High Performance Government Network

Former Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard spoke Thursday as part of a What Muncie Needs Forum.

BY KEITH ROYSDON • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it • NOVEMBER 7, 2008

MUNCIE -- In a Thursday night forum, the former mayor of Fort Wayne encouraged a crowd of local residents, activists and officials to consider adopting business-like approaches to making government more effective.

But Graham Richard, mayor of Fort Wayne for two terms ending in 2007, acknowledged that cooperation -- between political parties, between governments and between the community and local schools -- was an essential first step.
"It is not easy," Richard said. "It's hard work. But the alternative is poor service and high costs."

Richard spoke to a crowd of several dozen at Minnetrista. His appearance was part of the latest public forum for What Muncie Needs, a series about local problems and possible solutions sponsored by The Star Press, The 1859 Forum, Muncie Public Library and Minnetrista.

Richard talked about some steps he took during eight years at the helm of Indiana's second-largest city. They included reducing from days to hours the average time it took to fill a pothole.

When asked how to foster better government, Richard cited the approach he took to explaining to union representatives of government employees why they should help reduce the number of city workers. Although union dues would go down, Richard noted, the labor union could negotiate to win some of the bonus money awarded to workers for better performance.

Acknowledging in-fighting among local officials, Richard said he recruited business leaders to lobby city officials about practices he hoped they would introduce.

Richard advocated breaking down boundaries, noting that as mayor he was actively involved in recruiting candidates for the Fort Wayne school board.

The city also participated in a program to distribute backpacks full of food to help feed under-nourished students over the weekend. The result, he said, was better performance when classes resumed on Monday.

Some of Richard's proposals will see much more extensive discussion in the coming months. A Fort Wayne-based non-profit group he helped found, the High Performance Government Network, recently won a $50,000 Ball Brothers Foundation grant and will offer seminars to Muncie, Delaware County and town officials.

Ryan Chasey, president of the HPG Network, was in attendance Thursday evening and said the first seminars could begin before the end of the year.

Originally published by The Star Press (thestarpress.com). Republished with permission.