Mayoral Debate
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
After witnessing the mayoral debate hosted by the Times-Union Tuesday evening at the Wagon Wheel Theatre, I was reminded why I started attending Warsaw City Council meetings back in 1991: They were entertainment to me.
If, according to the 2010 US Census, the official population of Warsaw is 13,559, and 91.3 percent of that population is legal voting age, over 12,200 possible voters missed an informative, sometimes entertaining, discussion on a fraction of the issues facing Warsaw. But the issues discussed are the ones currently in the public’s eye.
With you, Gary Gerard, managing editor of the Times-Union, acting as the moderator, you allowed the “rebuttals” to other candidates’ comments be an open discussion, breaking with the tradition of the other debates that preceded it this primary election season. Kudos to you and your management of this “debate”. I truly enjoyed it and it helped me make my decision on who I will vote come May 3rd.
But one fact was glaring at the debate: the lack of attendance by the voting public. I have seen this in my 20 years of sporadic city council meeting attendance, the public only shows up when they are upset at something in the community or the decisions the city’s managers make.
I encourage the voting public to attend these public meetings. It is your opportunity to voice not only your concerns, but your ideas for improvement to our community. Even little things, like new “Welcome to Warsaw” signs at the entries to our community to reflect the pride that we have here, are ideas that need to be brought forth for action with our tax dollars. Thanks to Marcia Anderson, local Realtor, for submitting this "minor" idea.
It is the elected official’s duty to manage the city with what the voters want. How will they know unless you show up at their public meetings and voice you mind. Warsaw is all of us, not just a few who we elected and then never got around to say, “do this for us.”
Bruce Woodward
Warsaw, via e-mail
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After witnessing the mayoral debate hosted by the Times-Union Tuesday evening at the Wagon Wheel Theatre, I was reminded why I started attending Warsaw City Council meetings back in 1991: They were entertainment to me.
If, according to the 2010 US Census, the official population of Warsaw is 13,559, and 91.3 percent of that population is legal voting age, over 12,200 possible voters missed an informative, sometimes entertaining, discussion on a fraction of the issues facing Warsaw. But the issues discussed are the ones currently in the public’s eye.
With you, Gary Gerard, managing editor of the Times-Union, acting as the moderator, you allowed the “rebuttals” to other candidates’ comments be an open discussion, breaking with the tradition of the other debates that preceded it this primary election season. Kudos to you and your management of this “debate”. I truly enjoyed it and it helped me make my decision on who I will vote come May 3rd.
But one fact was glaring at the debate: the lack of attendance by the voting public. I have seen this in my 20 years of sporadic city council meeting attendance, the public only shows up when they are upset at something in the community or the decisions the city’s managers make.
I encourage the voting public to attend these public meetings. It is your opportunity to voice not only your concerns, but your ideas for improvement to our community. Even little things, like new “Welcome to Warsaw” signs at the entries to our community to reflect the pride that we have here, are ideas that need to be brought forth for action with our tax dollars. Thanks to Marcia Anderson, local Realtor, for submitting this "minor" idea.
It is the elected official’s duty to manage the city with what the voters want. How will they know unless you show up at their public meetings and voice you mind. Warsaw is all of us, not just a few who we elected and then never got around to say, “do this for us.”
Bruce Woodward
Warsaw, via e-mail
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