{"id":6540,"date":"2009-08-20T12:08:48","date_gmt":"2009-08-20T16:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/?p=6540"},"modified":"2021-01-03T18:28:52","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T23:28:52","slug":"opinion-benefits-debate-should-be-held","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2009\/08\/20\/opinion-benefits-debate-should-be-held\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Benefits debate should be held &#8211; ?????"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a title=\"A crowded Council Chamber as City public safety and other employees filled the City Council Chambers to show support for not passing proposed health care cuts.\" rel=\"lightbox[6326]\" href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fort-wayne-city-council-1\/109254.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fort-wayne-city-council-1\/109254.jpg\" alt=\"Crowded Chamber\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>An article posted today on the <span class=\"removed_link\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news-sentinel.com\/apps\/pbcs.dll\/article?AID=\/SE\/20090820\/NEWS\/908200351\">News-Sentinel&#8217;s website<\/span> and on the front page of today&#8217;s print edition caught my eye.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Especially this paragraph:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[&#8230;] the mere hint of fiscal restraint is enough to arouse a backlash, as City Council members <em><strong>discovered this week<\/strong><\/em> when more than 100 police officers and firefighters applauded an 8-1 vote against even considering an ordinance that would have required public safety retirees to bear at least some of the cost of their health insurance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And this sentence:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[&#8230;] Nevertheless, Tuesday&#8217;s turnout illustrated the degree to which politics and pressure continue to trump economics.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I don&#8217;t remember seeing 100 police officers there this past Tuesday. \u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2009\/08\/13\/crowded-city-council-chamber\/\">I do remember<\/a> seeing them at the Council meeting the week <em>before<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Then to confuse the issue even more:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[&#8230;] In fact, council on Tuesday approved a new three-year pact with city firefighters, and negotiations with the police continue.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Was that this past Tuesday or the Tuesday before? \u00c2\u00a0For the record it was this past Tuesday. \u00c2\u00a0However, they technically did not approve the contract yet. \u00c2\u00a0They voted to pass it out of Committee Session with a &#8220;Do Pass&#8221; recommendation. \u00c2\u00a0It still, and probably will, be given a final vote of approval at next Tuesday&#8217;s Council meeting.<\/p>\n<p>At least he closed with a strong finish:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[&#8230;] The intent here is not to denigrate the contributions of public employees or to question whether they deserve the pay and benefits they receive. [&#8230;] If public employees expect to be immune from the economic realities faced by most taxpayers, that can happen only by cutting services or raising taxes, as city unions have suggested. Neither is a good option, especially during a recession. So, despite her utter futility, Brown was the real winner this week. As Smith said, &#8220;What&#8217;s wonderful is that she put it on the table, and the administration and unions have been put on notice. Maybe a year or two down the road &#8230;&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But, it will probably be more than a year or two as the Fire Department&#8217;s contract is for three years and kick&#8217;s in this January, 2010. \u00c2\u00a0I don&#8217; t know how long the Police Department&#8217;s contract will be good for, but it&#8217;ll be at least a few years down the road.<\/p>\n<p>Come to think of it, I don&#8217;t remember seeing Kevin Leininger at either of the Council meetings. \u00c2\u00a0In fact, during the past year, there&#8217;s only been one Council meeting I remember ever seeing him at. \u00c2\u00a0Yes, the wonder of modern technology allows one to watch Council meetings at home, but this precludes one from getting the behind the scenes happenings. \u00c2\u00a0These include Council person&#8217;s reactions to each other as well as the volume and force with which statements are often delivered.<\/p>\n<p>This last point was driven home to me after attending a Council meeting on September 9, 2008, then later watching the video I recorded of Councilman Glynn Hines blasting the Henry Administration during the Fire Merit Board veto override vote. \u00c2\u00a0The diatribe was delivered with force, conviction and passion which the camera did not fully capture.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, for what it&#8217;s worth, that&#8217;s the true story. \u00c2\u00a0I guess you really can&#8217;t believe everything you read in the paper, eh?<\/p>\n<h3>Related Images:<\/h3><div class=\"ngg-related-gallery\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145092.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines announces he will seek re-election as the Fort Wayne City Council&#039;s 6th District announcement on January 17, 2011.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"5793\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145092.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145092.jpg\" data-title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines announces he will seek re-election as the Fort Wayne City Council&#039;s 6th District announcement on January 17, 2011.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5793\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145092.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145093.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines announces his re-election bid while his wife, Pamela Peterson-Hines, looked on on January 17, 2011.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"5794\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145093.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145093.jpg\" data-title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines and Pamela Peterson-Hines\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines announces his re-election bid while his wife, Pamela Peterson-Hines, looked on on January 17, 2011.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines and Pamela Peterson-Hines\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines and Pamela Peterson-Hines\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5794\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145093.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145095.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines announces he will seek re-election to the City Council&#039;s 6th District seat on January 17, 2011.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"5795\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145095.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145095.jpg\" data-title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines announces he will seek re-election to the City Council&#039;s 6th District seat on January 17, 2011.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5795\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145095.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145100.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines (D-6th) talks with City Councilwoman Karen Goldner (D-2nd) after the former&#039;s re-election announcement on January 17, 2011.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"5796\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145100.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145100.jpg\" data-title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines and Fort Wayne City Councilwoman Karen Goldner\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines (D-6th) talks with City Councilwoman Karen Goldner (D-2nd) after the former&#039;s re-election announcement on January 17, 2011.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines and Fort Wayne City Councilwoman Karen Goldner\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines and Fort Wayne City Councilwoman Karen Goldner\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5796\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145100.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145101.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Glynn Hines after his re-election announcement on January 17, 2011.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"5797\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/145101.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145101.jpg\" data-title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\" data-description=\"Glynn Hines after his re-election announcement on January 17, 2011.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5797\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_145101.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/147456.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Indiana State Representative Phil GiaQuinta talks about the House walkout at the State of the 6th District event held by Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines on March 19, 2011.