Thursday, May 17, 2007

Candidate Update

Kelty won’t change stripes to woo voters
But will more moderate Republicans support his mayoral platform?
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/17239854.htm

"Backed by few prominent Republicans, Kelty did just that in the primary when he opposed the $125 million-$160 million Harrison Square project, which is supported by many leading members of both political parties and the business community.

Kelty, however, said it’s unfair to define him only by what he opposes. “There’s no better way to demonstrate what you’re for than to say what you’re against,” said Kelty, under whose free-market philosophy government creates jobs by providing infrastructure, public safety, low taxes and as few regulations as possible – not by offering multimillion-dollar incentives.

“Harrison Square isn’t an example of leadership. It’s tyranny,” Kelty said, alluding to polls indicating a lack of public support for the project, which includes a stadium, hotel, shops and condominiums. “I see the potential to transform this city, to present it as the best place in the country to own a business, and hopefully that inspires people. We’re in the process of building a movement.”"

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the type of stuff that causes some to have such a dislike of Kelty. When he describes Nelson Peters as his "dear friend", does he think we are all fools? Nelson has done what he is required to do when you lose. Gracefully bow and throw your support to the other guy. His support has nothing to do with friendship or dear frienship.

I hate this type of fake rhetoric that Kelty throws about.

Good luck to Kelty raising the money needs when he continues to stick it to the group of business leaders (or tyrants) that pushed the H. Square development.

This guy will be lucky to raise 250,000 let alone the 600,000 it will take to win.

Chris W.

Jeff Pruitt said...

tyranny?

That's obviously a poor choice of words. I think the voters will continue to see Kelty make silly statements like this...

scott spaulding said...

So, Jeff, as a Democrat against Harrison Square, who will you be voting for?

For that matter, why should Republicans for Harrison Square vote for Kelty?

Anonymous said...

Chris W.

Your constant commentary upon matter of which you know little or nothing is endlessly amusing.

You know nothing of the conversations between Matt and Nelson before, during or after the campaign. You know nothing of their relationship. You apparently know little or nothing of either man, since it is beyond your ability to consider the possibility of two fine men who are capable of being competitors without being adversaries, and of disagreeing without being disagreeable.

Fort Wayne was fortunate to have a hotly contested mayoral primary conducted with a focus upon issues, ideas and experience, and free of the coarse, non-productive rhetoric that you so readily spout.

Anonymous said...

Anon, did I say they were staunch adversaries? Or did i just say that Kelty's "dear friend" reference is over the top BS. I doubt if the Kelty and Peters families are dining together as "dear" friends do. I guaranty that neither of them could tell you the names of the other one's kids! So, they are not dear friends, they probably are not friends. They are political acquaintances that are treating each other with the normal amount of respect given by opponents. If you buy into it, then maybe you are just not smart enough to understand this kind of stuff

Chris W.

Jeff Pruitt said...

Scott,

I never agree 100% with any candidate. Having said that, I will certainly be casting my vote for Tom Henry. For me it boils down to who I think has the ability to move this city in the right direction.

I think there's a REASON the entire Republican establishment lined up behind Peters. It's because Kelty isn't the right man for the job.

I think the more voters hear from Kelty the less likely they'll be to vote for him...

Anonymous said...

If the Dems had a candidate like Hayhurst, Pape, Richard, they would crush Kelty. However, the dems have made it a race by selecting Tom Henry to be their candidate. Henry comes across as surly and he has a very liberal record to run on.

Anonymous said...

I can't help but cringe when I hear Kelty talking about completely minimizing regulationg imposed on downtown development. Has the guy spent any time in downtown Fort Wayne? What we need is more regulations. Look at Indianapolis...much of what they have acoomplished regarding the cleaning up of their city has had to do with putting tough regulations on building projects, aethetically speaking. Kelty's call for fewer regulations will surely lead to more Wal-Marts, more nasty strip malls and more business that simply should not be downtown.

Anonymous said...

Kelty as mayor of Fort Wayne is a scary thought, plain and simple. I put my order in for a "Henry for Mayor" t-shirt this week and the yard sign will go back up this summer!

Tim

Anonymous said...

Change Fort Wayne is having a celebrity look alike contest for Matt Kelty. They failed to include a picture of that creepy guy that tried to take credit for the Jon Benet crime. I forget that guy's name, but I remember he had three names and gosh he looked like Kelty when he was on the news.

Anonymous said...

Surly? Tom Henry, SURLY? Have you ever talked with the man? How about pleasant, engaging, or even nice - but certainly not surly.

Maybe you are thinking of another Tom Henry, Anon 2:09.

Anonymous said...

I will stick with Surly.

Anonymous said...

The name of the guy that confessed in the Jon Benet case is John Mark Karr. And, now that you mention it, Kelty DOES look like him. Yikes!

Charlotte A. Weybright said...

Surly? You've got to be kidding. Look up the definition - I did. It means "bad-tempered and unfriendly."

Tom Henry is anything but bad-tempered and unfriendly. Apparently, anon hasn't been around Tom Henry.

