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Warren mayoral candidates take jabs at each other during debate
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Doug Franklin, Warren’s Democrat mayor, wanted to make a point about a major difference between him and independent candidate Dennis Blank at Tuesday’s mayoral debate at Warren G. Harding High School.
“You all know I’ve been here my whole life. I haven’t left. I understand what it means when I hear the phrase ‘Warren proud,’” he told the 800 or so people in attendance.
Blank grew up in Warren and then left, living in cities around the world and working 25 years for Time Inc., where he spent 15 years at Fortune Magazine, serving as marketing director and later as associate publisher of Money magazine. He worked 34 years in the media business before retiring and coming back to Warren several years ago.
Blank, too, mentioned the “clear contrast” between him and Franklin, touching on the “25 years or so” Franklin has served as mayor, safety-service director and council member.
“If you feel the last 25 years have given you what you want, you have an easy choice,” he said of the decision in the Nov. 3 election between him and Franklin.
But Blank, whose slogan has been “We Can Do Better,” ran through a list of criticisms of the way the city has been governed under Franklin, including the contract with JAC Management to operate Packard Music Hall, the absence of a single economic-development employee working for the city, the lack of a clearly stated plan for the city’s future, hiring policies and blight.
“It’s a rigged game,” Blank said of hiring practices. “Jobs need to be posted more broadly. We need to more broadly recruit.”
Blank pledged to create an “oversight commission on hiring” to make hiring more fair to people who are not “connected.”
Franklin, meanwhile, said hiring in Warren is based on qualifications.
The mayor attacked Blank for the Warren Expressed website Blank created several years ago, saying Blank uses it to criticize Warren.
“I’m not a marketing executive, but common sense tells you you don’t criticize and trash the product you’re trying to market,” Franklin said.
Blank denied that his writings “trash” the city, saying they only criticize the city’s leadership.
Blank said the city’s rainy-day fund has shrunk from $1.6 million when Franklin became mayor four years ago to zero now.
He said safety is his No. 1 priority, but “the deficit is so large,” it’s possible that cuts in the safety forces will have to be made.
He said the quality of parks is important because it is a primary factor companies consider when looking at coming into a town.
But Blank said it’s possible the city will need to set priorities and maintain a smaller number of parks as it can afford.
Franklin said more than 450 homes have been demolished during his time as mayor, and turning police dispatching over to the county has reduced costs.
“I’m proud most of bringing our city together. I’ve been in the trenches in good times and bad. I’ll never forget this city must be good for all of us,” he said.