News release from Independent Mayoral candidate Haley Ahrendt:
Haley Ahrendt (pronounced: air endt), Independent candidate for the office of Mayor, has filed his necessary signatures to have his name placed on the ballot in the November election. Collecting over 2000 signatures secures his name on the November ballot. He has added some of his vision for the city and videos to his facebook.com/haley4mayor as well as to his YouTube page.
Here is his statement:
I really appreciate and need to thank the more than two thousand people who signed my petition(s). Thank you for your encouragement, your belief, support, and the opportunity to serve as our city’s next Mayor.
An independent has never been elected because it’s very difficult for one to run. That’s the reason this city has never had an Independent win; not yet. When was the last time an independent has successfully obtained the right to run for the office of the Mayor? This is the question.
An Independent is someone who believes that there is a middle ground between the parties. I have always voted for whom I thought was serving the best interest. Lately, both parties seem to be more worried about the control. The citizens pay for that by delays, changing of direction, and blocking progress. If the Republican Party takes control, they will have to come in and change everything back to the way they are partial to. I was very proud of everyone running on the Republican ticket for honoring the pledge card they signed to be respectable to one another during the primary.
I’m not a politician but I do love politics. I’m concerned that politics have become more about special interest and less about public interest. We need to hold elected officials accountable by our vote. Every four years this job becomes available and we, the people, decide who should oversee the city’s interest. I’m applying for the job and expect you, the public, to interview me.
Fort Wayne is not broken but it could use a few tweaks and a little fine tuning. We do not need drastic changes; the country has had enough change and we cannot afford to keep burdening ourselves as well as future generations with debt. We have waste in a lot of areas and could buy smarter, spend wiser, and control cost in the way we conduct our government. Remember that this is the tax payer’s money that’s being wasted. We need to help existing companies grow as well as encourage new ones to relocate. Our city needs clear direction with long term vision. We need to streamline policy and procedure and eliminate waste. Lastly, we should focus on the future by building a strong infrastructure and attracting and retaining good paying jobs. In a safe, friendly low cost of living city.
Our Mayor needs to understand the needs of the people as well as the needs of the administration. The public and staff should then balance that responsibility. Manage people whom manage people; mentor, respect, and acknowledge the team for their efforts. It is not about one person; it is about a team that a person can lead effectively. It is always important to credit the correct person or team for the job they did. If someone does not know an answer, they should be the first one to say so. Expect everyone to spend money in their departments as if they owned the company. Think outside the box and look into it to see what may work and what may not work. Be not afraid or too proud to admit when we need to change direction, admit a mistake, or ask for help. Some of your best ideals in business can come from your newest staff member. Our Mayor should have experience in purchasing, marketing, motivating staff, creativity, monitoring trends, controlling costs, and anticipating shifts in economy as well as human resources, rewrite policy and procedures, implementing plans of action, budgets, balancing budgets and budget cuts. Everything listed above I have done or practice daily. I also have experience in projections, loss prevention, risk management and asset protection. I have also sat on a Board of Directors for several years, as well as held the position of chairman. This combined Our Mayor needs to understand the needs of the people as well as the needs of the administration. The public and staff should then balance that responsibility. Manage people whom manage people; mentor, respect, and acknowledge the team for their efforts. It is not about one person; it is about a team that a person can lead effectively. It is always important to credit the correct person or team for the job they did. If someone does not know an answer, they should be the first one to say so. Expect everyone to spend money in their departments as if they owned the company. Think outside the box and look into it to see what may work and what may not work. Be not afraid or too proud to admit when we need to change direction, admit a mistake, or ask for help. Some of your best ideals in business can come from your newest staff member. Our Mayor should have experience in purchasing, marketing, motivating staff, creativity, monitoring trends, controlling costs, and anticipating shifts in economy as well as human resources, rewrite policy and procedures, implementing plans of action, budgets, balancing budgets and budget cuts. Everything listed above I have done or practice daily. I also have experience in projections, loss prevention, risk management and asset protection. I have also sat on a Board of Directors for several years, as well as held the position of chairman. This combined experience qualifies me for the job.
My administration will be a combination of the most qualified professionals to utilize their skills regardless of their political affiliation in order to do what is best for our city. We will all have a common goal: efficient quality and betterment for all citizens of our city and to be able to hold our head up knowing the right decision may not be the popular one.
I have been told that I won’t win because I’m not well connected. That is exactly why I should win. There are some companies that may be the better choice but cannot get their “foot in the door” because they are not the right company; because they are not connected. One of the reasons I will not accept donations is because I do not want any special interest or special interest influence. The next time you hear the amount they have raised in contributions, change the word donation or contribution to favors owed to the candidate(s).
My entire campaign will cost less the 200 dollars and will be self-funded. Your support is very much appreciated and needed. You can help by simply telling your family, friends, and neighbors about me and my platform. This forum, personal meets, and debates are my only source of sharing my vision. I will not have any paid advertisements so please share my YouTube videos with friends and family via your Facebook and/or video text. Make sure you “Like” this page to see my updates. More videos will automatically appear here as I make them.
I will be placing my views on hot topic issues and my visions on how we can make Fort Wayne, Indiana an even better place for everyone to live and work. You will see these views on the general page as well as in the discussion section.
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