Duties: Council's nine members pass ordinances, resolutions, orders and motions. They also control city property, approves the budget and can award economic development incentives.
Annual salary: $22,279
Term: Four years, beginning Jan. 1.
The Candidates
Democrat
Glynn Hines
Age: 64
Occupation: teacher at New Haven High School; councilman for 16 years
Education: Central High School, Manchester University
Family: married, four children
Contact: glynnhines@aol.com
Why am I running for council: I'd like to serve one more term to make an impact on the community, especially southeast.
Why should you vote for me: I have the experience and expertise in government, business and social work.
Robert Wafford
Age: 83
Occupation: retired from Citilink, Dana, International Harvester
Education: Cass Tech High School, Detroit; Ivy Tech
Family: married, three children
Contact: no email or web site
Why am I running for council: I've lived in the 6th District for 53 years and I've seen it go down, down, down.
Why should you vote for me: I have no desire to be a politician, and I'm not running against Glynn Hines. But with my concern for young people, maybe I can make a difference. We can do better.”
Republican
Joe Renner
Age: 41
Occupation: Waiter for Hall’s Prime Rib
Education: Graduate of Snider High School, and currently a student of business administration at Ivy Tech.
Family: Single father of twin 8 year old daughters.
Contact: www.facebook.com/sevenrenner
Why are you running for office: I’ve grown tired of the business as usual politics that has left district six on the back burner for decades.
Hines facing challenger Wafford in council's 6th District
Could be his last term, incumbent Democrat says
Joe Renner is unopposed in the Republican primary to represent City Council's 6th District, but longtime Democratic incumbent Glynn Hines wants to serve what could be his last term. Opponent Robert Wafford would like to see Hines retire even sooner.
Hines said he is especially motivated to promote economic development in southeast Fort Wayne. He was active in efforts to redevelop the former Southtown Mall site, which is now home to the Public Safety Academy Wal-Mart and Menards (total investment of $28 million), and is proud of Phoenix Place, Renaissance Pointe and other efforts to bring new housing, a YMCA and other improvements to the Hanna-Creighton neighborhood.
“Housing stabilizes communities, and folks want to see something different,” said Hines, who is pleased with plans to redevelop the former site of the McMillen Park apartments and to renovate the Diplomat Apartments off Hessen Cassel Road and the former Coke plant off Pontiac Street.
The district has received about 40 miles of street, sidewalk and curb improvements since he took office, Hines said.
Hines also strongly supports downtown redevelopment, believing that will also strengthen neighborhoods, including the East-Central area.
He wants to strengthen efforts to attract jobs to Fort Wayne and the southeast side, and is especially gratified to see the “fantastic” drop in homicides between 2013 and last year, although he remains concerned about violent crime. He believes the city should do what it can to improve prenatal care and preschool, working with the schools to provide vocational training and other skills that would help young people find jobs and avoid self-destructive choices.
Hines was perhaps the most outspoken opponent of council's decision to eliminate collective bargaining for most city employees last year, believing the move was political because it did not include the police and fire departments and did nothing to cut costs while harming employee morale.
“If Democrats get a majority on council, we will bring (collective bargaining) back,” he vowed. “Employees need representation.”
Wafford, meanwhile, believes Fort Wayne has a lot in common with Dickens' “A Tale of Two Cities”: It's the best and worst of times.
“Downtown is doing fine, but you don't see it on the southeast side,” he said. “I've asked people what we need, and three to one they say it's economic development. There's a perception that it's dangerous, and we need dialogue. We need to stop playing games.”
A former coordinator with the Fort Wayne Community Schools, Wafford would use his interest in education to meet with young people, encouraging academic success. He would study crime data from throughout the city and work with such groups as the Urban League and NAACP to craft a response.
It might be necessary to grant special incentives in order to attract businesses and jobs to the southeast side, he said, adding: “We need to take back our neighborhoods, get rid of that 'don't snitch' idea young people have.”
A Detroit native, Wafford remembers when that city had a vibrant downtown and is please Fort Wayne's is moving in the right direction. “But we need more parking,” he said, noting that he is open to collective bargaining but doesn't want an adversarial relationship between workers and management, either. “If you don't have bad management, you don't need a union,” he said.
