District 4 incumbent targets jobs;
challenger wants a cleaner solution

By Peter Ciancone
Tribune-Star
April 30, 2003

It has a little bit of everything.

Terre Haute City Council District 4 provides a more complete cross section of Terre Haute than any other. Two Democrats, incumbent Mick Love and Todd Nation, hope to be the one selected May 6 to represent the diverse area.

The district includes the downtown area, Indiana State University, light industry along the Wabash River and residential neighborhoods ranging from higher income homes in Farrington's Grove to the precincts north of the ISU campus that feature many smaller homes and rentals.

"Homeowners are the people who need to be represented, and are by and large most frustrated by local government," Nation said. The day-to-day services, animal control, code enforcement, leaf pickup and general cleanliness, along with larger issues like more active prosecution of arson cases, are what he emphasizes to voters.

Providing clearer solutions to those problems extends beyond district boundaries, he said, and provide a foundation for the people who invest in Terre Haute by buying and maintaining a home. Those solutions also strengthen neighborhoods, whose identity, like that demonstrated by the Farrington's Grove neighborhood association, gives the city additional guidance and support.

Nation said by looking out for District 4, he would be helping the city as a whole, because the needs of that district "intersect pretty clearly" with the rest of Terre Haute.

The community would benefit from greater cooperation between ISU, downtown merchants and business organizations, Love said. Being a "people person" gives him the ability to work to make that happen.

His membership in the work force and union involvement give him a good feel for another vitally important task, he said: job creation.

"The quality of life depends on the quality of jobs," Love said. Using tax abatements and keeping taxes low would be the primary tools for the council to use to bring them in and to preserve the jobs already here.

Beyond that, the city must continue to make improvements such as those he stands behind as an incumbent. The council has established a fee system for the Fire Department's ambulance service, augmenting city income. Love was part of the advisory board that adjusted contractors' license fees to support the Building Inspection Department.

The winner of the Democratic Party nomination will face Republican Mark May in November.

Terre Haute is divided into six districts with a representative from each district serving on the council. Three other council members are elected from the city at large.