News release, dated last Wednesday, from the Eric Doden campaign:
Doden: As Mayor, I’ll Place Premium on Productivity, Transparency
Will promote “Culture of Productivity” in city government(March 2, 2011) – Fort Wayne residents should – and can – expect a city government that emphasizes transparency, productivity and world-class customer service, Republican mayoral candidate Eric Doden announced today.
Doden outlined his plans to promote a “culture of productivity” as Fort Wayne mayor, a key component of his initiative to ensure the city is “open for business” and attractive to existing and potential employers. This initiative includes modeling customer-service training for city employees on leading private-sector examples and promoting transparency by establishing clear, measurable city benchmarks and comparing city results against such objectives. Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of specific plans released by Doden for creating jobs and modernizing Fort Wayne’s economy.
“In my business career, with both large and small entities, it’s been my experience that results are achieved by setting standards, measuring the results against those standards and being transparent with the results,” Doden said. “It’s the process I’ve used many times in my business career, so I’ve seen firsthand the improvements in productivity and efficiency as a result. It should be no different in government. As mayor, I’ll work to make sure it’s not. We need to position Fort Wayne for long-term growth and prosperity, and a productive, service-oriented government helps make that growth possible.”
In addition, Doden said he’d review the city’s balance sheet to identify what, if any, city services and/or assets could be operated more effectively in the private sector while lowering costs to taxpayers.
“A successful mayor must be a diligent manager of the city’s balance sheet,” Doden explained. “I’ve helped lead and run financially successful companies as a member of the private sector, and that experience will be important to ensure our city is managed in a fiscally conservative manner.”
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives stemming from Doden’s comprehensive plan to create jobs and attract investment to Fort Wayne. Last week, Doden announced his plan to market Fort Wayne in a targeted and aggressive campaign. Prior to that, Doden announced plans to leverage a portion of the light-lease fund to attract capital projects that will create jobs in Fort Wayne, as well as attract and retain a talented workforce. He has also unveiled his initiative to attract 1,000 entrepreneurs to Fort Wayne. More information is available at ericdoden.com.
About Eric Doden
For the past two-plus years, Doden has served as the director of investments at Ambassador Enterprises, a Fort Wayne-based consulting, investment and private equity firm. Prior to joining Ambassador Enterprises, he led the distribution and fabrication arms of Ambassador Steel Corporation.Doden graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law and from Hillsdale College with majors in business finance and Christian Studies. He is a member of the Fort Wayne Chapter of Executive Forums, a current board member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a former board member of his local church. He and his wife, Maci, a Fort Wayne attorney, have been married for 12 years and have 4 children. Learn more at ericdoden.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eric.doden.for.mayor and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/doden4mayor.