Fort Wayne Democratic mayor Tom Henry announced his bid for a fourth term Tuesday afternoon at Allen County's party headquarters.
Henry stated his intent to run for re-election since last summer, and official filed his paperwork with Allen County Board of Elections Tuesday.
He highlighted six priorities if re-elected: public safety, economic development, downtown, neighborhoods and infrastructure, city utilities and parks. Henry says he's proud of the progress the city has made in these areas, and wants to see it keep going.
“I truly believe that many people look to us for leadership; there’s no question that we’re the talk of the state, and I think we need to continue that progress and that momentum,” Henry said.
Campaign season has already begun for the 2019 municipal elections as Henry is the third candidate to file for mayor, behind Republican contenders John Crawford and Tim Smith.
Both candidates have made crime a focus of their platforms, and while Henry says some areas of public safety need work, the situation isn’t as dire as his mayoral opponents suggest.
“We’ve got some challenges, particularly in the area of some violent crimes," he said. "Homicides are up from last year; although nowhere near record, they were certainly up.”
Henry noted domestic violence as one of the main contributors to this problem, saying it’s a complicated issue for municipalities to take on but one area where Fort Wayne can improve its efforts.
While Crawford called a “fifth Tuesday” meeting of City Council on January 29 to discuss crime issues and potential solutions, Henry hinted at “a couple seminars” with the community throughout the year to discuss crime at length, as well.
Henry will square off against whichever candidate between Crawford and Smith takes the Republican primary, which is slated for May 7.
