FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A Fort Wayne City Councilman is taking shots at his fellow Republicans.
On the heels of another failed attempt to do away with Allen County’s business personal property tax, Councilman Jason Arp accused council members of being “in the pocket of the cottage industry of commercial real estate development” in a letter sent to the Journal Gazette Tuesday, saying the use of tax abatements and public funds in private developments has “bankrupted places like Detroit and Flint… eager to be more like Chicago or San Francisco.”
He also says you “would never know” the Council has a 7-2 Republican majority, before also including a “scorecard” of his fellow Councilmen, based on whether they favor more government interference or less, and of which only he and Paul Ensley got a score above 32%.
Arp gave himself a 93% score, and Ensley an 80%. Russ Jehl received the highest score outside of those two at 32%.
Democrats didn’t fare any better, as Arp called Councilman Geoff Paddock an “authoritarian” and gave him a zero, while Councilman Glynn Hines received a 3% score.
Fellow Republican Councilman John Crawford called Arp’s letter a “matter of opinion” without further comment.
