Audio portions of the press conference today can be listened to below. It was a rather windy day outside, so we apologize for wind noise on the recordings.
Nelson Peters calls for referendum on Harrison Square
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/17087075.htm
Peters: Amend state law to allow Harrison Square vote
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/17087784.htm
Peters seeks public referendum on Harrison Square
Delay request stymies city talks, developer plans
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/17090102.htm
16 comments:
Very disappointed in Nelson. I thought he was for the project?? Sorry though Nelson, we can't wait til November because by that time the Hardball money will be LONG GONE.
Just listened to the audio - good job, guys. Wow, was that painful to listen to. What's the definition of pandering and indecision, anyway?! I can't imagine how even his ardent supporters (assuming there are some out there) won't be embarrassed by this. At least Kelty shoots straight (on this issue, at least).
Very disappointing. Push it through Graham.
Scott,
I agree. I am probably speaking as a slim minority here but I really think this may hurt Nelson more than it helps. Although I disagree with much of Kelty's positions (which is a shame, because I really like his passion), Kelty is at-least not a moving target.
Dave C.
What the heck does Peters mean that the public hasn't had input?! I don't know whether he was at the meeting at the Library a few weeks ago in which the majority of the room favored the project, but he was at the meeting at Good Shepherd which also showed a majority of those present in favor. In fact, he stood next to me in the back of the room for a short time.
Maybe he was on his way out the door since he didn't like what he was hearing...I didn't pay attention to see if he stayed for the entire meeting or not. In any event, being disappointed in his actions today is an understatement. He seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth. Let's hope for a positive outcome at City Council tomorrow night and hope they ignore what Peters did today.
Tim
Tim, Peters was also at the IPFW event.
David,
I agree - I think this will definitely hurt Nelson - or at least it should. It has definitely cost him my support.
"Neither of these actions should be construed to paint my position in a particular light with respect to support - or non-support - of a particular project.."
Well, now that is cleared up! I think he waffled enough there..
My favorite quote:
Nelson: "[ this delay ] provides the opportunity for other people to come to the table with other ideas, and with more money"
Incredulous voice: "But.. no one has done that."
Somehow I doubt the result of delaying until November will be throngs of capital investment firms showing up to Fort Wayne looking to invest in downtown..
Jeff C.
Can you say Dukakis moment?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Dukakis#Public_relations_failure
ummm I thought it was CRED, not CREED??
Depends on if you include the lower-case "e" from Revitalization
As Sam and Barranda pointed out in the other comment section, I myself was both surprised and disappointed by this announcement, but all of the proponents have to sit back a second and tell themselves that by not voting for Nelson, we would be opening the doors for Matt to be elected....clearly something any proponent of progress does not want to see. Sure it is OK to be upset, but it is crucial to continue to support Nelson considering he is a much more qualified candidate.
Adam W
Maybe Sam, Tim Pape, and Graham should write an opposing letter and send it to Borror and Long. And also send it to Win Moses, Phil Giaquinta, and Tom Wyss! Bottom line though we CANNOT afford to wait til November on this...
Peters reputation has always been that he has no [fill in the blank with some sort of spherical reference]. He tends to cave on major issues as soon as the heat turns up. Back when Talarico and others were talking about consolidation, Peters ended up running away wimpering like a scared puppy and now this.
A follow up to Anonymous 7:09-
Not only did Peter's run away from the consolidation issue (keep in mind, by the way, he previously drew a diagram of how consolidated government should look), he has shown a propensity of avoiding tough issues:
Smoking ban- allowed cities to opt-out.
FWCS building plan- served on the committee, but "excused himself" before the vote
Harrison Square-
He is the definition of "flip-flopper".
Cleary, the poll results that Kelty released last week have scared Nelson- and he is looking, once again, for middle ground.
Oh, and I should have added-
If the state agrees to extend the CREED credit for Fort Wayne, they would have to do the same for the rest of the state.
Otherwise, it is "special legislation" and is therefore unconstitutional under Indiana Law.
So his whole press conference was really just to earn some free media and make it look like he was doing "something"
This is not the kind of thing we
should put up for vote to general public. It is a very complex proses. Most people do not take the time to look at all aspects of the project. That is why we elect representatives to do this for us. Nelson put his support for H.S. based on his research. Now he is flip flopping because of this pole. Wouldn't it have served him better to have a news conference to explain his support of H.S. A missed chance to show leadership on
Nelson's part.
Ken L.
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