City Council Candidate Questions Week 3: Showboat and Community Relations

Each week we will be bringing you a candidate profile.  When we met with the five individuals seeking a seat on City Council this November we also gave them a list of questions.  Our questions were broken down into various topics of interest for the City of Lowell.  Each week we will be publishing our question(s) and their responses in their entirety giving our readers the opportunity to be introduced to one candidate but also see all candidate views on different subjects.   We thank all of the candidates for taking time to answer our questions and look forward to sharing their responses.

Answers to our question(s) will be show in alphabetical order by last name.  This week’s questions are about the Showboat and community relations.  We asked each candidate the following questions:

Showboat
1.  Do you support removing the name Robert E. Lee from the Showboat?  If yes, what should the boat be named?

2.  Should there have been a community discussion prior to removal before decommission of the current boat?  Should the City Council have voted on the name change or was it an appropriate decision for the city manager to make independently?

Community Relations
1.  How important is it for Lowell’s government to have a working relationship with Lowell Township and Vergennes Township?  If so, what should that relationship look like?

Response from Greg Canfield.

Showboat
I did and do support removal of REL name. I sensed that it was about a 50/50 split with residents, so there really was no good answer from a political standpoint but I did not want to see picketing or demonstrations that would bring the news camera’s to Lowell again over a negative issue. The Showboat is scheduled to be disassembled soon in a month or three, so there really wasn’t a strong positive to leaving it up other than puffing our chest out and being proud of not allowing national pressure and situations to influence our decision making. The possible negatives heavily outweighed the positives in my opinion.

I like “the Lowell Showboat” as it’s what we’ve called it for years anyways why not continue on with that tradition. The Blough family has confirmed Ivan did not want his name on it and we should respect that.

I don’t think there was time to have a public hearing on the subject and that would just attract more attention to something which didn’t deserve any attention. Although the city manager was responsible for the decision, the City Council was consulted and played a part in that decision.

Community Relations
It is very important for the City and the Townships to work together. Period, in case there was ever any doubt.  We are a community , defined, practically, by our school district and we need to share our resources and personnel to benefit the greater Lowell community. I think that it really is a three way partnership, with equal say by all three, which means 2/3rds majority rules. There are area’s where the city should be more in control but we are not defined by physical borders we are a community.

Response from Jake Davenport.

Showboat
I think the name should be more reflective of our community. Ivan Blough, who built the current showboat gave a lot of time and energy to our community. I think we should name the new showboat after him. I think it would be a great way to remember his legacy of helping to make Lowell a better community

I think there should have been some sort of community forum to discuss the issue. It was a sensitive issue no matter which side of the issue people were on. I think that there should have been more public input. I also think the timing was inappropriate. Since we will begin construction of the new showboat in the coming year or two, I think it would have been more appropriate to wait until the current showboat is decommissioned. I think it would have also saved on some of the controversy around the issue.

Community Relations
Governmentally, Vergennes township and Lowell township are separate from the city, but we are all part of the greater Lowell community. Because we are all part of the same community, we all should collaborate on how to grow our economies, how we can better serve our constituents and how we can better promote our community.

Response from Mike DeVore.

Showboat
I need to stress this. The Showboat was NOT renamed. The name plate was removed and will be donated to the Lowell Historical Museum as was the plan since the new Showboat became an idea. However, I understand the stigma in the “official” name. I have never personally called it the Robert E. Lee. I’ve simply known it as the Lowell Showboat, as have most of the members of our community.

In this instance, I think Mike Burns absolutely did the right thing. There were tragic events going on in this country and some people here, one with an online petition in particular, chose to attempt to bring the focus here. This Community doesn’t need that kind of negative attention, and should never have it. Taking down a name plate on what is essentially a pile of firewood at this point was the easy fix to a problem that never needed to be in the first place. We should be focusing all our energy and attention on how amazing the NEW Showboat is going to be, not a couple pieces of wood and some paint on an abandon one. But I understand the perception from outsiders.

Community Relations
I think it is very important. Lowell is not the City alone, or is it the Townships alone, it is the Lowell community. That is a benefit that not many places can brag. I’ve enjoyed very much working with Jerry and Tim and find that they are always available to exchange concerns and ideas. With essentially three different forms of government, it’s nice to have that collaboration. We have semi-regular “Vision” meetings and I enjoy the time. They should be more regular, in my opinion.

Response from Mark Ritzema.

 Showboat
I agree with the City Manager in regards that there will unhappiness on both sides of the issue and that we need to move away from any further bad press.  I also feel that there should be no name on the boat.  Just continue to call it the Lowell Showboat.

I do feel that since the boat was a city property that there should have been citizen input or discussion but again in this political correctness day and age, this would be a no win situation.

Community Relations
Cooperation and communication is important.  There are several shared projects with the townships and we must keep in contact to work together to maintain a healthy relationship.

 

Response from Jim Salzwedel.

Showboat
If it was felt by the City Manager that removing the name of Robert E. Lee from the Showboat was to protect other businesses and buildings from the threat of severe vandalism and destruction from outside groups, then the removal was done in good faith.

However, entering into an open discussion between the City Council, the public and the City Manager would have provided a path for other’s viewpoints and solutions to the matter.  Perhaps placing the lettering in our museum, alongside other existing museum showboat memorabilia, with an explanation as to why the name was removed, could give that action more of a historical accounting to the name removal.  In this day and age, with so many special interest groups arising, it is important to look a little deeper as to their purpose and decide if those special interest groups are there for the purpose of true integration of rights and privileges for all or is it their attempt at segregation and to follow their own personal agenda.

Community Relations
Combining the talent and resources of the City of Lowell, Lowell Township and Vergennes  Township  and forming a relationship between the three for the good of all businesses and citizens, instead of working as individual entities, should only strengthen the community as a whole.  A combined task force from each could be formed in order to pursue joint interests and common goals, which could consist of three to four people from each entity.