Fort Wayne has been led by a Democratic mayor for four consecutive terms, but four Republicans -- led by a sitting City Council member -- are competing for the chance to end that streak in November.

Bob Bastian has nothing against a strong downtown, “but what I hear is that we're doing too much there. Other areas, including the southeast, feel forgotten,” he said.

Bastian would like the city to do more to remove or renovate abandoned houses. And although the city has helped bring more housing downtown and elsewhere, he believes many of the units have been too small, making them unsuitable for families.

He admits to mixed feelings about riverfront development, supporting efforts to promote history and natural beauty but skeptical of “massive building projects that shouldn't be shoved down our throats.”

Bastian believes the Legacy fund should be preserved while using some for projects downtown and elsewhere. He supports collective bargaining and believes the Police Department and Chief Garry Hamilton are doing an excellent job.

“I would rely on the city employees and citizens to give me their opinions,” he said.

Bill Collins is running in part to “reach people who have given up and don't.” One key to bringing (especially youth) into the system, he said, “is to tell everyone what is going on and keep your word.” That hasn't always happened, he said, such as when the food and beverage tax was extended beyond its original purpose to fund improvement at the Memorial Coliseum.

He doesn't believe Tom Henry has done a bad job as mayor, but thinks Fort Wayne could trying outside consultants and would emphasize the need to improve public safety. To do that, he would eliminate the safety director's job and give more authority to the police and fire chiefs.

Collins supports downtown improvements but insists that “we must not do this at the expense of the rest of the city. Our entire city has the ability to be great. The area that needs most help is the southeast side, and the biggest thing that can help is people need to feel safe.

Collins is not a union advocate but believes city workers must be protected. He would meet regularly with union leaders and others to help ensure employees “are happy to work for the city and citizens.”

As for the Legacy fund, Collins believes its name states its purpose: to fund projects that will stand the test of time. “I hate to see it used for normal things like snow removal,” he said.

Councilman Mitch Harper was just 22 when he began a 12-year stint in the Indiana House of Representatives in 1978 – years during which he helped create Fort Wayne's Airport Authority and laid the groundwork for the U.S. 24 “Fort to Port” from Fort Wayne to Toledo. He says that experience, along with his years on council, have trained him to see things other people miss.

“Why does Fort Wayne always seem two steps behind?” Harper asked, suggesting his ability to anticipate and address long-term needs and trends would serve the city well.

Harper believes the key to attracting jobs and keeping young people from leaving is the city's willingness to maintain its neighborhoods and housing. Taxes raised for streets must be spent for that purpose, he said.

The Legacy fund, meanwhile, has been spent on some ways “that are not worthy of a long-term view,” he said, such as using the find to meet higher-than-expected snow-removal costs last winter. Harper would operate the fund like a foundation, spending the interest without tapping the principle. He would also ask the Capital Improvement Board, which oversees the food and beverage tax, to do more.

As for riverfront development, Harper says much of what is proposed now might be much further along had original plans for Headwaters Park been followed. “We've been asleep at the switch for 20 years,” he added.

Harper advocates a strong parks system and questions the city's use of bonds, especially those back by income taxes, because of the interest payments and other costs.

“We need to have a real discussion about doing the things that will attract people and jobs, and we need to cooperate regionally,” Harper said.

Harper praised the resurgence of the police department's anti-gang unit and said he would emphasize technology and community oriented policing as crime-fighting tools. He would eliminate the public safety director position.

“I want to be a bridge between people,” he said.

Fred Osheskie, meanwhile, has already been a mayor -- and says his experience in government has equipped him to seek the grants needed to renovate more homes for families in need. He believes the southeast side needs other improvements, such as new sidewalks, and insists more money would be available if it had not been unwisely spent on such projects as the multimillion-dollar roundabout on Superior Street.

“I would never sign a contract that benefited my family, self or friends,” he said.

Osheskie said he believes it would be a waste of time and money to promote commercial development along the rivers, preferring instead to promote economic development by attracting new companies and promoting the growth of existing firms.

Many local jobs go unfilled because the work force is not properly trained to do them, he said, and Osheskie would try to change that.

He is skeptical about using Legacy funds for riverfront development and would consider eliminating the job of safety director, which could free up funds to increase patrols on the southeast side.

He supports collective bargaining for city employees.

Henry facing two Democratic challengers in quest for third term as mayor