Hosier stressing leadership (10/20/03)

Three time mayoral candidate Bruce Hosier says he wants to hit the ground running on Jan. 1 if he is elected Portland mayor and plans to provide leadership that will deliver new opportunities to city residents.

Hosier, 47, 402 W. Twelfth St., said that in order for a mayor to move forward after taking office, department heads and council changes need to be in place immediately.

“There has been a lot of question of the leadership (in the city police department) and what direction it is heading. In my administration I will make major changes in the leadership aspect of the police department. I think we need to go in a new direction,” Hosier said during a recent interview. “There are a lot of good employees, but it starts with leadership and that leadership should start in the mayor’s office. I believe the circumstances of the lack of leadership in the police department will be an immediate change.”

Republican Hosier added that Portland citizens have lost confidence in the police department and the way it functions.

“I think what we need to do is go back to a department that is more community friendly and understands who they work for,” said Hosier, a former police officer for 17 and a half years.

“I understand what is necessary to get the job done and be professional in your approach to your job. The police department doesn’t belong to any one individual. It belongs to the citizens of Portland, and I don’t think that you should never lose that concept. I will make the necessary changes to make sure that we head in the right direction with a new attitude.”

Hosier added that department heads and (council) appointments speak directly and reflects the leadership judgment of the mayor.

“You want people coming in that are a reflection of you and your agenda. I want people that are open-mind thinkers and understand the issues.”

Hosier, a former planning commission member for four years and Jay County Community Center executive director for three and a half years, lost in the 1999 general election to current Mayor Jim Hedges.

He also served as the District 2 representative on the Portland City Council from 1988 to 1995.

A 1974 graduate of Portland High School and a 1978 graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, he is a computer processor with PRS. He has completed 600 hours of specialized training in law enforcement and city government from 1978 to 1995 and is a 1993 National Intelligence Academy graduate.

Hosier also serves as a NCAA Division I men’s basketball official, is a member of Praise Chapel Church of God, serves as an assistant for the Jay County Patriot girls soccer team. He has also been inducted into the National Police Hall of Fame.

Hosier and his wife Debra have three daughters.

He said that he looked to his family when deciding whether to run for mayor a third time.

“(The decision to run again) was an easy one to make. Like my children reminded me and as I tell them all the time, ‘Dad, if you really believe in something in your heart do it. Even if you’re not successful the first time, you’ve got to get back up and keep fighting,’” Hosier said. “I really have the commitment, I believe, to provide the leadership in the mayor’s office that is going to really make a positive difference in the future of the community.”

Besides department heads and council appointments, Hosier said that there were three additional elements that he would like to accomplish if elected.

First, he wants the city to thrive and become proactive in economic development by providing new job opportunities and to bring in higher quality better paying jobs for our community.

“I think the mayor needs to take a active and personal approach… even if that means going to Indianapolis or South Bend or Chicago to shake the hand of the CEO of a company,” Hosier said. “We need to get out there and create opportunities.”

He added that the city needs to discover how to turn job opportunities into permanent residents to build the city’s tax base and encourage citizens to take advantage of education opportunities at John Jay Center for Learning.

Second, Hosier wants to focus on downtown revitalization.

“In a small community, it is very, very essential to protect the integrity and the character of the downtown. I think it really does speak to the issue of community pride,” Hosier said.

He added the mayor needs to take a lead role to ensure that the downtown is vibrant and continues to develop.

“We may go down 50 roads and hit 49 roadblocks but that 50th one may be our pot of gold,” Hosier said about finding grants and funding for downtown projects. “We’ve identified a lot of areas that need improvement... I just think that the foundation of your city (the downtown area) needs to be solid and work your way out from there.”

Hosier next stressed the importance of a long term strategic plan that dictates the city’s goals for annexation.

“On the west side of town there is a lot of undeveloped property which allows us to some flexibility,” Hosier said adding that growth to the south is also a potential. “The most important thing is that we not only have that (strategic) plan but move that plan forward. We can spend thousands of dollars on plans and leave them hanging on the wall and say, ‘Boy, they look great,’ but the important thing is to move those plans forward.”

Hosier said that being mayor is a 365-day-a-year job and pledges that he will work whatever hours possible to get the job done.

“I have made the commitment to the citizens of Portland, and I am asking them to make that commitment with me. I have kept the faith, and I am asking them to have faith in me,” Hosier said. “We have given others the opportunity to show what they can do, and I am asking the citizens of Portland to give me that chance because I think that they will like what they see.”[[In-content Ad]]