Should Fort Wayne have higher standards for public office?

Hey Locals,

It's been a busy summer for City Council, with several votes on significant public issues, from Flock cams to homeless resource centers. As residents of the city's Southwest side, we (Kara, Mike and Rachel) couldn't help but notice our representative for District 4, Dr. Scott Myers, hasn't been at the table for about three months now.

• You might remember: On June 3, Myers was arrested for “Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person.” He entered rehab immediately after, currently receiving care at Allendale Treatment, WANE 15 reports. 
• Since then, Myers posted a statement on social media, apologizing for his actions, but not mentioning the duration of his treatment or how he would handle his Council absences. He said: “I will remain accountable indefinitely (forever as long as serving as councilman and/or physician) through this regular monitoring process.”

This got us wondering: How does City Council handle extended absences? (Are substitutes allowed, and do representatives continue to get paid while they're away?) Perhaps more fundamentally: What should be the standard for holding public office in Fort Wayne?

To learn more, we spoke with several community members and government officials, including:

• Steve Shine, Allen County Republican Party Chair
• Mitch Harper, Former City Councilman (R-4)
• Kyle Miller, Indiana State Representative (D-82)
• Shawn McCarthy, former Allen County Republican Party precinct committeeman and 4th district resident
• Megan Flohr, City Council Administrator
• John McGauley, Fort Wayne City Clerk
• The Allen County Democratic Party (which declined to comment)

We also reached out to Myers, who has not yet responded to our requests for comment, but we will update you if/when we hear back.

Let’s start by breaking down the basics of what we learned.

• Myers is currently serving his first term as a City Council member, representing the 4th district, which covers much of Southwest Fort Wayne and Waynedale. He was elected in 2023, defeating Republican Joseph Townsend in the primary and Democrat Patti Hays in the general election. He’ll be up for re-election in 2027 (assuming he decides to run).
• Myers has missed three months of City Council meetings this summer due to his OWI – a total of 13 meetings, according to the Fort Wayne City Council Attendance Tracking Project. His first absence this year occurred on June 9, and he’s been a no-show since. 
• As we reported last year, there are no specific attendance requirements for Fort Wayne’s City Council members. We reached out to McGauley about this, who referred us to Flohr. She says: “The Council Office cannot comment on personal or medical matters of elected officials. Anything procedurally is handled through state code; there are no decisions to be made administratively through this office.”
• As far as we can tell, Myers has continued collecting pay for his Council position, despite his absences. Flohr says: “As for salary, all elected officials in the City of Fort Wayne are paid by ordinance, passed each October for the subsequent year.” 
• Myers plans to return to Council next Tuesday (9/15), according to GOP Chair Steve Shine. However, we haven’t seen this shared publicly or seen any statements from Myers himself since June.

This brings us to our questions:

1. How does City Council handle extended absences?

As Flohr said, City Council’s attendance procedures are handled through state code, and based on what we’ve been able to deduce from Indiana Code  § 36-4-6-6, there are essentially three reasons City Council members can be removed from office in Indiana:

1. If they have violated “an official duty.”
2. If they are “unable to perform the duties” of their office.
3. If the City adopts its own rules to govern proceedings under this section – which Fort Wayne has not done.