The Fifth District, by all accounts, is the smallest of the six City Council districts. It is also, perhaps, the single most stable district in the city. You can't say that people have moved out. And the city has not grown over the past 20 years.
That means that the small size of the Fifth is part of a design. Is (was) its size part of an incumbent-protection racket? An objective observer would have to say yes.
At the relevant times (1992 and 2002), who were the incumbents in that geographical area? We know Larry Kochert (nominally a Democrat) was one of them. A Republican represented District 5 until 2004, and the man who represented it when it came time to redraw those districts was Dick Bliss, the Republican nominee this year.
Bliss, who lost his seat to the dynamic Beverly Crump in 2003, has questions to answer. What deal was cut to protect Kochert from the natural consequences of moving him into the Fifth? And what protection was offered in exchange? Bliss's failure to insist on fair districts is a failure that requires a defense.
Bliss, as a businessman and investor, has added greatly to the community. His family's travel agency and the recently acquired and renovated Calumet Club are small treasures for New Albany.
As a man, Bliss remains approachable and resolute in his opinions. He is thoughtful and if not progressive, at least in favor of progress (and there is a difference). It is important for Bliss to tell us his philosophical views regarding the role of government in achieving that progress. It's easy to suspect that Mr. Bliss thinks that government should step aside and let businesses do what it is they do and government do what it is they do.
That's pretty simplistic. It leads to unregulated commercial properties, lenient zoning, and the demolition of buildings that "get in the way." Conversely, it restricts government to building jails and paying cops. Under Bliss's watch, a lot of money was spent, but little of it was targeted to improving the prospects of the city. Yes, a jail was built. Yes, police and fire payrolls grew as a percentage of the city budget. What we want to know is if Dick Bliss "gets it." Will he support public investment over public spending (and there is a difference)?
On first blush, Bliss seems to be a nice guy who is rational and reasonable. His political philosophy may well be inconsistent with rejuvenating New Albany, or even with preserving what we have. On the other hand, he has put his money into the city and chosen to live and invest in its core communities. His personal integrity has not been questioned.
So a decision on Bliss comes down to politics. Are his politics something New Albany can live with? Does he represent his district? Can he represent the best interests of the city as a whole? Has the contribution made by his generation of public servants created confidence, or has it disqualified all who served in the 90s?
In short, the answer to the title question is "yes." D5 is a tough choice.
In that the writer is "shadowna5," I ought to have a decision made already.
Yet, I don't.
So what is the alternative to Dick Bliss? First-time candidate Diane McCartin Benedetti ran unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination. Friends tell me she is a nice woman, a soccer mom. Others tell me she, rightfully, loves and admires her brother, Gary "The Gary" McCartin, and relies on his advice and judgment.
While people I admire also appreciate the "contributions" the McCartin family has made to our community, the recent evidence is that the developer and his family, both as public servants and as supplicants to government, just don't get it. It would be difficult to expect Benedetti to renounce "the devil and all his works," and yet I'm not yet ready to write her off.
Fortunately, both Bliss and Benedetti have opportunities remaining to sway voters. Public forums remain. There is still time to ask and answer questions.
Here will be the defining question:
Mrs. Benedetti, do you agree with your brother that investing in downtown is a sucker's game? Do you believe that "hoping" for private investment in the city's urban core is nutso and that downtown is dead?
Mr. Bliss, do you agree with your party chairman, who said publicly that the Democrats have "saddled" us with Scribner Place? Is the only proper role of government the demolition of existing buildings so that existing businesses can have more parking?
Right now, I think I know the answers. I pray that what I think is untrue. While it can be argued that abstaining is foolish, and while a write-in vote at this late date is the same as abstaining, every voter has to live with herself.
Give me someone to vote for. Please.
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3 comments:
For what it's worth, the GOP chairman denied the "saddled" quote when I asked him directly.
NAC, it's worth something. I'll acknowledge that I haven't heard the charge of "saddling" repeated.
Interesting that the Scribner Place project was an Overton superlative, and yet we hear reliable reports that the Greenville Gremlin finds it, in knee-jerk fashion, to be a reputable political charge to slam the project.
I will concede that I haven't heard or read of any GOP candidates specifically challenging the Scribner Place project, the YMCA, and the New Albany Aquatic Center.
That's pretty much a "Democrat" bugaboo. Kochert, Price, Schmidt, and Coffey are its opponents.
It's just that I was surprised to see it as a Republican attack point. Talk about Swiftboating!
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