Election '08: Vigo County Council

Crystal Garcia
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE October 06, 2008 11:21 pm

— Budget shortfalls and increasing jobs are the two issues of the election for the six candidates vying for three Vigo County Council at-large seats available.
Two incumbents, Democrat Mark Bird and Republican Mike Morris, are facing off against four challengers: Democrats William C. “Bill” Bryan and Ed Ping, and Republicans Tim Hennessy and Angela Miller-Treadway.
“With the reduced revenues, there’s a couple of things you can do,” said Morris, 57, “you can either raise taxes or you can reduce services that the county provides.”
Morris cited survey results that revealed constituents would rather reduce services than raise taxes. Having experienced three budget cycles, he believes necessary changes to the budget can be made with the help of other councilmen, he said.
“I’m just one of seven, so it’s going to have to be a consensus,” he said.
Bird, 55, echoed those statements, noting that he is against raising taxes.
“… So right now, the plan that I foresee is to try to decrease county government and make it more efficient,” he said.
All the candidates mentioned budget cuts could come through attrition or not replacing people when they quit or retire. No one was in favor of creating a new tax or raising an existing tax.
“… I’m sure the council can come together and find fiscally responsible ways to weather this current crisis without putting further burden on the taxpayers of Vigo County,” said Hennessy, 30.
Miller-Treadway, 39, believes there are cuts that can be made if the budget is scrutinized enough.
“… They may not be cuts that make people happy, but there’s a difference between a need and a want,” she said.
Another solution Miller-Treadway offered was finding new, creative and inventive ways to create money such as investing or finding another way to “help grow the money we already have,” she said.
She, Morris and Bryan all spoke about combining departments are city and county offices such as what is already being done with the weights and measures office.
“City and county cooperation seems like the sensible thing to do when you talk about it,” Morris said, “but it’s harder to implement … it makes sense, but it takes some work and some negotiations to get it worked out, to get it hammered out.”
With combining departments, Miller-Treadway said other things could be cut such as vehicles instead of jobs.
“I just feel like with everything and the way the economy is, honestly, to cut somebody’s job is just a really bad situation …,” she said.
Ping, 58, agreed cutting jobs would make a bad situation worse and added, “If you do away with any jobs and you think that’s the solution, that is not the solution because you’re just robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Growing the economy
When it comes to enticing employers to locate in Vigo County, candidates agree they can’t do it alone.
“My number-one priority on the council is working with Steve Witt to bring jobs, economic growth into Vigo County,” said Bryan, 67, noting that he also would like to use EDIT money to bring jobs in by offering tax abatements and working with the state for additional funding.
Morris also wants to use EDIT money as incentives, and tax abatements were also brought up by Miller-Treadway, who added that accountability would have to be a factor as well.
Another thing the council could do, Miller-Treadway said, is approve budgeting for roads, sidewalks and other things that would make the county look more appealing to businesses.
“… I think if we are making good choices with what we approve, that can in turn make our county more appealing and more of a place that businesses [will] want to come,” she said. “If we have good roads, if we have nice sidewalks, if we look appealing, then I would think that would help.”
Focusing on helping existing small businesses rather than just trying to get large industry to locate in Vigo County is a task Ping and Hennessy believe needs to be focused on also.
“There are over 5,000 small businesses in Vigo County,” Hennessy said. “If we could incentive-ize a way to allow them to hire just one more person, imagine what that could do for our economy, 5,000 more jobs if we could find a way to allow local businesses to hire one more person.”
He said he would work with county commissioners, local school board members and local higher education institutions to “come up with real, common-sense ways to train our work force and incentive-ize businesses to stay here and locate here.”
Small businesses’ success rate could be used as a marketing tool for other businesses, Ping said.
“I welcome 100 new small businesses just as well as one large business,” he said. “But they need to be good, living-wage jobs.”
Other concerns
Cleanup still continues from the flooding suffered by Vigo County and the Wabash Valley residents in June.
Both Morris and Hennessy want to focus on making sure cleanup happens in a timely manner despite budget concerns.
“Obviously we’re going to be down on revenue, so we’re going to be stretched as far as we possibly can to try to make these repairs,” Morris said. “And it’s just a matter of working through them step by step, and I’ve already been helping with some of those things and it’s a combination of tolerance from the community.”
Hennessy also voiced concerns over the 641 bypass project, noting that he would like to see it completed without delays and within budget. He also wants to get involved with the information technology committee, if elected, “to bring a younger perspective, a more technological-savvy perspective to ways of making county government more efficient,” he said.
Like Hennessy, Bird also wants to see the 641 bypass project completed as well as the Canal Road project, he said.
Another issue Bryan wants to address is the problem of jail overcrowding because the county loses money every day that it has to ship inmates to other counties because there’s no room for them in the Vigo County jail, he said.
Neither Ping or Miller-Treadway voiced any other concerns, as their primary focus will be on the budget and bringing jobs to the county.
Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.