And, Kelty's use of the word "tyranny" shows just how inaccurate and misleading he is in his use of words. Again, all you have to do is go to a good, old-fashioned dictionary and look up the meaning. It means the following:

1. government by a tyrannical ruler
2. oppressive or tyrannical use of power

Does he really believe that Mayor Richard is a tyrant? Mayor Richard led with the Harrison Square project, but City Council had the authority to approve or reject the project. And, if he is referring to City Council members as imposing tyranny, then he is even more off in his use of the word. City Council is composed of 9 members elected by the people and cannot exercise absolute authority as one person (obviously since 3 members voted against Harrison Square.)

Is he really comparing Mayor Richard or the City Council to the likes of Benito Mussolini, Mao Tse Tung, Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin, etc.?

Kelty no doubt will be misusing words in an attempt to galvanize those voters who do not take the time to learn about the candidates.

I also find it interesting that Kelty on one hand says he won't rely on trial balloons or opionion polls but prides himself on being on the "right side" of the Harrision Square issue as shown by the polls he consulted (info can be found on his website under his visions and action plans).

He also states in one of his Action Plans that "A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough." Hmm, wouldn't that sentence apply to the efforts of Mayor Richard to lead in establishing Harrison Square?

Kelty appears to want it both ways.

Anonymous said...

I know him. I will stick with surly and maybe a little pompous thrown in.

Anonymous said...

This may be just a rumor, but I have heard from a pretty good source that Kelty is going to have huge problems raising money from traditional republican donors. Apparently some of the big hitters are demanding that Kelty officially sever all ties to the mean spirited radical Angry White Boy who is intimately involved in Kelty's campaign. Many of them are repulsed by AWB's involvement and view AWB as an extension of the Kelty campaign. Also, apparently some of the supporters are demanding documentation to support that the $150,000 loaned by Kelty to the campaign actually originated from Kelty funds. They do not want to give to a campaign if there is a chance that the campaign could ultimately be embroiled in a moses type campaign finance scandal.

I have known of Tom Henry since I moved here from Ohio in 1985 and it just seems that he is quite a bit more mayoral to me.

Anonymous said...

Some of the big hitters? Oh, you must be talking about the Peters campaign people. Maybe they cannot get over the fact that the AWB web site provides facts to backup what they write about and that they may have influenced enough voters to tip the scales? All we see on this blog is hyperbole.

Maybe =you= are afraid that with the groundswell of support from us =little people= that he will actually win?

so you have known Henry all the years in was in city council? What is his great accomplishment while there besides letting the downtown rot away?

Anonymous said...

Well good luck to Kelty. Given that he will need to raise at least $750,000 ($600K for the race and 150K to pay his loan back), I would love to see how he expects to do this without STRONG support from Peters supporters and Harrison Square supporters. I think Kelty will have a hard time getting to $250,000 without finding a way to get these people on board.

Ed.

Shelby said...

Tobey,

I hope it is not too late for you.
AWB provides facts? I think in his distorted mind he may think of them as facts but in reality AWB is delusional. He needs help.

You think the scales were tipped? I agree- Kelty had the pro-lifers, smokers, citizens against Harrison Square, and Catholics on his side. The pro-lifers and Catholics had no business voting for a mayor if they thought being pro-life and catholic were the only qualifications needed to be Mayor of Fort Wayne. The smokers found a chain-smoking candidate (Kelty) that agreed with them that their rights were being violated even though they are too selfish to realize they are taking the rights of others away when they decide to blow smoke in the faces of others (including children). Those against Harrison Square are afraid of change and did not study the Harrison Square project to the full extent that they should have. Fort Wayne needs Harrison Square!

I will bet you a beer at the Deer Park Tavern and a basket of chicken wings at the Green Frog that Kelty back pedals and all of a sudden thinks Harrison Square isn't such a bad idea. He needs the support and the money of the "big hitters" and will do anything to get that support.

If the Republican “big hitters” that supported Mr. Peters in the campaign decide to back Kelty merely because he is Republican- they need to re-evaluate their true faith and commitment to the city of Fort Wayne. Kelty does not endorse Harrison Square which is a catalyst to the redevelopment of Fort Wayne. What else is he going to do to jeopardize the future of Fort Wayne?

I am very disappointed that Mr. Peters did not prevail in the primary and I can assure you that Tom Henry will get my vote.

Anonymous said...

I work with a lot of republicans. I have yet to find one that does not plan to support Tom Henry. Kelty has his work cut out for him. In addition, you can expect that Knuth and the dems will exploit Kelty's multitude of weaknesses in a way that Peters was unable to do. I am sure that Angry White Boy is already measuring drapes for his 9th floor deputy mayor office. Not so fast AWB.

Jeff Pruitt said...

Steve Shine will be pushing hard to get the donors to support Kelty as this is it for him. If he loses this one he's out as GOP chair - and rightfully so...

Anonymous said...

He should be out now for letting a loon like Kelty get the nomination. The only chance Shine has is the fact that Henry is an awful mayoral candidate.

Unknown said...

I supported Peters, and will now be supporting Henry in November. And, I know a lot of other republicans who will be doing the same.

Anonymous said...

I am still predicting that the campaign finance games kelty played will come back and bite him. Knowingly filing a false campaign finance report is a penalty. Where did the loan come from?

Anonymous said...

i meant to say... Knowingly filing a false campaign finance report is, i believe a felony.