Portage mayoral rivals 'clarify' stands
Who's marching in Olson footsteps still at issue
NWI Times
Sep 23, 2007
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/portage-mayoral-rivals-clarify-stands/article_d60aeb8f-8224-5e10-9ea2-883b4ad20293.html
PORTAGE | Before explaining her stance on issues, Democratic mayoral candidate Olga Velazquez addressed some of what she said are "misleading and fear-based" comments made by Republican challenger James Snyder's campaign.
Velazquez said that while Snyder's billboards and other campaign literature insist he'll be "Continuing the legacy of Mayor Doug Olson," his comments earlier this week were no praise for Olson.
Snyder had remarked city leadership should be held responsible for Porter County's largest city not being included in plans for three hospitals.
"Mr. Snyder, you can't have it both ways," Velazquez told more than 100 supporters, including Mayor Doug Olson and former Mayor John Williams, at a Saturday campaign conference.
Snyder, contacted after the conference, said his comments about the responsibility of city leadership aren't solely focused on the mayor's office.
"There's more than one person representing the leadership. The City Council should have reacted," Synder said. "There are seven members, two are at-large. They represent the whole city."
As for using the mayor's name in his campaign even though Olson has endorsed Velazquez, Snyder said that while he may not agree with everything Olson has done, he wants to continue the same progressive attitude.
"If I look back on the past eight years, I wouldn't agree with everything I've done," Snyder said. "What I'm saying is there's a lot of good things he's done. I'm talking about moving the city forward in the light of what he's done."
Talking about her plans if elected in November, Velazquez said she'll continue to devote more resources to public safety, something she said she has done during her five years as a City Council member. She said she also would manage growth responsibly, oppose building more apartment complexes in the city and oppose privatizing city services.
If elected, Velazquez said she'll resign from her current job with Tri-City Mental Health and become a full-time mayor. Velazquez also said she won't accept a raise until her third year in office, leaving it to the electorate to decide if she deserves one.
After addressing the turn the campaign has taken, Velazquez said she hopes to be able to stay on message until the election.
"My message in the primary and my message now is to stay positive. But in the past few weeks, I felt it was necessary to address some of these comments," Velazquez said. "You can't control what others say about you, but sometimes you have to step up and clarify those misleading statements."
Snyder, though, maintains he campaign has stayed the course in highlighting his plans.
"My campaign's about the future of Portage. It's not about attacking Olga," Snyder said.
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