Hey Locals,

It's been a busy news week in Fort Wayne, as local firefighters sounded the alarm on public (and firefighter) safety regarding decisions by Chief Eric Lahey. In Above the Fold, we break down why they're calling for his resignation – and how it relates to broader safety concerns city-wide.

Plus, if you're interested in Fort Wayne's economic outlook, it changes depending on who you ask. Last week, competing narratives made headlines, which might be confusing to readers. We help you make sense of the good, the bad – and the uncertain – in our Local Spotlight.

We also have several free summer concerts this week to help you enjoy the outdoors in our To-Do List.

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Now, let's get started!

NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.

Firefighters call for chief's resignation.

The union cites concerns for the safety of firefighters – and the public.

What’s happening?

Last week, Fort Wayne Professional Firefighters Local 124 (the FWFD’s union) sounded the alarm on safety concerns for local firefighters and the public. The union held a press conference, calling for the resignation of Fire Chief Eric Lahey, citing ongoing mismanagement and a lack of confidence in his leadership. However, Lahey and Mayor Sharon Tucker tell WANE 15 they haven't lost confidence and plan to focus on strengthening relationships between the chief and union instead. Now, some firefighters are taking to social media to enlist the public’s help and urge the mayor to reconsider, circulating a petition to “protect those who protect you.”

Here’s what we know so far:

• Firefighters overwhelmingly say something is wrong. A recent survey shows about 95% of 301 respondents at the FWFD voted in favor of Lahey’s resignation. (That’s roughly 81% of the FWFD’s total of about 350 firefighters.) While the Mayor and Lahey say disputes between the fire chief and union have been ongoing for years, several firefighters have voiced concerns about Lahey, specifically, pointing out that he hasn’t been a line officer and claiming he rarely visits his engine houses – unlike his predecessor, Chief Amy Biggs. Biggs also recently posted on Facebook that she has "never been contacted by Mayor Tucker nor anyone else from her administration to provide comment on past Admin/Union relationships having served as a past Fire Chief," noting: "I would welcome the opportunity should she want to achieve a better understanding and objective perspective."
• Negotiations between the city and the firefighters union are ongoing. Mayor Tucker and Lahey tell WANE timing is a factor in their response, as the City is in contract negotiations with the union and reaching mediation. Tucker says the survey calling for Lahey’s resignation happened right after the union voted down a collective bargaining agreement with the City, which could have swayed the results. She and Lahey also told WANE about contract negotiations involving firefighter pay and benefits, which the union says aren't related to their stance against Lahey.
• The union cites "delays in fire engine responses, unsustainable overtime and low staffing levels" as safety concerns – both for firefighters and the public. Lahey says new academy graduates are expected to boost staffing levels soon. Still, firefighters on social media point out that staffing has been an issue for years under Lahey and say more experienced officers are being replaced by new graduates who are no longer required to be trained on Advanced Life Support (ALS), which allows firefighters better assist in EMS response – another key point of contention.
• Larger conversations about EMS response systems in Fort Wayne play a role in firefighters calling for Lahey’s resignation. For decades, the FWFD has been essentially competing with TRAA's monopoly-based public utility model of EMS response – and beating it on response times. Now, some firefighters say TRAA is starting to "look better on paper" because the FWFD only gets dispatched after them on many calls. Firefighters say this lengthens response times (compared to having a local fire truck with a paramedic or ALS certified firefighter ready to be dispatched immediately). Last December, Allen County pulled out of its 43-year operating agreement with the City/TRAA in favor of a fire-based model of EMS in the county. Some at the FWFD suggest the city should convert to a fire-based model of EMS, too — or help TRAA and the FWFD collaborate more effectively, which firefighters say isn’t happening under current leadership. 

This story is still developing, and we will update you when we know more.

Why it matters

Along with the aforementioned safety concerns, Fort Wayne's emergency response system has been a key point of contention among service providers and local leadership in recent years.

We break down unanswered questions to consider in our premium newsletter.

• A Black man recently attacked by a group of white men at Pike's Pub plans to press charges against his attackers. Last week, the man attacked, James Simmons, held a press conference Downtown with activist and Pastor Carlton Lynch, calling for Pike's Pub (just outside city limits in Waynedale) to be shut down for not taking accountability for the attack and for its connections to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, which is considered a criminal organization by the U.S. Department of Justice. Lynch announced the “Stand with James” initiative to encourage the community to support Simmons during the ongoing investigation and help identify his attackers to police. Citizens on social media plan to pack City Council tonight at Citizen's Square, where Councilwoman Rohli Booker is expected to issue a non-binding resolution urging officials to investigate Pike's Pub's liquor license. A petition calling the attack a race-motivated "hate crime" and calling for accountability for Pike's Pub also collected more than 6,800 signatures online as of June 9 at 1 p.m. (In Indiana, proving an attack was a "hate crime"* can extend the amount of time perpetrators are sentenced to serve.)
• Complete Streets advocates say widening Coldwater Road might be helpful despite neighborhood concerns. Last week, WANE 15 reported that some residents near the project are questioning the City's decision to widen Coldwater instead of adding a traffic light, citing national research that suggests additional traffic lanes generally make roads less safe for all users. We sought responses from City Engineer Patrick Zaharako and Complete Streets advocate Kevin Brooks of Three Rivers Active Streets – who echos Zaharako's optimism about the project and points out that the City is adding a center turn lane (versus additional traffic lanes), which may alleviate resident concerns. Brooks hopes the new sidewalks and other pedestrian features coming to Coldwater as part of the project will "discourage excess speeding and make crossing safer," too.

