Mayoral Candidates Debate Issues At Wagon WheelWith the May primary a week away, Warsaw mayoral candidates had one last public opportunity Tuesday night to pitch why they will be the next best mayor. Mayoral candidates Joe Thallemer, Kyle Babcock, Tony Miller and Michael Alspaugh answered questions submitted by the Times-Union and the public during a debate hosted by the Times-Union at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. The moderator for the debate was Times-Union General Manager Gary Gerard. The debate was aired live on WIOE 98.3. During the debate, each mayoral candidate had the opportunity to provide opening statements, answer questions and provide closing remarks. One of the questions of the evening was: Was the purchase of the National City Bank building a good decision by the city? Thallemer said, with the assessed value of more than $2.2 million, the city negotiated a purchase price of $1.3 million, which was just under $1 million below the assessed value. Thallemer said the city will not pay $5 million for the new bank building, as his opponent Babcock had previously stated. Babcock took issue to the comment and said, “I don’t know what the price is, no one knows. What’s the secret? I still haven’t seen documentation that the city has actually purchased the building.” Babcock said the building was not appraised for enough money, and the redevelopment commission decided to expand the Tax Increment Finance district, and he said the commission does not have to adhere to appraisal prices. Thallemer provided a rebuttal and said the city did not expand the TIF district, and said appraisals are down because there are not compatible sales. Miller said he felt the building purchase only benefitted the realtor who sold it. “You can’t make a rose out of a turd,” Miller said in reference to the city’s purchase of the former National City Bank building for a new city hall. Miller said the city needs a city hall, but said it needs to learn not to take the first offer that comes along. He said in today’s economy, appraisals don’t hold a lot of merit. He said a property is only worth what someone will pay for it. Alspaugh said he would have offered a lot less money for the building. He said he would take the bank building down and create a parking garage with free public parking and create a theater to revitalize the downtown. The candidates were asked what they would do if the city’s budget was cut by $2 million. Thallemer said $2 million is approximately 10 percent of the city budget. He said he would initially direct all departments to submit line-item budget cuts amounting to 15 percent of its budget. He would review the cuts with department heads and meet with the department heads to prioritize the cuts, and would consult with the clerk-treasurer to see what reserves are available. Babcock said government has been overspending and said he thinks $2 million could be cut from the city budget now. He said he would talk with department heads on their suggestions for cuts to their budgets. Alspaugh said a lot of the departments have been running the same way without new ideas, and he would go to every department and see what the budgets are and if things can be done more efficiently. Miller said to trim the city’s budget, he would first look at the fuel sales at the Warsaw City Airport. He said he proposes the city do away with discounts for airport fuel, and said that will bring in additional revenue to the city. Another question was, what qualifies you to serve as mayor? Thallemer said he has served in city government for 16 years, serving 12 years on the city council, and has 31 years experience running a business. “I want to take the experience I have and give back to the community what it has given to me. I would love to lead this city and make it even better than it is now,” Thallemer said. Thallemer also took issue with misinformation out in the community that he has been “hand picked” to serve as mayor. He said he has taken time while serving as councilman to learn the issues to prepare him to be mayor. Thallemer said, in 2009, Babcock missed 25 percent of city council meetings for the year, and asked if that is the 24/7 commitment the community deserves. Babcock, who said he is committed to being a 24/7 mayor, defended himself and said the governor appointed him to the Distressed Unit Appeals Board and he had meetings in Indianapolis selling Warsaw. He also was in meetings with the Department of Local Government Finance, which is in charge of the State Board of Accounts. “I am proud of my time down there because I was told to be down there and sell Warsaw,” Babcock said. Babcock said serving on the council has prepared him to be mayor, and traveling around the state to see what other communities are doing and selling Warsaw also is an asset. Alspaugh said, if elected mayor, he will use his business experience in managing the city’s finances. He said he has experience managing finances by serving as owner of a construction company. He also has background in working in the production department with acting companies that have million dollar budgets. Miller said as president of Instru-Med, he will bring his experience of working with budgets and his sales and marketing experience to the city if elected. He said he has lived in Warsaw since he was in diapers as a child and plans to leave the city in adult diapers.
