Tom Henry seeking fourth term as Mayor of Fort Wayne
(January 23, 2019) – Mayor Tom Henry is proud to announce that he’ll be running for to a fourth term as Fort Wayne’s chief executive. Under Mayor Henry’s leadership, Fort Wayne has experienced 12 years of unparalleled economic prosperity. The city is a vibrant and growing community that is on the move with quality of life amenities that make Fort Wayne an attractive place to live, work and play. From Riverfront to Ash Skyline Tower, Cityscape Flats to the Landing, the positive momentum and investments in our community continue to grow.
During Mayor Henry’s tenure, the city has been named the 2018 best place to live in Indiana; the 40th best place to live in the country; and, the 2018 lowest cost of living city, just to name a few of the numerous awards bestowed on our community.
If reelected, Henry’s administration will focus on the following four initiatives:
- Public safety
- Neighborhood improvements
- Good stewardship of taxpayer money
- Continuation of the city’s recent economic prosperity
PUBLIC SAFETY
Statistics show that Fort Wayne is among the safest mid-sized cities in the country, but pockets of gang violence and drug-related crimes continue to be a challenge as it is in all communities, large and small. The mayor views public safety as a priority and plans to combat the gang and drug issue in three concrete ways:
- Full support of the FWPD Gang and Violent Crimes Unit Established early 2014, the Fort Wayne Gang and Violent Crimes Unit is focused on reducing the number of violent crimes, especially murders committed by gangs. The unit is an integral component of the mayor’s pledge to make Fort Wayne as safe as possible for residents and businesses. To that end, the mayor has pushed for full contingency of police officers and, with this most recent graduating class of recruits less than two weeks ago, that goal has been realized. The additional officers will help with new assignments to the Gang Unit.
- Continued support of Fort Wayne UNITED Fort Wayne UNITED is a mayoral initiative that is designed to enhance opportunities, advance youth advocacy and help create a safer city for all, but more specifically for black men and boys. By continuing to bring together a group of passionate and committed leaders, the initiative will educate, inform and engage the community in an effort to make positive change one neighborhood at a time.
- Aggressively address the Opioid crisis The mayor will continue the city’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis. In addition to pursuing the public nuisance lawsuit against opioid distributors in to hold accountable the companies responsible for bringing opiates into the community, the mayor will continue working with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health and partner agencies to fight the opioid epidemic through proactive rehabilitation and prevention programs.
Promote Project Safe Place
Project Safe Place is a program designed to provide access to immediate help and safety to young people at risk of abuse, neglect or serious family problems. It is a cost-effective program offering youth and their families’ access to counseling and effective resolution to their conflicts before their situation escalates beyond their control. Working with the Fort Wayne YMCA, the mayor wants to ensure that any youth can walk into a business, community building or bus that prominently displays a distinctive yellow and black Safe Place logo and let an employee know that they need help. They would then be quickly connected with a youth serving agency that can provide the help they need.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS
The mayor believes that while downtown is the heart of Fort Wayne, neighborhoods remain its backbone.
- Commit nearly $30 million a year in neighborhood infrastructure improvements, building on the nearly $130 million in investments on streets, sidewalks and alleys since 2014.
- Focus on a quality of life for the residents of the City of Fort Wayne by continuing to invest in its award-winning parks and more than 100 miles of trails.
- A lifetime resident of the City of Fort Wayne, Mayor Henry will continue investing in the city’s core civil services including clean water; the timely fill of potholes; cleared streets in winter; and, the collection of trash, leaves, debris and recyclables.
GOOD STEWARD OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS
Leading Indiana’s second largest city, Mayor Henry is making government the best it can be for residents and businesses by demonstrating a commitment to engagement, innovation, and performance.
Mayor Henry has a strong record of successes in neighborhood infrastructure improvements, downtown development, job creation, business expansions, advances in public safety, and enhancements to the City’s world-class park system.
Before being elected Mayor, he served from 1983-2003 on Fort Wayne City Council, representing northwest Fort Wayne.
Highlights of successes under Mayor Henry’s leadership since he took office January 1, 2008:
- Completion of the Harrison Square downtown development (Parkview Field, Courtyard by Marriott hotel, and The Harrison mixed-use facility with housing and retail)
- Light Lease Settlement between the City of Fort Wayne and Indiana Michigan Power
- Creation of the Legacy fund to provide catalytic investment, leverage additional resources, and benefit residents. The fund is expected to grow to over $62 million at the end of 2025.
- Purchase of Aqua Indiana’s southwest water utility that allows for all City residents to have City Utilities water
- Ash Skyline Plaza downtown development project that includes a parking garage, the national corporate headquarters for Ash Brokerage and a residential component. Construction on the Ash Brokerage and parking garage components are complete and the residential tower will be completed in 2018. The total project investment is more than $100 million.
- Since 2012,21,600 jobs have been retained, nearly 6,900 jobs have been created and there has been a total private investment of more than $2.3 billion
- A commitment to public safety, which has included multiple academy classes for the Fort Wayne Police and Fire departments and enhanced technology to better serve and protect the public.
- Creation of the Fiscal Policy Group that resulted in additional funding for more police officers and firefighters, maintenance projects throughout the Parks and Recreation system, and a record amount of neighborhood infrastructure improvement projects in all four quadrants of the City. Since 2014, $100 million has been invested in neighborhoods.
- Completion of the first-ever Riverfront Development Study to provide an outline for the opportunity for a world-class river development in the heart of the city. The first phase of construction on riverfront development started in 2017.
- Completion of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge in downtown Fort Wayne
- The successful merger of Fort Wayne and Allen County 911 communications services
- Expansion of the 311 call center to provide efficient and effective services to residents and businesses
- The SmartGov transparency initiative, using new methods and technologies to make government more open, effective and responsive
- Expansion of the greenways and trails system to over 100 miles
Mayor Henry has a strong record of successes in job creation and business expansions. Our community continues to see record low unemployment under Mayor Henry’s leadership.
Mayor Henry is making government the best it can for residents and businesses by demonstrating a commitment to ENGAGEMENT, INNOVATION, and PERFORMANCE.
- Engagement — known as the People’s Mayor, Mayor Henry is out in our community to listen to the needs of resident and business leaders.
- Innovation — Mayor Henry is working each day to seek new opportunity for the City of Fort Wayne, its residents and businesses.
- Performance — when Mayor Henry, his staff and members of our community perform at a high level, as we have collectively done for the past 12 years, we all benefit.
Such high performance also leads to accolades for our community.
The heartbeat of the community has never been stronger as downtown continues on its upward trajectory. While we celebrate the momentum of downtown, and each of its brick and mortar projects built or in the process of being built, Mayor Henry is constantly keeping a pulse on the needs and wants of the residents from every corner of the City Fort Wayne.
He understands that it is our people who make this a community a great place to call home. We have accomplished much in 12 years, but we cannot stop the positive momentum and investment. The City of Fort Wayne is on the rise, and its future is bright. Mayor Henry is energized and encouraged as he knows the best is yet to come.
A 1970 graduate of Fort Wayne Central Catholic High School, Mayor Henry earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and his MBA from the University of Saint Francis. He is also an Army veteran.
One of 17 children, Mayor Henry and his wife, Cindy, have been married since 1975. They have two grown children and three grandchildren and are members of Most Precious Blood Church
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