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"5991\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/147456.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_147456.jpg\" data-title=\"Phil GiaQuinta\" data-description=\"Indiana State Representative Phil GiaQuinta talks about the House walkout at the State of the 6th District event held by Fort Wayne City Councilman Glynn Hines on March 19, 2011.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Phil GiaQuinta\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Phil GiaQuinta\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5991\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_147456.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/0458.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Pre-debate conference before the April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate. Photo courtesy of John McGauley.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"6108\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/0458.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_0458.jpg\" data-title=\"ACGOP Debate: Pre-debate conference\" data-description=\"Pre-debate conference before the April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate. Photo courtesy of John McGauley.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"ACGOP Debate: Pre-debate conference\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"ACGOP Debate: Pre-debate conference\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6108\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_0458.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/0474.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Panelists for the April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate. From left to right: Ryan Elijah, Mark Mellinger, Kevin Leininger and Stacey Stumpf. Photo courtesy of John McGauley.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"6110\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/0474.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_0474.jpg\" data-title=\"ACGOP Debate: Panelists\" data-description=\"Panelists for the April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate. From left to right: Ryan Elijah, Mark Mellinger, Kevin Leininger and Stacey Stumpf. Photo courtesy of John McGauley.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"ACGOP Debate: Panelists\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"ACGOP Debate: Panelists\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6110\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_0474.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/0675.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"The April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate. Photo courtesy of John McGauley.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"6115\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/0675.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_0675.jpg\" data-title=\"ACGOP Debate\" data-description=\"The April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate. Photo courtesy of John McGauley.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"ACGOP Debate\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"ACGOP Debate\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6115\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_0675.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/148481.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Allen County Republican Party Chairman Steve Shine, panelist Kevin Leininger, Linda Buskirk and candidate Paula Hughes before the April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"6126\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/148481.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_148481.jpg\" data-title=\"ACGOP Debate: Steve Shine, Kevin Leininger, Linda Buskirk and Paula Hughes\" data-description=\"Allen County Republican Party Chairman Steve Shine, panelist Kevin Leininger, Linda Buskirk and candidate Paula Hughes before the April 20, 2011 Allen County Republican Party&#039;s Mayoral Candidate Debate.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"ACGOP Debate: Steve Shine, Kevin Leininger, Linda Buskirk and Paula Hughes\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"ACGOP Debate: Steve Shine, Kevin Leininger, Linda Buskirk and Paula Hughes\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6126\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/2011-elections\/thumbs\/thumbs_148481.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160537.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Al Moll addresses a news conference held July 29, 2013.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"7001\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160537.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160537.jpg\" data-title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Al Moll addresses a news conference held July 29, 2013.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"7001\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160537.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160540.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Al Moll addresses a news conference held July 29, 2013.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"7002\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160540.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160540.jpg\" data-title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Al Moll addresses a news conference held July 29, 2013.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"7002\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160540.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160543.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry during a news conference held by Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation on July 29, 2013.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"7003\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160543.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160543.jpg\" data-title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry during a news conference held by Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation on July 29, 2013.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"7003\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160543.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160550.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne City councilmen Tom Smith, Geoff Paddock and Glynn Hines during a news conference held July 29, 2013.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"7006\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160550.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160550.jpg\" data-title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne City councilmen Tom Smith, Geoff Paddock and Glynn Hines during a news conference held July 29, 2013.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"7006\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160550.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160556.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Tom Smith talks with Journal Gazette reporter Dan Stockman. Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Al Moll looks on while City Councilmen Geoff Paddock and Glynn Hines talk in the background. Photo taken July 29, 2013.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='7512347cec2bcc0796048e1337305df1' data-image-id=\"7007\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/160556.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160556.jpg\" data-title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\" data-description=\"Fort Wayne City Councilman Tom Smith talks with Journal Gazette reporter Dan Stockman. Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Al Moll looks on while City Councilmen Geoff Paddock and Glynn Hines talk in the background. Photo taken July 29, 2013.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"2013\/07\/29: News conference\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"7007\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/fwparks\/thumbs\/thumbs_160556.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An article posted today on the News-Sentinel&#8217;s website and on the front page of today&#8217;s print edition caught my eye. Related Images:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[761],"tags":[15,21751,86],"class_list":["post-6540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-afw-opinion","tag-fort-wayne-city-council-2","tag-fort-wayne-city-councilman-glynn-hines","tag-kevin-leininger"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Opinion: Benefits debate should be held - ????? - AroundFortWayne<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An article posted today on the News-Sentinel&#039;s website and on the front page of today&#039;s print edition caught my eye. Especially this paragraph: the mere\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2009\/08\/20\/opinion-benefits-debate-should-be-held\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion: Benefits debate should be held - ????? - AroundFortWayne\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An article posted today on the News-Sentinel&#039;s website and on the front page of today&#039;s print edition caught my eye. 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