Where they stand: South Bend at-large council candidates share their views on the issues – South Bend Tribune

The League of Women Voters and Indiana University South Bends American Democracy Project invited municipal candidates to answer a series of questions at vote411.org. Today, The Tribune publishes unedited answers from the at-large candidates for South Bend Common Council. There are many other resources available to voters at vote411.org, including answers to more questions than we publish today. The candidates were told The Tribune would not edit their answers in any way. Any spelling or grammatical errors published here are the candidates own.

Amanda Jean Grove

Occupation: Caregiver for her mother

Twitter: @amandajeangrove

Davin Hackett

Occupation: Police officer/Air Force National Guard

Lori Hamann

Occupation: High school teacher

Rachel Tomas Morgan

Occupation: College professor and administrator

Karen White

Occupation: Retired college administrator

The outgoing mayor has argued that South Bend has transformed from (what some labeled) a dying city to one with robust development and population gain. Do you agree with this assessment of the past seven years? If so, what will you do to continue this progress? If not, why not, and what needs to be done differently?

Grove: I will say, Im in the middle on this question. I do not believe our city is a dying city, but I do not believe it is currently one with robust development and population gain. South Bend is a very different city since our Mayor took office 7 years ago, some good, some bad. It depends on how and what youre looking at. The city has been beautified in much of downtown, which is great and has brought more tourism into downtown, but many of our neighborhoods have been forgotten. Our corridors leading into downtown are also always a mess, with potholes deep enough to pop a tire. We have been using the same cheap asphalt to repair our roads for years, and unfortunately it doesnt last more than a couple of months. There are now much better options to fix our roads, and while they may be a bit more expensive, these options have been proven to last months or years.

Hackett: I believe that certain areas have benefited, but other areas have deteriorated. Until all of South Bend neighborhoods reflect the dream of every citizen we have not achieved that goal.

Hamann: South Bend has come a long way since 2011, and by any metric there is a lot to be proud of. The last few years have seen a revitalized downtown, investment in growing industries, and a spirit of optimism for the future. It could easily have turned out differently, so this should be celebrated. At the same time, I walk around the citys great neighborhoods, and I dont see the same change and growth. People are struggling to make it. They cant find a job with a living wage. They are struggling to afford the basic necessities of rent, food, clothing, and medicine. We need to lift these people so that they, too, can participate in the renaissance of this city.

Tomas Morgan: We all stand on the shoulders of giants. Where we are as a city today is because of the hard work and collective effort of previous mayors, neighborhood and business leaders, and members of Council over the decades. I will work hard, using all the tools available to me as a Council member, to build on the momentum of our citys economic development and ensure that it is inclusive, reaching across neighborhoods and all segments of our community.

White: The people of South Bend and the surrounding communities have heart, passion, and determination. When anyone tried to count South Bend out, we have proven that person wrong! (This includes being labeled a dying city). We have experienced robust development and population gain. I agree with the Mayors assessment of the past seven years up to a certain point. I have and will continue to stand on the premise that our city cannot be a great city without great neighborhoods. Our city cannot be a great city until all citizens are fully engaged. Our city cannot be a great city until all of our citizens voices are heard. It follows then, that it is imperative that we continue to address and align our resources to build strong inclusive neighborhoods with affordable housing, continue with job creation, and foster economic development for all. As well as create and foster better relationship with our police department city wide.

What, if anything, can the Common Council do to tackle the problems of poverty and homelessness in the city of South Bend?

Grove: As mentioned above, I would like to head up a housing project for our homeless. I believe that if we focus on economic development, it will help with the issues of poverty and homelessness. We need to focus on supporting our small businesses, as well as bringing in larger businesses, therefore creating more jobs. As for the housing project, ideally I would like to build a tiny house village, or apartment complex, where the residents will pay rent based on income. Ideally they would be given 3 months to find a job, which we will help them with (either by driving them to workone, helping them with their resume, or whatever else is necessary to help them succeed.) Again I am almost out of characters to fully explain this, but if you have any questions about this project, please ask. I will be trying to do this whether I am elected, or not.

Hackett: As a Common Council member, we should be attracting businesses. We also should be promoting small businesses in our local community. Once we have equitable employment for all we can drive out poverty.

Hamann: I have been and will continue to be a strong advocate for the homeless. There is a myriad of reasons why someone ends up on the streets, and we need to do all we can to help them. It is imperative for us to establish a fully-funded day center where the homeless can have access to all available services and which provides shelter if needed. Additionally, more housing is needed for those currently living on the streets. Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. My wage policy will address many of the issues around poverty.

Tomas Morgan: Through my work at Notre Dame, I teach on themes of global poverty and development. I partner with organizations around the world, helping to resource and build their capacity to address the problems that affect their communities. Solutions to tackle poverty must be local and come from the very people effected to give voice and agency. Poverty, and homelessness as a symptom of poverty, is multi-faceted and requires multi-faceted approaches that address economic, social, political, and cultural dimensions of the human person for effective poverty eradication. Furthermore, if we understand poverty in terms of deprivations and disparities, than the role of municipal government is to use all financial and legislative tools available partnering creatively to tackle deprivations in education, health, housing; to incentivize and generate employment; and to further address inequalities in freedoms and opportunities for the poor to achieve economic security and social inclusion.

White: The Common Council and the administration are working together to address the problems of poverty and homelessness in our city. Clearly there is need for permanent support housing for the chronically homeless. Including the creation of a social service system to support long-term drug addiction and mental health needs. The Racial Divide Initiative at Prosperity Now in partnership with the City of South Bend developed a profile to analyze how racial economic inequality affects South Bend. The findings were not encouraging for communities of color. We must develop strategies to strengthen our economy for all our residents. The Racial Wealth Divide report also stated that the racial economic inequality must be at the forefront of our economic development plan. The success of our community is directly related to the financial stability of our citizen for all our citizens. Key challenges are economic development and household income in our low-income neighborhoods.

Is the city doing enough to reduce youth- and gang -related gun violence, and if not, what should the city try?

Grove: No, I personally dont believe we are doing enough... This question comes right back to the issue of being short on police officers. We need to have more officers patrolling our neighborhoods, as well as downtown. This also comes back to my economic development view, which suggests that bringing in more jobs will curb the violence. The detox center is another answer. I do apologize for being repetitive here, but I firmly believe that if we find solutions for our unemployment and drug issues, there will be a significant drop in violence. People will be clean from drugs, and employed, so they wont feel the need to burglarize homes and businesses, or even kill for drugs and valuables. We also need to implement more mentoring programs for our youth so they will feel less need to be affiliated with gangs and other violence based organizations.

Hackett: No, we are not. I was a South Bend Police Officer for 11 years. Crime has risen since I have left. To reduce youth-related crime we have to engage with them in school. We have to have a plan B or C for them. If college is not right for them, then we need trade schools for them.

Hamann: Statistics may indicate that violent crime is down in the city. However, it is also true that the current crime rate is unacceptable. Moreover, while numbers may say one thing, peoples perceptions of safety in South Bend matter deeply. And the perception is that the crime rate is high. A way to address the perceived lack of safety may be with an increased police presence in the downtown. I would continue to focus on and actually strengthen the community policing which has garnered positive results in multiple cities. Youth programs which teach conflict management and peaceful resolution have been very successful. It is also true that a lack of resources creates inferior educational opportunities for households in poverty. Families mired in poverty tend to fall into self-fulfilling prophecies regarding their future. They become discouraged by the lack of economic opportunity, choosing instead to fight for themselves.

Tomas Morgan: City leaders at all levels need to understand the depth and breadth of the public safety problem, strategies and practices in other communities, and what has worked and hasnt in our own community. There are no magic programs to pull us out of this problem. There are talented and committed leaders throughout our community who must have support to help address this problem.

The City needs to stay committed to the Group Violence Intervention and remain engaged with the National Network for Safe Communities and other networks through which we can share best practices to promote safety. The Council should continue funding in multiple departments promoting outreach and intervention to youth and young men at risk. Elected officials must support best practices in policing by providing the necessary funding, and by being present at events which strengthen relationships between police and community.

White: Gun violence is an urgent, complex, and multifaceted public health issue. Violence anywhere in our city affects all of our city. We must address this urgent issue from a community perspective. The lost of one life to gun violence is unacceptable. As we have experienced a rise in crime this year, specifically in murders and aggravated assaults compared to this time last additional resources, collaboration and intentional focus on this issue is needed. With the increase in violence more resources are needed. We must develop comprehensive programs in collaboration with residents, businesses, educational institutions, our police department, community stakeholders, and social services to broaden the discussion regarding violence. There is a need to expand programs such as GVI, SAVE and other preventive and intervention programs Solutions to gun violence must take into account the effects of law enforcement, poverty, and mass incarceration on communities of color just to name a few.

The recent fatal shooting of a black suspect by a white police officer, along with continued allegations of officers engaged in racist conversations on the so-called police tapes, have sparked increased conversation about mistrust between local police and minority communities. What must be done to improve those relationships?

Grove: Its sad that in todays world, theres still racism. Unfortunately, there will always be some form of racism, bigotry, etc. and its difficult to change minds when thats how people are raised.

However, these practices are unacceptable in any type of public servant. Police, fire, government employees, etc. are held to the responsibility that we need to take care of everyone, not just our own. It shouldnt be acceptable in anyone, but especially our public servants, who serve the people.

As a member of the common council, if Im elected, I promise transparency, and I would want to be on the committee to investigate allegations such as these. I will do my best to lead by example in this sense... ONE city. ONE people. ALL voices. South Bend should not be all about one race, political party, or sexual orientation. We are all human. We all bleed the same blood.

I only have 1,000 characters to answer this question. You could give me 10,000 and I still wouldnt be finished. Theres SO

Hackett: For the police tapes issue, fire everyone involved and take legal action against everyone involved. As for the officer-involved shooting, I can not speak about the incident because I may be called in to testify.

Hamann: This and all seemingly senseless deaths should sadden us all. There is a great deal of conversation around a focus on diversity hires within the police department. We should be cognizant of the latest research which state clearly that police department culture has more to do with white on black and black on black violence. Not that I think department diversity is a bad thing but it is certainly not a cure all. Our police department should attend cultural training and their should be a strong push toward development of neighborhood relationships and structured activities within these neighborhoods for the police to interact with local residents and local teens.

Tomas Morgan: Relationships take time and they take commitment. We all know this. As difficult as it is to measure, City and law enforcement leaders need to clearly prioritize building trust with community, and community leaders and community members must create specific, active ways to engage police officers. We must learn from the many other communities who are struggling with this, and seek to implement effective strategies for increasing communication and meaningful interaction.

Recruiting a new, diverse generation of officers into the police force could accelerate the building of relationships of trust in many sectors of our community. Visibly strengthening our accountability mechanisms such as the Board of Public Safety and simultaneously making them more visible and transparent would be signs of good faith on the part of the City which could help officers to develop community relationships.

White: The recent fatal shooting of a black suspect by a white police officer has challenged our city as never before. Coupled with the police tapes and allegations of racist conversations by some officers. Our city has acknowledged that significant work lies ahead in order to build trust between local police and communities of color. The concerns over implicit bias and the use of body cameras became a point of debate and the public outcry for justice. In response, the city has hosted a number of public safety meetings to foster input as well as, to listen to our residents concerns and recommendations. Much still remains. Discussions about implicit bias, recruitment and retention of minority officers, police-community relationships community policing initiatives, to accountability measures must continue. Public Safety must be one of our top priorities moving forward. We must stop the damaging cycle of violence and hardship in our communities by treating the root of the problem

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Where they stand: South Bend at-large council candidates share their views on the issues - South Bend Tribune