade school or apprenticeship) and, once they do, to remain in Fort Wayne. I will work with schools and businesses to connect students with the training and high-paying jobs they need to provide a better life right here.

I want you to earn more money. I want every Fort Wayne resident to benefit from more employment options that offer substantially higher-paying jobs. I want you to benefit from a more efficient and better managed Fort Wayne city government. I want you to enjoy and benefit from the best services (trash, water, sewer, permitting, roads, sidewalks, alleys, parks, etc.) that any city can offer.

These are not unattainable dreams. No, these ideas are achievable when we all expect more from local government. I have a plan to make Fort Wayne the safest, smartest and most prosperous city in the Midwest, and I look forward to sharing this plan with you between now and Election Day, Nov. 5.

I’m running for mayor because I want to apply what I’ve learned in business the past 25 years to make government work for you. Having helped lead one of Fort Wayne’s most successful businesses, I am uniquely positioned to advance Fort Wayne so everyone can expect more. For years I have expected more out of myself, my employer and our city government. Now it’s time to leverage my business and educational experiences – and love of Fort Wayne – to improve every life in Fort Wayne.

Will you please join me in making Fort Wayne the safest, smartest and most prosperous city in the Midwest? Together, we can do it. Together, we can make it more likely that our children and grandchildren will live and thrive right here with us in our great community.