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Dear Editor:
In response to letters in the Reporter from Troy Patton (Westfield city councilor), and Linda Naas (Patton’s campaign manager), I must respond with facts.
Westfield’s mayor is a great listener.
Our 2007 Comprehensive Plan committee was chaired by Joe Plankis. Approximately 270 citizens worked on it for nearly two years. Downtown Westfield was a difficult failing area, so to not hold up the plan, it was designated “Special Study area.”
Eight of us volunteers formed what was later called the Grand Junction Task Group (GJTG). We met for three hours every Tuesday for three years. We invited any citizen to join us who would participate. Neither Patton nor Naas attended. We still meet as updates are needed, like Comp Plan proposals. Our proposals are advisory, not binding. We work at it until we get unanimous approval. We pass them along to the Advisory Plan Commission (APC), the BZA, and the City Council. Mayor Andy Cook listened, as did the City, except for a few who don’t want downtown changed.
The Naases live in Westfield on a beautiful horse farm. She was the last holdout. Their farm is still beautiful, but she has bitterly opposed every proposal in the area as it developed well within Westfield.
When Patton ran for City Council, he participated in a debate and passed out campaign literature. He clearly demonstrated that despite being a CPA, he knew nothing about municipal financing. The state control of county and municipal financing is ruled by the DLGF, a state agency that sets all property taxes and rates.
After being sworn in, none of Naas’s candidates knew this. So, I wrote a letter to the editor informing the public of Patton’s outrageous untruths. He showed up the next day at our home with his handouts and his sheet of “11 points of facts” – none of which were in any way factual. He was polite, as were we, but he was clearly a power-hungry office seeker. His points were still clearly not understanding municipal financing nor how Mayor Andy Cook so hugely improved Westfield.
Naas wrote in the Reporter on Christmas Eve, under the headline, “It’s time for Cook to start listening to the people.” RIDICULOUS!
From day one in his office, Andy had groups of folks discuss every city project that has been proposed, including Grand Park, which as a result is brilliantly financed and designed. Grand Park is famous worldwide, and as planned, more than breaks even. It has been a major part of attracting many businesses with well paid jobs and pays up to 3 percent property taxes.
Thank you, Mayor Cook.
In October, Westfield got listed sixth-best city to live in in the country by Money Magazine on their best 20 list. This was credited to the genius mayor who established a genius vision years ago and stuck to it. Our restoration of Park and Main streets as well as the design and financing of Grand Park and Grand Junction Plaza are but samples. Unique transportation between the two is forthcoming. Because Grand Park is packing them in, Central Indiana hotels are booked up on weekends. Grand Park not only has made us world-famous, it has attracted large companies surrounding it.
Our old downtown that was failing is now occupied. It does need parking, and Andy will get that in spite of Patton stating “the Council won’t allow it.”
Our residential property taxes are limited, as I stated before. The school bonds are being paid off rapidly because of industrial development that Andy coaxed in. There is nothing Patton, the “CPA,” can do to cut them except to help solicit more businesses to pay off the bonds sooner.
Our city councils of the last decade and our APCs have carefully kept our Comp Plan up to date. They have also raised our building standards – that attracts everybody.
Andy’s many, many hours spent with business leaders nationwide, the last three governors, INDOT, and as president of the area’s Mayor’s Conference has paid off. We have every reason to be proud.
Linda Naas and Troy Patton, please stop trying to end our successes. Nobody has listened more to the citizens than Andy has. Stop your nasty distrusts of our city and its mayor.
If Patton wants to help Westfield, he should RESIGN.
For those who don’t know me, I’ll inform you that I have served on Westfield’s Town Council and APC. I have attended most City Council and APC meetings. I served the GJTG, the Council’s Ordinance Committee (“Hoover Commission”) that resulted in consolidating all city ordinances into one up-to-date manual that is also digitized. It greatly simplified Westfield/Washington Township government.
Mic Mead
Westfield
Mic, with all due respect, you start your article stating you will say the facts, but I do not even know Linda’s husband’s name. If she were my manager of some sort, don’t you think I would know this. I don’t know if she has children, owns any horses at this point, or anything else about her, other than she is passionate about Westfield. I think that sets the tone for the rest of the article. I am sure many are appreciative of your involvement in Westfield and I wish you the best. – Troy Patton