Logansport mayor candidates state their case during debate
Oct. 5—Logansport's municipal election on Nov. 7 is quickly approaching. And to help voters find clarity before election day, the Logansport Cass County Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum Wednesday night at McHale Performing Arts Center.
The forum saw current Republican mayor Chris Martin, former Democrat mayor Dave Kitchell, and independent Lonnie Keefer answer eight questions and offer rebuttals in front of a live audience of about 110 people.
Kitchell served as mayor from 2016 to 2019, and lost to Martin in the 2019 election. Keefer has served as a bail bondsman for 13 years and received his GED from El Tip Wa in 2001, according to a previous Pharos Tribune article.
Listed below are some takeaways and highlights from the mayoral debate. The entire debate can be viewed at www.pharostribune.com.
Transparency strategies
One question asked was the candidates' strategy to be transparent with the community and share information and project updates on a regular basis. Keefer, speaking first, said he would put cameras in his office so citizens could see what he is doing and when he is doing it. In addition, he said he would like more town hall meetings and for meetings to happen at restaurants.
Martin said Logansport Reimagined has done a great job with getting things out, but the biggest part of getting that transparency is to make sure people know where to go. He said people focus too much on social media, which he suggested they dial back and focus more on Logansport Reimagined.
Kitchell said social media has its limits, but he suggested having a third house session situation with the local government like they used to. He said this got people involved at that level instead of waiting until it gets to the city council committee to talk about drafting an ordinance that will be voted upon in the coming days.
Positions on housing
A common topic discussed by the mayoral candidates was housing in Logansport. When asked what they see as the most important issue that will ensure the longevity of Logansport, both Kitchell and Keefer put housing as one of their top issues. Kitchell announced Wednesday night that his major donor is Mike Petrie, and if he is elected, Petrie will come to Logansport and put multifamily housing in downtown Logansport.
Keefer agreed that housing is an issue, but the kind of housing Logansport needs is more affordable housing.
Positions on the Memorial Home
The future of the Memorial Center, also known as the Memorial Home, has been a controversial topic ever since the city regained control of it from the county in 2022.
"We presented a plan for the memorial home before I left office in 2019," Kitchell said during the debate. "And we have a developer that's interested in that."
Kitchell mentioned opportunity bonds for dealing with the structure, which he said was suggested by Indiana Bond Bank. Kitchell said the city wouldn't have to necessarily pay the bond back, it would give capital to restore the home and enable the city to have an incubator business structure there.
Kitchell said he did a $20,000 study when he was mayor for the home, but Martin did not use the study when he came into office.
Martin said when it comes to something like the Memorial Home, you need a short-term and a long-term plan, and it all comes down to money.
"Stabilization is the most important thing at this point," Martin said.
The mayor added that a long-term plan is still far away and stabilization is the key for the present.
Keefer said he would like to see the home brought back to the state it was when he was a child — when it hosted Halloween parties, haunted houses and other community events.
"Make it viable to make money off of it," Keefer said.
