Vanderburgh County Commissioner - District 3

Jeff Korb* (R), Development Director, St. Vincent Day Care

1. What are your top 3 priorities as a candidate for office?

Continue the positive working relationship between County and City Government.

Continue to work on long range infrastructure planning and upgrading as it financially impacts our community. Things such as the bridge over Baseline Road railroad tracks, extending University Parkway to 1-64, northside development in relation to the building of the new EVSC school project and keeping Green River Road open during construction.

Continue to work with Greg Wathen of Economic Development Coalition and Joe Wallace of GAGE and the Evansville Chamber to continue to bring quality businesses and jobs to Vanderburgh County.

2. With the ongoing discussions of budget shortfalls, how can municipalities ensure efficient and cost-effective measures at the local level?  To alleviate taxpayer burden and streamline leadership, would you be in favor of unifying local units of government? 

A continuation of communicating effectively within County/City government units is critical to efficiency. Co-op purchasing between both entities and seeking out purchasing partners through the state with other county governments would also be a key for success.

I am open to discussing the possibility of unification of government with a clear understanding that the process is not as simple as most people think that it is. However, I believe that it is a topic that certainly merits discussion. There are many moving parts to this process and at this time, county
residents are reluctant to entertain the idea for fear of increased taxes and
decreased services. As a County Commissioner, 1 believe that there is merit
to their concerns, however, I am always open to discussing and
understanding more thoroughly anything that could benefit our community
in a positive manner.

3. As economic development becomes increasingly competitive on the regional and state level, how best can our local leaders assist in the attraction of new business and retention and expansion of local companies?

As I mentioned earlier, working and engaging actively with the Economic Development Coalition and GAGE and the Chamber are three huge critical
pieces of that puzzle. At this point, the Commissioners have been positively
engaged with all three entities and I expect to do more of the same in the
future. Recently, I have endorsed GAGE having the authority to grant loans to deserving and qualified businesses without input from me. I feel that it is critical to recognize that they are far better equipped to make those decisions given their day to day function than I am as a politician.

As a follow-up, do you support continued financial support of the regional Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana?

Absolutely

4. In 2007, the bi-partisan Kernan-Shepard Commission made numerous recommendations to reform and restructure local government in Indiana, such as creation of a single county executive and legislative body, as well as transferring the responsibilities of townships to the county level.  Do you support implementation of these recommendations? 

Yes

5. As a municipal leader, how do you view your role in handling issues of regional importance to Southwest Indiana? 

My role is to be the cheerleader and advocate of Southwest Indiana. It's not just about Vanderburgh County. Look at the impact of Toyota on our
community even though they are not located in Vanderburgh County. We are about to run out of large tracts of land to facilitate large industrial projects, so we need to work jointly with our neighboring counties and states to facilitate future growth, especially given the fact that 1-69 is on its way!

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Stephen Melcher (D), Facilities Director, CAPE

1. What are your top 3 priorities as a candidate for office?

To successfully utilize the individual talents of the elected commissioners in order to bring about the timely completion of county government projects in a satisfactory way that leads to a sense of commonality and community accomplishment.

A key goal in the betterment of Vanderburgh County is to retain well paying jobs, continue to support tax abatement for local businesses and help facilitate the expansion of existing local companies like that of American General, and the new AT&T Call Center.

Being accessible and recognizable by continuing the long held practice I began as a freshman member of the City Council to attend and cooperate with the Neighborhood Association, Veterans, Chamber of Commerce, and various other meetings and events throughout the community.

As a member of the MPO for the past seventeen years I will continue to be proactive on local road improvements, protect public safety and economic development.

2. With the ongoing discussions of budget shortfalls, how can municipalities ensure efficient and cost-effective measures at the local level?  To alleviate taxpayer burden and streamline leadership, would you be in favor of unifying local units of government? 

On the local level, we were greatly impacted by the decision made by the State. As a City Councilman, I have been able to work with Mayor Weinzapfel and his department heads to help ensure a balanced budget for 2009.  I will continue to guide the community, the County Commissioners, and all interested parties in policy decisions about our priorities such as funding municipal services and resource allocation.

Yes, the ongoing debate regarding municipal and county government consolidation provides an excellent opportunity for the citizens of Vanderburgh County. The Consolidation Committee must continue to work on this vital issue in the community, I remain optimistic that whatever its outcome, all parties involved will have contributed to making Vanderburgh County even more economically stable.

3. As economic development becomes increasingly competitive on the regional and state level, how best can our local leaders assist in the attraction of new business and retention and expansion of local companies?

The heart of a robust economy is entrepreneurial energy and a culture of risk taking.  Certainly, small local markets and the distance to larger markets are natural barriers to entrepreneurs in Evansville. But there are other barriers over which we have some control. Entrepreneurship is underemphasized as a career alternative in elementary and secondary education. There is a significant shortage of financial support, including bank loans for Vanderburgh County entrepreneurs and startups.

It is common for entrepreneurs to experience several failed business attempts before finding a successful formula.  However, local culture, including the media, tends to overemphasize business and investment failures and does not sufficiently celebrate successes and advancements. This discourages local entrepreneurial risk taking and contributes to a dampening effect on the willingness of large institutional investors to invest in Evansville.

As a follow-up, do you support continued financial support of the regional Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana?

Yes, I support the continued financial support of the Regional Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana and as a member of the City Council I have supported tax abatement for new and existing businesses. I will also continue my efforts to foster economic growth by encouraging the expansion of small business loans through the re-development commission.

4. In 2007, the bi-partisan Kernan-Shepard Commission made numerous recommendations to reform and restructure local government in Indiana, such as creation of a single county executive and legislative body, as well as transferring the responsibilities of townships to the county level.  Do you support implementation of these recommendations? 

True, in 2007, the bi-partisan Kernan-Shepard Commission made numerous recommendations; however, I believe what could be best for Vanderburgh County is to have a unified government.  I also believe that the citizens of Vanderburgh County should have a voice in either process and be able to cast a vote on how they would like their county to be governed.

5. As a municipal leader, how do you view your role in handling issues of regional importance to Southwest Indiana? 

I have worked with the State Representatives of both parties on issues important to Southwest Indiana. Since 1992, I have served on the Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee. I have supported issues at the regional level. I-69 is one example of an important project. When I-69 is completed, it will open up jobs and new development for economic growth.

I have supported the I-69 expansion project from the beginning and I will continue to support it in Vanderburgh and throughout the tri-state. I will also continue my relationship with INDOT to promote the expediency of I-69. I will also continue to remain accessible to participate and be actively involved in projects of concern to all the communities of Southwest Indiana.

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