Dear Editor,
Congratulations on the story holding city officials accountable for questionable emails emanating from City Hall. As a fellow publisher, I applaud watchdog journalism and the effort to shine a light on the workings in City Hall on behalf of the public. Thanks also to the public-spirited citizen who took the time to file a public records request and pore through thousands of emails.
Steve Cooke’s communications are the inevitable result of an administration that’s out of touch with public sentiment. As long as there weren’t many initiatives (see first 14 years of the Ditslear administration), that wasn’t a problem. But once the mayor started trying to do something significant, it became clear he doesn’t understand what motivates Noblesville’s citizens.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he was elected by a very small minority of voters. Less than 7% of registered voters elected him in the 2015 primary. Of 42,292 registered voters, he earned just 3,164, but that was enough to win the primary and he had no opposition in the general election. So a mayor who was elected by vocal minority now seeks to dismiss the concerns of a much larger group of citizens because they oppose his stated goal of destroying the Nickel Plate in favor of a trail proposed by the City of Fishers.
What happens when a majority of voters neglects its duty? You end up with representation by people who don’t reflect the will of the people. When the mayor thinks he has a good idea he feels free to pursue it without running it by his constituents because he feels like he was elected by a majority, when in fact it was small minority.
You have to believe the mayor has doubts about these crazy ideas: Seminary Park, Pleasant St., Nickel Plate, etc. If he really believed in them he’d be a more visible champion. Instead he assigned Steve Cooke to carry the torch, with the inevitable results we see here. Your coverage includes an item that says Cooke is being reassigned from the Nickel Plate project. I’m sure folks are lining up at city hall for that plum assignment. Maybe the mayor ought to step up and handle that one on his own.
I would also like to know where our City Council stands on this issue. They would ultimately decide if and when it gets funded. It would be nice to know if they back the mayor or not.
So, why are all these ideas so unpopular? I submit it’s because the city isn’t doing its homework. City officials think they are: they are talking to consultants, engineers, contractors, developers, other city officials. But they aren’t talking to the public, which is harder to do. So plans come out substantially complete after being vetted by everyone except the citizens. Then if the citizens don’t like it, the administration is forced to defend itself, which results in communication like we read in your paper.
What’s the answer? Obviously one is for more people to get informed and involved. Learn more about the candidates during elections so you know their priorities. None of the current controversies were raised in the last election.
But until then I suggest the administration takes steps to learn more about the Noblesville electorate. If they schedule a “listening session,” then actually listen and respond to what the people are saying and adjust their thinking and planning based on testimony. There hasn’t been much listening at the public meetings associated with the current controversies, including the Nickel Plate. At the Noblesville Nickel Plate meeting every speaker except one (from Indianapolis) was in favor of keeping the train, yet the administration’s plans are still substantially the same as they were before the meeting. That doesn’t sound like listening to me.
The public outcry over the Nickel Plate Railroad has been unprecedented in recent memory. It’s not going to subside. The only way the mayor wins here is by getting in touch with the people. It could happen but I’m not holding my breath.
Mike Corbett
Noblesville