Thanks to Everyone who supported me!

I want to thank everyone who supported me during the primary election. I would not be telling the truth if I said I was not stunned by the results of the election. Approximately 5% of the voters choose the Republican candidate for Mayor, with a turnout of about 1480 voters.

I simply don't know where I failed. I have 8 months remaining and during that remaining time I will try to complete some of the goals I had wanted to see finished.

I will be taking the next few days to review where we fell short of getting our message out. I do know that a core group of individuals that personally despise me, and what we were trying to accomplish, were very active and vocal in the public. It is difficult to dispel such groundless personal attacks and lies. Dirty politics are alive and well in Connersville.

Thanks again for your support and your kind words of encouragement.

The Day Before the Primary.......

From the moment I first filed for re-election for Mayor, I promised my family and everyone that was connected to my campaign that I would run with the dignity and respect that the office deserves. I have tried to speak directly to the issues and not the egos that have been connected to this primary race.

I had hoped, perhaps naively so, that this election would be like the past City Council district 3 and Mayor races I had run in previous years. My previous Mayors race against Mr. Scott Bevington in 2003 , while spirited was amicable. In the General Election against Mr. Bernie Crispin, was very friendly and we enjoyed appearing together to discuss our plans for the city and our viewpoints. Both Bevington and Crispin realized that campaigns do not need to be personal. It is my opinion that they were actually running to make a positive difference in their community, not to show everyone that they were "better then the Mayor" or settling a personal score.

I am proud to say I have kept that promise. Unfortunately, others connected to this primary election cannot say the same. I have had dozens of my yard signs stolen from their home and business owner approved locations. Some business owners that had asked for my signs have been harassed, threatened and coerced into removing my political signs. Numerous professionally made signs were placed in key positions throughout the city, including my residence in the dark of night stating "ANYONE BUT MAX!".

None of these tactics have deterred me from my campaign plan, which is to focus on the issues facing Connersville. Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, I can rest well knowing that I ran a positive campaign and did not resort to such juvenile tactics under the cover of darkness.

Join Us at Party on the Square!

The weather held off nicely Saturday and Sunday proves to be a specatular day to visit the festivities at Party on the Square. There is live entertainment and lots of things to see and do. Sarah Over, Donna Schroeder, Rick Lemen and all the folks working on the Party on the Square committee have done a great job. So stop in and see what's going on downtown this Sunday.

National Day of Prayer

May 3rd, 2007 is dedicated as the national day of prayer. At Noon today at the Fayette County Court House citizens of all ages gathered together to hear members of the Fayette County Ministerial Association, Connersville Fire Department, State Police, Mayor, and others to remember our nation in their daily devotionals and prayers. I was honored to once again to have been asked to read a Proclaimation declaring today "America, Unite in Prayer".

Music was provided by the Eastview School Choir grades 3 - 5 and lead by Ms. Teresa Lewis, Director. The children sang two selection "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America".

I appreciate all those that worked so hard to bring this celebration of prayer to the citizens of Connersville.

Judge for yourself.......

Being Mayor means more than just lip service and talking the talk, you have to walk the walk! Judge for yourself whether or not being respectful to everyone means everyone, not just your friends appearing before council asking for special treatment!

> CLICK HERE <

Less Then One Week To Go!

With only 7 days left to the primary election time is running short to get our message out. I have not been able to make BLOG entries as often as I would like due to the fact I have had a city to run! But be assured that there have been many things happening since my last entry.

First, good news from Washington D.C.! We have received news that our application to extend TAA services to displaced workers (not just Visteon, but others displaced due to foreign competition) have been approved. This is GREAT news for Connersville workers.

Second, I talked with a retail developer that is moving forward and anxious to start their plans to bring a retail complex to the North End of Connersville. Not going to happen you say?? Is happening I say!! Sorry Mr. Negativity but the plans for the new retail area are moving forward!!!!

Thirdly, we met with representitves of University of Michigan to help with our local jobs situation and how to improve expand our job attraction process. There will be several meetings with a number of individuals and groups throughout the community that will help to define our strengths and weaknesses and how to improve both.

All for now!

Another Unsolicited Letter of Support

Writer urges voters to retain Ellison

William A. Nesbitt

Connersville News-Examiner

The upcoming primary election may be the most important election for a mayor that has occurred in the city of Connersville. It is of utmost importance for the economic well being of this city that the current administration stay in office. The people have chosen. They chose Max Ellison. He has done a superb job in an extremely difficult position.

When the people chose Max, they chose someone of high integrity, a great work ethic, a wealth of knowledge about how city government works, and a huge desire to better this city. I know of no one who wants anything more then to bring new jobs into this area.

Max has worked, with great economic hardship to himself, long hours diligently pursuing all prospects of new economic activity. Let's not ruin this progress with negativity. Let's re-elect one of the best mayors this city has seen. All this from a confirmed Democrat.

Listen to the New Campaign Radio Spot

If you would like to listen to my NEW Campaign Radio spot, click here! Then click on the Audio Play Button or "Play in Pop-Up". Depending on your Internet connection it might take a minute to load so please be patient.

Washington D.C. visit paying dividends

2 U.S. Senators Request Aid for Visteon Workers

I was delighted to read the article in local newspapers regarding the letter sent by Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh to the Department of Labor asking for TAA for the workers at the local Visteon plant.

This is exactly what we asked for when we went to D.C. to ask for their assistance in pushing the request for assistance for local displaced workers.

This could potentially help with health care, extended unemployment and job training.

Click on the title above to view the full article.

Local Citizens Write in to Newspaper.

Recently in the "Letter to the Editor" of the Connersville News-Examiner

April 20, 2007

OUR READERS WRITE
Ellison gets support in primary race

RICHARD WOOD
Connersville
Since Max Ellison has been mayor, there have been major improvements. We now have a park pool and a theater to be proud of and our children can enjoy themselves.
Max has worked diligently with our state government to improve Connersville and bring jobs to our community. He has met with Gov. Mitch Daniels several times to remind him of our struggling times. He has always returned with new contacts and a positive outlook
Max appeared on "Inside Indiana Business" and went to Washington to promote our community. Max has a large agenda to accomplish and I feel that he has earned that right. I want our town to flourish and I 'can not think of anyone who has worked as hard as Max.
We need to continue the momentum without pause, because if a new mayor is voted in, we will have to start over and that will be a grave injustice to our community.


• Urban not the man to run city, writer says

Susie Taylor
Connersville
Leonard Urban has been on council for the last three years and hasn't accomplished anything for his district up north. How can he seriously be considered running for mayor?
Councilman Urban did attend a recent APC meeting and talked against a new shopping area getting zoning for property behind his home and the motel that he owned. He also got special treatment for one of his friends by changing city ordinances that now allows, a business to be opened in a residential area with out the owner living in the residential business.
It doesn't take a genius to see that he is only interested in taking care of himself and his friends.

Faith in Connersville.

The quote "Theres' a sucker born every minute" has often been attributed to the famous circus man, P.T. Barnum.



Actually, the quote was made by the less well known, famous con-man Joseph ("Paper Collar" Joe) Bessimer and the actual quote was:

"There's a sucker born every minute..., and two to take 'em"

I was out today picking up some things from a local Department Store and someone I knew asked me if I was concerned about winning the Primary. I responded "not really". He gave me a curious look and I proceeded to tell him why. As I drove home I thought, "If someone only caught the first part of that conversation, I'll bet they thought I was either very confident or very arrogant". The simple truth of the matter is, I have a lot of confidence in the people of Connersville. And I also have confidence in the process.

In a small town like Connersville, people know each of us that are running for office. People here in Connersville know of our history, they know our character, they also know whether we have integrity and they definitely know if we walk the walk, or just talk the talk!

I also think the people of Connersville are a lot smarter then some of the folks running for office give them credit for. While I have said many times that education is important, that does NOT mean I think the citizens of Connersville are dumb! To the contrary, I think when it comes to common sense, we rank pretty high on the scale here.

And that 's why I have a lot of faith in the citizens of Connersville, they can see through the hype, the smoke and mirrors and see things for what they really are.

Most people see what has been accomplished in Connersville over the last few years, the plans we have for the future and will not fall for empty guarantees and promises. We have accomplished some good things here, and I know we will continue our work for the next four years.

Telling Slips of the Tongue.

During the recent taping of the Candidates Forum we as candidates had the opportunity to share with the voters what plans and visions we have for the future of Connersville. Both on my website and during that taping, I have tried to share my hopes and aspirations for our community. I also spoke about what I would like to see accomplished in the next four years and how I planned to accomplish those goals.

The Director of CTV 3 offered each candidate a copy of the DVD or Tape of the forum prior to its showing on Sunday evening and I was anxious to see what the other candidates had to offer voters. I will leave it to the voters to make the final determination on May 8th as to who is the best choice to lead the city for another four (4) years.

What amazed me was that no one else took advantage of their time to offer the voters a plan to keep the city moving forward, or to offer a viable plan to make the city better.

I did hear the use of the word "I" a lot during one particular candidate’s presentation.

As Mayor, "I" cannot do or accomplish anything without a majority of City Council's blessing and approval. As Mayor, it is my job to build a positive consensus among City Council and bring at least a majority (4) of the Council members to support my ideas or the direction I would like to see a particular issue go.

"We" have accomplished much as an administration over the last 3 1/2 years. I say "we" because each time an issue was considered at Council, at least 4 others voting members must have agreed to achieve our goal.

It is the job of Mayor to bring ideas, goals, vision and leadership to the other elected officials they serve with and hopefully build understanding and to be of one accord when making decisions for the community. Even then sometimes the Council is split in their views and individual members seek alternative solutions to the same problem. That is where a Mayor’s leadership skills are at their most important.

One thing is for sure, there is no room for “I” when it comes to making the city a better place, dealing with people or attracting new jobs. The Mayor can neither take all the credit, nor take all the blame for what has or has not been accomplished. It must be “WE” or we are never going to accomplish much!

As corny as it may sound, "there is no "I" in TEAM". Someone has to want to be a team player in order to be a part of that team. Just as there can not be two coaches on a team, there couldn't be two Mayor over the last 3 1/2 years. You can't be Q.B. Payton Manning and Coach Tony Dungy at the same time. As in Grade School, Middle School and High Schools sports the coaches require their players to show up for practice and can't miss 20% of the "team practices" and then expect to be a starter. Some people just don't understand that!

Mayor's Responsibilities

The mayor is the chief executive officer of the city and is responsible for all operations of city departments. He also presides over the Common Council, which constitutes the city's legislative branch. The mayor's term of office is four years with no restrictions on the number of terms served. A candidate for mayor must have been a resident of Connersvillefor at least one year. The mayor must reside within the city of Connersville.
The Mayor's powers and duties include:
• Enforcing the ordinances of the city and the statutes of the state
• Providing a "State of the City" summary to the Common Council at least once per year
• Providing information regarding city affairs that the Common Council requests
• Recommending action to the Common Council
• Preparing the city budget based on information provided by the Clerk-Treasurer
• Calling special meetings of the Common Council when necessary
• Supervising subordinate officers
• Signing all bonds, deeds, contracts and licenses issued by the city
• Approving or vetoing ordinances and resolutions of the Common Council (veto power subject to Council override, may be exercised on an item basis on appropriation measures)
• Appointing heads of executive departments and many board and commission members
• Suspending or removing officers or employees appointed by the Mayor
• Setting the salaries of appointed officials and employees, subject to Common Council approval
• Adopting rules and regulations for individual departments and conducting meetings department heads
• Solemnizing marriages

Candidate Forum Taped.

The Candidates Forum was taped this evening in the CTV 3 studio. All the incumbants and challengers had their time in front of the camera. It will be interesting to see how everyone did.

This will be the first opportunity for the public to see how the candidates answer questions and how they view their role in city government. To view this taping, watch CTV 3 for air times.

More on this later...............

Lincoln - Reagan Dinner...

Another Lincoln - Reagan dinner has come and gone. This years dinner was very nice. Of course, with it being an election year attendance was up but I think a lot of the credit goes to our new Chairman and his Vice-Chair John and Lena Pause. The dinner has traditionally been a fundraiser for the party and is an important kick off function to unify the party just prior to the primary election.

Congressman Mike Pence gave a very eloquent and exciting speech and their were over 13 ovations from the crowd as he spoke about issues ranging from property taxes to the war in Iraq and the Mid-East. I must say, he does a pretty good impression of G.W. but it was all done in good taste and fun.

There were over 175 people in attendance and I believe everyone had a very good time. The Committee to Re-Elect Mayor Ellison place a new T-Shirt at every place setting and everyone seemed to really appreciate the gesture. Another big hit of the evening was the printed program was one of the nicest sovenigner programs I've seen at this type of function. Good job Pause's and thanks Brunsman Graphics!

Never Truer!

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true. Nathaniel Hawthorne US Author (1804 - 1864)

Even though this quote has been attributed to Nathantiel Hawthorne nearly 150 years ago, it still holds truth today. There are those that feel that the comments they make today, will not be compared to the comments they made one (1) year ago, or even a few months ago.

Candidates Forum

There will be a Candidates Forum at the CTV 3 Studio's on Thursday March 12th. The Forum will be taped and re-broadcast on Channel 3 TV several time until the election on May 8th. This will give people an opportunity to see first hand how the candidates respond to questions and how informed they are about issues here in Connersville.

Questions for the Forum will be provided by the Connersville News-Examiner and Daryl Smith will be the moderator. I look forward to hearing what the other candidates have to offer.

The Signs Are Out!

Well, Sunday morning will see the majority of the Max for Mayor signs are out. A crew of about 10 volunteers made the rounds and put the signs in strategic locations. While you won't see 500 signs out in vacant home yards and 2-3 signs per yard, I think there are enough out to get the message across that I'm running again for Mayor.

And just like everyone agreed, we put ours out exactly 30 days prior to the primary election.

Thanks again to all the volunteers that helped, and Diana for organizing the work party!

Keep the Momentum Going!

It's amazing how many people have talked to me in the grocery, department stores and restuarants about the upcoming election. Nearly all tell me to "keep up the good work" and "we need to keep the momentum going". I can't help but think we are doing something right, and the people of Connersville are noticing. One lady in particular comes to mind, she thanked me for getting a property cleaned up on here block, That alone she said "was worth keeping you in office". I thought that was a hoot!

It's funny what people consider important when selecting who will get their vote. Some people want someone who will save tax dollars. And we have done that to the tune of $1,500,000.00+ last year alone. Some people want a clean neighborhoods, and that has been an ongoing priority since taking office. Some people want their streets paved, and we sure have done quite a lot of that in the last 3 1/2 years. And some even DIDN'T want their streets paved, and complained about it when we paved their street. Sometimes it's difficult to figure out, but we keep trying!

Everyone is looking for something when trying to select who they will be voting for with their elected officials. I guess the simplest way to determine who to vote for is to ask yourself, who's doing the MOST for the majority of citizens. And who's doing the MOST for "themselves and their little circle of friends". If you've watched Channel 3 TV for any length of time, it is fairly apparent what the answer is to that question!

Goodness knows every decision I have made has not been exactly perfect. Sometimes, when I have been given some additional information, or found that perhaps some of original my imformation used was bad, I have changed my mind. I think ANY public official that is so egotistical that they can't admit their wrong and change their minds isn't much of a public servant at all!

So I'll continue trying to "keep the momentum going" and make the best decisions possible, with the information I have.

Thank you Supporters!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all those supporters that have contributed their time and funds to my re-election efforts. You can't imagine how uplifting it is to know that there are so many people out there that are rooting for me. Your notes of encouragement always seem to come at just the right time and it is very much appreciated. A special thanks to Renee', Di and all the "team" that are quietly working to get the message out. Without everyone's help, I simply couldn't do everything needed to run for my second term in office and still effectively run the city. I am very much looking forward to 4 more years.

Signs a Sore Spot on Many Peoples Mind!

I continue to be asked "when are you putting your signs out". My reply has been "when I am allowed too". A recent letter to the editor took one candidate to task for jumping the gun by over 1 full month and putting his signs out too early and too many. Another stipulation of political signs is that no more then 5 signs in any residential block are to be placed. I have observed signs in un-occupied houses yards, 2 and 3 of the same sign in a single yard, and the most curious, several signs of different candidates running for the same office in the same yard.

This makes me even more convinced that people here in Connersville are nice folks, and don't want to tell a candidate NO I prefer not to have your sign in my yard. Therefore they let everyone who asks put a sign out. I'll say it again, signs do not vote! As a matter of fact, given the phone calls, recent letter to the editor and number of people complaining to me in person, it may actually hurt the candidate who abuses the sign rules!

As for me, I'm happy too follow the guidelines, 30 days prior to the primary and 5 of a candidates signs per residential block is way more then enough time and placement! But hey, that's just me.........

New T-Shirts to be out soon!

The new design for T-Shirts has just been unvieled. Looks clean, simple and I must say rather nice! If you would like a T-Shirt to wear drop me a line and I will see that you get one! Only one catch, you have to promise to wear it! The T-Shirts will be a nice quality and in size Large and Xtra large. I have found that most people like their T-Shirts a let baggy. I know I prefer a more relaxed and comfortable fit, so I always grab a large. They will be available the first of next week, so you should start seeing them around soon after that. I'm sure their going to be verrrrry popular, so you better get me an email fast to reserve your T-shirt!

New Calendar Feature

I have added a NEW calendar feature to my web Site. I will update it on a regular basis and this will give the visitors an opportunity to see upcoming events throughout the campaign. If you have anything you would like to see added to the calendar, just drop me a line at:

contact@reelectmayorellison.com

Up on the Hill...........

What a day. It started at 5:30am Tuesday morning, with a breakfast meeting with the Connersville Community Delegation made up of John Pavy IUE-CWA president, Bill Goins IUE-CWA trustee, Ray Naseman Sr. H.R. Manager Visteon Systems LLC, Bill Groce IUE-CWA Delegate, Doug Howard EDG, and Mayor Max. Since each of the Senators and Congressmen were gracious enough to schedule us time on a very busy session day, we talked about our "game plan" for the day, and we each carefully went over our segment of the message we wanted to share with the Senators and Congressmen. We had limited time with each of them and their staff, so we wanted to be as prepared as possible.

Our first appointment was at 10:00am and we had a bit of a walk to the Russell Building on the hill from our Hotel. We first met with the Congressman Mike Pence's senior staffer's and within a few minutes was joined by Mr. Pence between other meetings. Next, we had some time between meetings, so we walked from Mr. Pence's office to Grand Central Station and grabbed a bite of lunch and again went over our game plan for the next meeting. We grabbed our gear and off to Senator Bayh's office again meeting first with senior staffer's and soon Mr. Bayh came in we again explained we were concerned about Visteon employees receiving TAA and TRA benefits. We were running late and it was a bit of a walk to Senator Lugar's office. This time however, we met Senator Lugar first, and then only briefly in his outer office.We were then ushered out to a makeshift conference room to meet with his senior staff members.

Unfortunately, Senator Lugar was called to another meeting and was unable to sit and discuss our concerns. However his staff was very impressive, they listened to our concerns and had already talked to the other senior staffer's from our previous meetings that day. They also had started gathering information about federal and state programs for displaced workers and had been briefed by the other offices. Needless to say, we were all pretty impressed by the fact that the different offices were communicating that closely in such a short time frame.

In all this, we came away from those meetings feeling that we had accomplished what we came to do. We also came away with the assurance that the Congressmen and Senators were aware of the situation in Connersville and Fayette County and were more then willing to offer their help in any way they could. I had follow-up emails waiting for me when I got home that evening with even more answers and some additionals resources that we will be investigating for Visteon workers.

Tomorrow (Friday) we are meeting to debrief and map out our follow-up strategy. I'll be adding more information to the blog after that meeting and give you all some views from the other members of the delegation. Right now though I'll say I feel like the meeting was very productive Connersville and Visteon employees and we will be getting help from D.C.

Waiting for my flight back home......

As I sit at NWA Gate #A-6 at the Ronald Reagan airport waiting for my flight home, I can't help but think about the days events. Sometimes it's hard to believe that I am the Mayor of my hometown, much less sitting at in Washington D. C., the capital of our nation, just having spent the day with Congressmen and Senators. I actually caught myself sitting here with a goofy smile on my face thinking, "is this a great country or what?"

Now I realize that being the Mayor of a rural Indiana town isn't the same thing as being the President of the United States, or the King of England but it sure feels like it as I sit here waiting for my flight back to a place I truly love, Connersville. I know that may sound hokey, but I realize it even more when I'm away.

Having been born in Connersville and raised by my grandparents, growing up in Offutt's Park, looking back it was a pretty great time in my life. Everybody who wanted a job had one, and they made decent money. At least enough money to raise their kids and make a better life for them then perhaps many of them had themselves as kids growing up. I could have never fathomed back then that someday I would actually be the "Mayor" of the City of Connersville. It's just something that a kid doesn't think about. We were all too busy playing kick ball, baseball and riding our bikes to think about where the city's trash went and who it was that cut the grass in the Offutt's Park playground that we played on everyday, much less who it was that managed the city's services. Even as a young father working at Roots, at the same time my wife and I trying to get our own business off the ground, I wasn't interested in local municipal politics. I was like most of the people in Connersville, I was to busy making a living and trying to raise a family as best I could.

Even after our business was well established, the only time I thought about local government was at election time. Did I personally know the individual running for City Council or Mayor? Who I thought was the best choice was based mostly upon my personal knowledge of the candidates or what I read in the evening paper. And now here I am, Mayor. As my kids used to say "who'd a thunk it?"


So here I sit in our nations capital with a couple of hours on my hands thinking about the upcoming city elections and all the things I need to do in preperation for the campaign. As I sit here with that goofy grin on my face waiting for my flight home, I realize I've already done the most important thing I could ever do to prove that I should be Mayor for the next 4 years. I have done what my grandparents taught me to do all those years ago. To be a person of character, to be honest and to always do the very best I can. As your Mayor I feel have done that.

In the final analysis, it will be the voters that will determine whether or not I keep the job you elected me to do alomst 4 years ago. And that is exactly as it should be. Whatever the outcome is I will always be proud of the fact that for a awhile I was the Mayor of Connersville, and to me that's something to be very proud of!

Mayor Ellison Appears on Inside INdiana TV Program

I was asked to appear this Sunday on WISH-TV on Inside INdiana with Gerry Dick. I was invited to talk about the impact of the Visteon plant closing and how the recent Indalex announcement may be a sign of better things to come in Connersville and Fayette County. With the Indalex announcement, the Agri-Energy park and several other announcement waiting to be finalized, Connersville may be seeing the beginning of a positive new era of business and jobs attraction for Connersville.

If you didn't catch the broadcast, a portion of the program can be seen on Inside INdiana Business official website by cutting and pasting this address into your web browser. http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/default.asp

We're Headed to Washington D.C.

A delegation of I.U.E union officials, Visteon Administration, EDG and Mayor Ellison are flying to Washington D.C Monday afternoon. We will have meetings Tuesday with Congressmen Dick Lugar, Mike Pence, Evan Bayh and Barron Hill. The purpose of the meeting is to request that all displaced workers from Visteon receive TAA (Trade Adjustment Allowance), TRA (trade readjustment allowance) and other benifits due to the recent announcment of Visteons decision to close the Connersville facility. While the announcment of Visteons closing is not directly related to NAFTA, it is a direct result of jobs leaving do to the lose of jobs to foreign pressures.

Under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, workers whose employment is adversely affected by increased imports may apply for TAA. TAA includes a variety of benefits and reemployment services to help unemployed workers prepare for and obtain suitable employment. Workers may be eligible for training, a job search allowance, a relocation allowance, and other reemployment services. Additionally, trade readjustment allowances (TRA) may be payable to eligible workers following their exhaustion of unemployment benefits.

One positive note of encouragement is that all 4 Congressmen and their staff noted that this is the first time they can recall that representitives of all facets of a community including labor, government, company administration and Economic development officials, will be coming to meet with them in a unified coalition. This shows that by all of us working together for a common goal can we can achieve a greater impact and a more successful request for help here in our area.

We hope to come back to Connersville with good news not only for the 900 jobs that will be lost, but also for the scores of other displaced Visteon workers that lost their jobs other the past several years.

Better to remain silent.......

One of several famous quotes I often reflect upon is, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to speak and remove all doubt". This famous quote has been attributed to several people, such as Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstien and even Groucho Marx. A recent "Letter to the Editor" brought this quote immediately to mind. It seems the writer was upset with just about everything and everybody. This is but one of a handful of recent letters leveled at the current city and county administrations, he even doesn't like the new swimming pool or the street lights on Park Road.

He even dredges up the wheel tax, wow that's a blast from the past! But since you are the one to bring it up, the WHEEL TAX is a county tax, for county roads voted in by the COUNTY COMMISSIONERS years ago. To my knowledge not for city streets, which is yet another perception you have that is wrong. For the record, I don't like paying it either, but I've moved on.

We're all doomed!!!! That's the message these folks like to spread, and to be honest at least one candidate for Mayor is singing this same tune. The trouble is, these folks just don't get it. They don't know the facts.

For example, the Miller Center was gifted (in large part) by the Miller family. And yes, before you blow a gasket, we do have some debt on the community building but the fact is, it is paid for by the REVENUE the Miller Center collects from rentals and functions there. As for the pool, are you kidding? You are kidding right? You only need to actually drive by the pool this summer to realize that it was a minor expense compared to the enjoyment the families of our community recieves by having a place for families to spend recreational time. The "high dollar loop" around town was actually started in the mid-1960's and has been substantially paid for by federal and state monies.

As for the "Mayor's pay raise" well, I don't have a vote on that one, nor ANY raises for elected officials. That responsibility falls upon the City Council to approve or disapprove. Had our "informed letter writer" taken the time to gather the facts, or to even watch the CTV3 broadcasted council meetings, I actually argued AGAINST the pay raise the council proposed. Again, fact over fiction.

Now let me see, where does that leave us, oh yes..... The Mayor's tantrum over taxes. Where do these fairy tales come from? I would suggest that if anyone has the ability to legitimately reduce their property taxes maybe you should go to the courthouse and complain too. My home was being taxed as a commercial property even after closing my business to become Mayor, I simply asked to be treated as a residential property since I had officially closed my business but the difference was no where near 55%. I'm sure we would all appreciate our taxes being reduced even a slight amount. I am sorry if this has somehow offended anyone.

Next, the SECRET MEETINGS. Wow, that all sounds really covert and very mysterious doesn't it. But the FACT of the matter is, in todays business world any companies considering locating in Connersville (or any city) DEMAND that we keep things out of the public view until they make all their arrangement and finalize all the details. Heck there is nothing I'd love more then to blab the news, but I have to abide by the companies wishes to keep my silence.......

Perhaps, just perhaps Connersville has nothing to offer you, but I am sure a majority of the 15,400 people that currently live here, stay because they see a future in our city, and not the bleak, dark, sky is falling around our ears that you espouse. Maybe the Silver lining is here, you just refuse to see it. Funny thing is, I've never seen you at a single meeting to help improve our community, nor have I ever had the pleasure of seeing you attend a City Council meeting to get the facts.

Sign, Sign Everywhere A Sign......!