WHAT WOULD THEY HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
A former Vigo County commissioner and three others who have run for public office whether it was for county, city or school board, are challenging a Republican and Democratic incumbent for one of three seats for County Council at large.
Incumbents Mark Bird, Democrat, and Mike Morris, Republican, were asked what they helped accomplish during their terms while challengers Tim Hennessy and Angela Miller-Treadway, Republicans, and William C. “Bill” Bryan and Ed Ping, Democrats, were asked what they would have done differently from the last term.

Incumbents
Bird: “I think my accomplishments are just being able to listen to both Democrats and Republicans and try to do what I feel is right for the whole county …,” he said.
His number-one goal when elected, was “to take care of employees,” about whom he said the council was able to give good raises over the past three years.

Morris: With the help of the county Sheriff’s Department, Morris said, he was able to help with the new combined dispatch system, which covers city and county fire as well as the city police and Sheriff’s Department.

Challengers
Hennessy: He said he would have worked with the Airport Authority Board more to maintain and keep the tower.
“Really work with the airport board to make that profitable again and successful …,” Hennessy said.

Miller-Treadway: “When a budget is submitted, that’s what I would make them stick to …” she said, noting that she understands emergencies occur and that she would be willing to work with those, but otherwise it would be a “too-bad-for-you situation.”

Bryan: “I think I would have stood firm on the resolution of a hiring freeze,” he said, noting that it was “recanted” when different departments needed someone. “… I think they should have stood their ground and initiated freeze again, knowing that a financial crunch is coming.”

Ping: He stressed achieving a better understanding of the community.
“… This community, this is their community,” he said. “It’s my community also, but it’s ours and just one person can’t get all of this done, but if I get a spot on the County Council, we all have to work together …”

Candidate bios
Six people are vying for three seats as a Vigo County Council member at large. Two are incumbents and a third is a former county commissioner. The other three candidates aren’t new to politics, having run for various other offices among the city, county and school board.
The seven-member County Council is Vigo County’s fiscal decision-making body. Members of the council serve four-year terms and were paid between $11,700 and $12,051 in 2007, according to the Vigo County Taxpayers Association.

Republicans (* denotes
incumbents)
Tim Hennessy
Age: 30
Education: Graduated from Indiana State University in 2002 with a communications major and political science and theater minors.
Experience: Worked in various positions at WTWO for the past 11 years, but is currently a media manager for WTWO and mywabashvalley.com. Member of the Pachyderm Club, the Greater Terre Haute NAACP and former member of the Historical Society. Worked on four past campaigns, ran for school board in 2002.
Family: Married three years with a stepson.

Angela Miller-Treadway
Age: 39
Education: Pursuing an English major at Indiana State University.
Experience: A stay-at-home mother, she currently leads the children’s ministry at New Life Fellowship. Former director of the nursery New Life Fellowship, and former administrator of Little Life Daycare. Received more than 5,700 votes when ran for the Terre Haute City Council last year.
Family: Married 14 years with three children.

Mike Morris*
Age: 57
Education: Attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Indiana State University for about two years.
Experience: Elected to an at-large seat in 2004, Morris has been involved with Morris Trucking business for 35 years. Served on several committees and boards over the years. Four years as president of the Wabash Valley Road Runners Club, which has more than 400 members.
Family: Married 37 years with three children.
Democrats
Mark D. Bird*
Age: 55
Education: Graduate degree in business from Oakland City College.
Experience: Weights and measures inspector for eight years and Terre Haute building inspector for 31/2 years. Currently serves as an at-large member of the County Council. Previously served on the school board for Springs Valley Community School Corp. for 61/2 years, spent four years on the Glenn Center board of directors, and was appointed to the 911 board in Terre Haute. Current chairman of budget committee and served on the personnel committee. Past chairman of the budget adjustment committee.
Family: Married for 25 years with two children.

William C. “Bill” Bryan
Age: 67
Education: Graduated from Valley High School in West Terre Haute and attended University of Houston, but did not receive a degree.
Experience: Served as a Vigo County Commissioner from 1999 to 2007. Was self-employed owner of Riley Custom Meat Processing. Currently works as a sales consultant for bridge contractor CLR in 28 counties. Member of the Riley F&AM Lodge No. 390, Wabash Valley Scottish Rite, Shrine, Wabash Valley Fair Association and Kerman Grotto. Board member for the West Terre Haute Community Center and Wabash Valley Sports Center.
Family: Married for 49 years with four children and seven grandchildren.

Ed Ping
Age: 58
Education: Graduated from Rosedale High School and received continuing education, including labor training law, through labor union education programs.
Experience: Re-elected as union president at Wabash Fiber Box for 20 years. Former president of the Wabash Valley Central Labor Council. At age 30, he was the youngest union president at Wabash Fiber Box. Former program facilitator and fundraiser for the United Way of the Wabash Valley. Currently serves as a community service liaison for labor unions. Ran for state Senate in 2002; ran for County Council at-large four years ago, receiving nearly 4,000 votes.
Family: Married 32 years with two children.