Jasper Mayoral Forum Part 2

The final segment of the mayoral forum consisted of a selection of questions submitted by the audience and via Facebook that were then posed to both candidates as they sat on the stage together.

First up was Burger, asked to rate the quality of Jasper’s infrastructure. His feeling was that the city’s road quality was good, though communication would need to be improved with INDOT to help ensure the state roads were well kept.

Seitz felt much the same way, though he went on to stress that good infrastructure means much more than roads, encompassing storm water drainage issues and Wi-Fi access for the public and city departments, both of which are matters he feels need urgent attention.

The candidates were next asked what the city and mayor might do to reach out to the growing population of Latinos and other minorities in Jasper. Seitz announced that he has been working with a Hispanic Jasper resident and owner of Los Bravos restaurant, Martin Loya, who is a member of the team Seitz assembled to help study and market Jasper. Seitz feels that having Loya as part of his team has given him valuable insight into the local Latino community. Seitz also stated that the Hometown Competitiveness project’s pillar of “Inclusiveness”  is a good start on finding ways to give local Latinos more of a voice in the community and government.

Burger likewise expressed an eagerness to engage the Latino community while working to ensure they have adequate representation in city affairs.

Requesting that they do so without explicitly criticizing previous administrations, the candidates were asked to explain what they would do differently than past mayors. After thanking Mayor Schmitt for his service, Burger listed a number of things, including turning over more dispatch duties to the county and requesting greater contributions from the county for things like the Habig Center.

Seitz stated his emphasis would be on looking at city employees in a different way, recognizing that many departments are well-trained but might be lacking in leadership. He stressed the importance of both making sure city employees are in the right positions and getting the most from taxpayer dollars.

Public transportation was the next topic raised. According to his feedback from the public, Seitz felt that a large majority of Jasper residents are simply uninterested in the current public transport offerings in the city. He claimed an openness to future expansion of public transport, but only at such a time as the populace would seem to support spending their tax dollars on such programs. He further stated that while a taxi service might be feasible, it would probably best be offered from a private company, rather than funded by the city.

Burger took somewhat of an opposing stance, arguing that the current usage to expense ratio for the current public transport indicated to him that it was a good value. He felt that expansion of public transport would be a good aid to economic development, but that he also understood citizens’ concerns over the higher property taxes this might entail.

When asked how they might modify current city staff positions and functions, neither candidate was willing to go into many specifics, claiming it would be premature to discuss this topic in depth until taking office. Both expressed an intention to review all city departments upon taking office, and Seitz mentioned that he has already been speaking with the heads of the departments to get an idea of what changes they would like to see implemented under a new administration.

The candidates were then asked how they would support the arts in Jasper. Seitz claimed pride in the fact that Jasper has the only municipal arts department in the Midwest, stating he would be willing to discuss any publicly supported options to expand.

Burger strongly agreed, going on to claim that he felt that expanding the arts was a key factor in slowing the “brain drain” of Jasper’s educated citizens moving away.

Next, the candidates were asked to provide a plan for diversifying Jasper’s employer base. Burger stated that the city has “had all its eggs in one basket” for too long, placing emphasis on the tried-and-true wood manufacturing industry while perhaps not showing enough interest in expansion into other job fields. He feels that the hospital and VUJC advanced manufacturing center are only two of many options for diversifying Jasper’s labor.

Seitz agreed that Jasper must overcome a fear that new businesses will drive out or harm the existing ones. He said there is a growing will among the Jasper business community to embrace new industries even if it means increased competition. He cited both the biotech industry and defense industry opportunities through Crane Naval Base as promising sources of future jobs.

When asked about their opinion on the city’s recently approved business tax abatements, both candidates showed support. Burger, however, felt that any implementation of employee income tax abatements must include restrictions as to how the employer could spend that money. His hope was that the funds could only be used to bolster the company and reward employees.

In response, Seitz argued that he had no problem with the abatement money being spent however the employer chose, since they could only obtain the funds in the first place as a reward for fulfilling their role as a job-creator.

Finally, the candidates were asked to state what qualities they admired in one another. Seitz spoke of his past professional work with Burger during the latter’s tenure as president of county commissioners, and insisted that he did not think of Burger as an opponent he was running against. Seitz’s feeling was that they were simply both good men who wished to serve Jasper.

When Burger’s turn to speak came, he expressed a similar feeling of respect, further commending Seitz on his willingness to face the challenge and scrutiny of running for a public office for the first time.

The evening concluded with opening statements from both men. Burger thanked the audience, his family, and the forum’s hosts. “I may not be a smooth-talker, but I am a hard-worker,” Burger said, claiming he always speaks from the heart and would do his best to make Jasper’s residents even more proud of their city.

Seitz recounted how he had kicked-off his own campaign at the local business Azura, where he claimed it was his desire to have fun with his mayoral run, a fun he feels is rooted in enduring optimism. Seitz emphatically declared his belief that “Jasper’s best days are yet to come.”