Several people have stopped and asked me "where are all your political signs?". The answer is, I have them, I just choose to honor the agreement made by the previous Central Committee Chairmen and wait 30 days prior to the election. Besides, just like everyone else, I get tired of seeing all the signs out in everyone's yards and properties. 30 days should be more then enough time for people to count how many signs a candidate puts out. Also, a political old timer once told me years ago, "signs don't vote!". Still some people think that signs are an important part of the political process. So you'll be seeing those ELLISON for MAYOR signs out the first week of April.

By the way, if you would like to have one of my signs, just let me know and I'll put you on my list of people wanting to support my campaign.

More Great News!

The first of what I hope to be several announcments was made this week. Indalex announced they are investing 22 million dollars in Connersville and will hire 60+ NEW employees. The Governor was here and reiterated that several other jobs projects are pending and he is excited about the direction that Connersville is going. Pretty positive comments from the Governor I'd say. Especially considering some people in our community that are running for office are ready to bury our community and put a headstone underneath the City Limits sign at all the entrances to our community!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about what is happening in Connersville. The County Commissioners voted to approve the re-zone for the Agri-Energy Park and we might see dirt being moved at the site in the very near future.

Why live in Connersville??!!??

Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to speak a few moments with a sharp young professional that asked me a rather pointed question. It wasn't that I had not heard the question before, it was simply the way he phrased it that made me stop a second and ponder an answer. He started by saying, "you know Mayor, I know that both your son and daughter and their spouses live out of Connersville. They are like a lot of people that were born and raised in Connersville and decided not to return home after college." Then came the question I have been asked many times before. "I have a degree, my wife has a degree and I ask myself, why should we live in Connersville"?

I thought about the answer to that question the rest of the day. And I have to admit, there is no "one size fits all" answer. Everyone living in Connersville is here for reasons that are as unique as each individual. Some are here to be close to family and relatives. Some are here because it's a safe place to raise a family. Some are here because the have invested in a home, or perhaps started a business. Everyone of us are here because we have choosen to be here rather then somewhere else. No one forces us to stay, we stay because we choose too.

When the young man asked me the question, it was as if he was looking for a legitimate reason to be here rather then an answer to why he stayed here. I am sure my answer wasn't really sufficient, but being a polite fellow he smiled, we finished our conversation and he left with the item he came to barrow for a few days.

Connersville is a comfortable community. And the facts are, even with all its percieved problems such as high property taxes, high utilities and high home costs, we still rank one of the lowest in the state for utilities and home costs are still a good value. Oh, the doomsdayers like to quote that the forclosure rate is the highest in the state and that there are an unprecidented number of houses for sale. But the facts just don't bare that out. I recently talked to several realators and they are setting record home sales for January and February 2007.

Personally, I'm here because I love this community. My wife and I could live about anywhere, and we choose to stay here. I have family here, and I raised my kids in a safe enviornment and built a successful business here. When I think of home, Connersville is what I see in my minds eye.

Only you can say why you stay, and maybe we need to ask ourselves that very question, "why do I stay here"? I'll bet if we compare our little city to others there are lots of good reasons we stay here. And if it is worth staying here, perhaps its worth being positive about and fighting for to make it even better?

My First Entry!

Well today marks the first entry into a new era in electronic information, well at least for me. Even though I have been dabbling in computers and the internet since the early 1980's, I've never taken the time to create a "blog". I thought with so many people having access to the interent this would be yet another great way to get our message out. I hope this blog is another "Positive Tool" that can dispell some of the rumors and otherwise false information that seems to surface, particularly during a local election.

I've been receiving a lot of complaints at city hall regarding political signs. People are wondering why they have been put out so early. Unfortunately, city ordinance states that political signs can be used "60 days prior to the election date". However, it has been a gentleman's agreement between Central Committee chairs that we should wait until 30 days to reduce the publics frustrations of having to look at these signs for the full 60 days.

If it were up to me, they would be banned completely. I realize that many people feel signs are a necessary part of the campaign process, but I know you are as tired of looking at them as I am and they only make the city look like a giant flea market. At the very least, I think we should honor the agreement made years ago, and only put them out 30 days before the election.