Mayor Rea Lands the Knock-Out Punch at
Mishawaka Mayoral Candidate Forum
Written by Chris Riley
Thursday, 12 April 2007
In the prizefight equivalent of a knock-out punch, Mayor Rea proved during the
April 12 Mishawaka Mayoral Forum why he is, in fact, the foundation of the St.
Joseph County Republican Party.
"Communities must grow, or they die," the Mayor observed in communicating his
thoughts on development. And to that end, he outlined several specific projects
-- including future growth along the "Capital Avenue Corridor" -- for growing
Mishawaka and creating additional jobs and industrial production. On top of
that, the Mayor proudly noted $110 million in new construction under his
leadership in Mishawaka, and $1 billion of economic development projects
presently on the agenda.
The debate, moderated by WTRC personality, Gary Sieber, drew a strong crowd --
and echoes of "wow" reverberated in the halls once it ended. In the attendees'
vast opinion, the Mayor clearly triumphed.
Though two individuals declared candidacy for the Democratic nomination, only
Mike Hayes represented the opposition party. Seldom taking the allotted time to
answer questions, Hayes frequently voiced agreement with the Mayor's views and
began his sentences "well, as Jeff said ... " In answering a question about how
to resolve racial conflicts, Hayes responded that "it seems like we have a
pretty good community here." Well, Mike, the Republican Party agrees with you --
and that community exists in no small part to Mayor Rea's leadership.
Throughout the debate, Hayes raised few questions about the Mayor's record and
instead took a shot only when talking about crime. But even according to the
statistics Hayes expressly cited, Mishawaka's crime dropped under Mayor Rea.
Ironically, the statistics buttressed Mayor Rea's assertion that "making people
feel safe is my top priority."
By far, the crowd's favorite moment came when Mayor Rea drew a question about
involving kids in the community. With a larger-than-normal smile, the Mayor
listed grade-by-grade the programs his administration runs in the local schools.
"I wish I could do that all the time," the Mayor noted, "because it's one of the
the fun parts of this job." Those programs start with an outreach to second
graders and culminate with a council of fifteen local high school students.
Because of those kids, "I am confident about our future."
From environmental protection to safety and everything in between, the Mayor
treated Sieber's questions like soft pitches in batting practice. Everything
landed over the fence. He came across as poised, highly informed, and by far the
most knowledgeable candidate.
"I want to make Mishawaka the place where you live, work, raise your family, and
retire," concluded the Mayor. And with only a little more than three years under
his belt, we think he's off to a terrific start.
Congratulations, Mayor Rea, on a job well done.
Paid for and authorized by the Jeff Rea for Mayor Committee
P.O. Box 861
Mishawaka, IN 46546-0861
(574) 255-5081
e-mail: reaformayor@aol.com