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The problem with Mayor Tom Henry’s mass mailing to city residents about the dispute with Indiana Michigan Power isn’t so much the cost as the timing: It comes more than three months after I&M President Helen Murray sent her own letter to local customers.
While a legal battle proceeds in Allen Superior Court and out-of-court mediation talks continue, both sides want to win in the court of public opinion.
The mayor’s attempts to get the upper hand in a June news conference seemed – rightly or wrongly – heavy-handed. The effort backfired, giving I&M the advantage. City Hall has been struggling ever since to explain the city’s position.
The city’s moves – declaring I&M in default of the City Light lease, announcing plans to find a new electric provider for the center city – may make sense from a legal and negotiating standpoint but were not well explained to the public at the time.
Yes, Henry spent $45,000 in City Utilities money to send the letter, which covered the same points he made in a guest column in The Journal Gazette. Because I&M is a private company, its customers don’t know how much it spent in midsummer sending a letter from Murray that made the same points as her own guest column that appeared on these pages.
So it’s difficult to fault the city for striving to get its message out on such an important issue that carries massive financial implications. It would have been more effective, though, had it come about four months earlier.
Perhaps the only surprising aspect of Vince Robinson’s resignation as Henry’s public information director was how long it took after news surfaced about protective orders Robinson and a woman sought against each other, complete with detailed allegations of physical altercations.
It almost never is good for the person being in charge of delivering the message to be the subject of news stories – particularly negative stories. Now, with the mayor still less than two years into his term, Henry is searching for his third top spokesman.
Though several County Council members have advocated placing city police and the county sheriff’s department offices together, the proposed $16 million price tag for renovating both the Renaissance Square building at 200 E. Berry St. and the City-County Building may prove too expensive for them when they discuss the costs on Thursday.
If so, city and county officials will likely discuss alternatives to lower the costs. But with the city committed to buying Renaissance Square, it is still very possible that the community could end up with that building becoming City Hall and the City-County Building housing county offices only.
