I plan to file for re-election to the Auburn City Council first thing Wednesday. Heres my news release: Mike Walter said Tuesday that he will seek re-election to the Auburn Common Council this year. Walter, 67, said he plans to file as a candidate in the May 5 Democratic primary. He represents District 5 in southwest Auburn. First elected to the council in 1991, Walter served two terms before running for mayor in 1999. Defeated in that election by Republican Norman E. Yoder, Walter was returned to the council in 2003, 2007 and 2011. Im running to be a member of a public body, not a private club, Walter stated in a news release. Walter is the councils only Democrat and often dissents from majority decisions. Walter said that the voluntary demotions of three members of the Auburn Police Department and the loss of the departments only female member indicate serious morale problems. We desperately need to recruit and retain women police officers, and we need a merit board to guarantee full due process to all our officers, Walter said. If a majority of the departments full-time members ask for a merit board, Im ready to vote for one, Walter added. Walter said that he supports continued regulation of utility rates by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). Last month the IURC approved new electric rates for Auburn. A 12.5-percent hike in residential rates will pinch, but its a whole lot better than the 20 percent that the city originally asked for, Walter said. Regulation protects consumers, he added. Walter said he supports spinning off Auburn Essential Services(AES)as a separate city department, but wants the council to approve specific AES privacy policies. Customer privacy is something the council needs to take direct responsibility for, Walter said. Walter said that his proudest achievement during his current term was securing a $54,000 settlement in favor of taxpayers in litigation over the DeKalb Central School Boards attempt to give part of the former McIntosh School site to the DeKalb County Community Foundation for a new office building. Walter was a private plaintiff in that case. Thats not the sort of thing you do in Auburn if youre a member of the club, Walter said.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 02:22:49 +0000
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