Last Updated on August 30, 2015 by cassnetwork
Cass County Communication Network welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. The following Guest Column was submitted by Terry Doran, Democrat candidate for Logansport City Council At Large on August 28, 2015.
I had been asked and considered running for a public office for a number of years and finally decided to do so. As is often the case the picture is different when you are actually in it. I was recently asked to attend a candidate’s forum hosted by the Realtors Association of Central Indiana. It began cordially and ended very contentiously which was no fault of the organizers.
The following evening I attended a public comprehensive plan meeting in the city building and was berated by an old family friend which didn’t totally surprise but did disappoint me.
I had decided at the start that I would do my best not to sling mud during this campaign and I continue to hold to that. There are obviously things that each of us running for office could say about one another but it serves no purpose and solves no problems. I think people have heard enough of it. I will say that this has gone on now for 4 election cycles and in my opinion there is a single common denominator. Our mayor is a very polarizing figure both for and against. That isn’t to say that he is solely to blame, only that he creates passion from both sides.
What I would ask, and probably won’t get in the last 70 or so, days is civility. I wish when any of us is asked a question that we would simply answer the question and not scream or accuse as part of our response. I ask that we respond with facts, not speculation. Please don’t tell me about thousands of dollars in economic development and hundreds of jobs that don’t yet and may never exist. Tout things like the movie theatre which frankly has done much better than I had imagined. But in doing so thank Kevin Burkett as well for coming home to save the old State Theatre, which in my opinion wasn’t treated fairly in the transition.
And lastly, I would ask the mayor and our current city council to please stop. Stop spending. Stop racing to finish projects just to say we’ve accomplished something before an election. I along with former park superintendent Jan Fawley am on record for nearly a decade pushing for a remedy to our pool problem. I appreciate all the volunteer time and effort, including yours, but frankly it seems harried after so little for so long.
Last week Mayor Franklin promised to have the power plant issue resolved before the election. I think that he believes he is doing what is best for our city. Some of us have doubts, so I am asking that you let voters decide. Please don’t commit us to a project that might not be in our best interest. Two months from now the citizens of Logansport will either re-elect the current council as well as the mayor or they won’t. That is the time when we will all know if the majority of voters in our city agree with you or not. I think as tax paying voting citizens they’ve earned that right.