Zaharako says:

"Coldwater Road is (currently) a rural design with open drainage and no sidewalk, curb, lighting and limited turn lanes. As new development has occurred, the area has become more urban and the roadway is in need of an urban design that includes the amenities described. The proposed three-lane section will serve the current traffic needs. Additional lanes will be provided at Union Chapel. Traffic conditions have changed in the area since the opening of the Union Chapel Interchange at I-69. A traffic signal does not meet the goals for Complete Streets and will not resolve the entire corridor’s issue. A traffic signal resolves a point traffic access issue usually to the detriment of the primary corridor’s efficiency. Public Works is not considering revisions at this time, but always continues to monitor corridors for future improvements. We plan to have a public meeting in the fall or winter."

Plus: new restaurants, a Fort Wayne feature on Apple TV+ and more! We cover it all in our premium newsletter.

A tale of two economies?

Last week, competing narratives made headlines about the future of local jobs, wages and growth.

Here's a quick look at the good, the bad and the uncertain.

• The good: Greater Fort Wayne Inc. says new jobs created in Allen County last year have higher wages. Last week, GFW Inc. hosted Indiana Gov. Mike Braun at its annual awards dinner for a sold-out crowd of 600 business leaders at Parkview Mirro Center. Braun called Fort Wayne's economy "healthy," and GFW Inc. noted 21 economic development projects in 2024 represent an average annual wage of about $74,000 – up 18% from the county’s existing average wage. GFW Inc. cited projects, including Google, L3 Harris and Dreyer’s ice cream, for creating new jobs and opportunities for locals to "build wealth and pursue what’s important to them.”
• The bad: average annual private-sector wages (based on paychecks issued from businesses in Allen County) still lag behind the nation and state. Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released wage data, showing average annual wages at Allen County-based businesses in 2024 were $60,301, compared to the state's $63,322 and the nation's $75,878. Growth-wise, Allen County’s 2024 average wage was up 4.6% from 2023, matching national wage growth, but still behind Indiana's overall 5.3% growth. The JG* notes that another wage metric (per capita personal income data) will be released in November. Still, Director of Purdue Fort Wayne’s Community Research Institute, Rachel Blakeman, warns: “The discrepancy between the county-level and state and national averages for private-sector wages should be concerning to workers, elected officials and community leaders across the state. Not only does this leave fewer dollars in workers’ pockets in an age of persistently high costs of everything from groceries to insurance to property taxes, it also results in less money flowing through the economy to support local businesses. The scale of this challenge is large so there is no single flip-of-the-switch solution but the reliability of this data set indicates the problem is real and deserves attention on many levels.”
• The uncertain: City and county government are still trying to figure out the effects of Indiana's impending property tax cuts in SB1. As Fort Wayne's recently appointed Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Andrew Downs gave a civics lesson to City Council last week, detailing how bills become laws in Indiana and the yet-unknown effects of SB1 – among 85 new enrolled acts affecting local governments. Downs says the city's new Controller Pat Roller is still figuring out the exact numbers, but: "In the end, what we do know is there will be a difference in the way people see income tax on their pay stub, and they may not see as big a change in their property tax bill as they're hoping to see." SB1 allows city and county governments to adopt Local Income Taxes (LIT) up to 2.9% at the county level and up to 1.2% at the city level to recoup some of their losses from state property tax cuts. Depending on decisions at the county-level, "significant" funding could come to Fort Wayne from the county to assuage losses, Downs says. He encourages city and county government to work together closely and plan for the worst, which could be a loss of $10-$25M at the city level. He plans to update council this fall once more information is available. SB1 takes full effect in 2028.

• Listen: to free summer concerts in the Fort Wayne area.
  • Muddy River Concert Series at Promenade Park happens every two weeks on Wednesdays. Catch it this week, June 11, 6-8 p.m. featuring the band Left Lane Cruiser.
  • Rock the Plaza at the Allen County Public Library's Main Branch happens weekly on Saturdays, 6-10 p.m., until July 26^th. This week's June 14 event features bands: Susan Mae & the New Yesterday, Sunny Taylor and Pink Droid.
  • Fort Wayne Area Community Band at Foellinger Theatre is playing live on select dates: June 10, July 8, and August 12 at 7:30 p.m.
• Huntertown's Free Concert Fridays begin June 13, 7-10 p.m., with the band Cold Hearts.
• Hop River Brewing is hosting a summer concert series on select dates, including June 14, 6-7:30 p.m., also featuring Sunny Taylor.
• Honor: Utopian Cafe's last week on The Landing with special deals, culminating in a grand finale on Saturday, featuring breakfast burritos by Mercado. Watch Instagram for details!

What else? We share more things to do in our premium newsletter.

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett