Helmke didn't 'get' me a victory; a lot of hard work and sacrifice did
I have reviewed the recent series published by former Mayor Paul Helmke and Andrew Jarosh. While I have a slightly different perspective on a number of issues, one event that must be more accurately developed is his portrayal of the special election of 1989. This was to fill the vacant seat of Dan Coats, who had been elevated to the Senate upon Dan Quayle's selection as vice presidential candidate by George Bush.
Helmke states: "(I) decided not to run. But Dan Heath, my safety director, decided to run. He was closely aligned with me; Heath used some political muscle to get himself nominated by the GOP caucus. Folks thought it couldn't be done; that I was weak because of these controversies (increasing taxes, annexation) and thus Heath would be a weak candidate for Congress. But getting him a victory from the caucus showed I had political clout." (emphasis added)
My view is distinctly different. I will explain for no other reason than to make certain my children and grandchildren some day understand that you earn things; they aren't given to you. Neither did I "use some political muscle" to secure the nomination. To my knowledge, Republican officials aren't prone to being muscled.
Some background
While I believe Helmke always did what he thought was best for the city, he was not my "mentor," as the press has said. I learned much from Helmke, but I had already been "mentored" by the likes of Lt. Gov. John Mutz (for whom I worked in law school) and Rep. Dan Coats as his district representative. By the time Paul asked me to manage his campaign in 1987, I had run campaigns since 1978.
I had no desire to serve in city government. I agreed to act as Paul's campaign manager for idealistic reasons; I thought Paul was a bright, well-informed, honest man who could help Fort Wayne become a better place. I was not immediately aware of the scope of Paul's desire to annex huge areas and not fully aware of the depth of the city's financial problems until I was deeply into the campaign. As one who grew up on a farm near Cedarville, my long-harbored desire was to run for the Indiana Senate.
I had been promised by Paul and his father, Walter, a position as an attorney in Paul's law firm after the election. It was my hope that as a practicing attorney I could finally begin my work toward running for state legislative office. After Paul's election, however, I was told there was no place in the firm and that I should go to work for Paul as a part of the city administration. With law school student loans and a growing family to feed, I took the position.
Before joining Paul, and while employed by Mutz and Coats, I had the opportunity to attend numerous Lincoln Day Dinners, Chamber of Commerce luncheons and town hall meetings around the 4th District. I had taught congressional budget policy at IPFW. Because of my teaching and my work, I read the Congressional Quarterly for information on national issues.
So when the time came to run for the Republican nomination for U. S. representative for the 1989special election, I had the experience of running campaigns and had a good grasp of national issues.
The work it takes
After I decided to run, I gathered lists of the names and addresses of precinct committeemen, county by county. I knew that it would be best to make personal contact with each precinct committeeman. So I quit my job with the Helmke administration.
At first I thought I might do well in Allen County, but I found only scattered support for three reasons:
(1) State Rep. Mitch Harper was running and had the support of the Allen County Republican Chairman Orvas Beers.
(2) Helmke administration issues such as taxation and annexation created intense animosity even among Republicans.
(3) Auburn attorney Jeff Turner was a credible candidate making a push for Allen County support.
So I adapted. My strategy became two-fold: (1) to sell my knowledge and experience of campaigning and knowledge of the issues; and (2) to garner enough support to lead on the first ballot.
I wrote letters, made phone calls too numerous to count, drove door-to-door, organized (a number of receptions. It was hard work. It took a great toll on my family and on me financially, as I was unemployed.
There were, as I recall, nine candidates in the caucus. Among the other candidates were Harper, Turner, George Witwer, Mike Loomis and Phyllis Pond. I led from the first ballot, but not by much. Turner's support was strong, and Allen County support for Harper was strong. Ballots were to be taken again and again until a candidate received the votes of a majority of the committeemen. Candidates with the least votes were dropped and their supporters were permitted to vote for the remaining candidates. On the second ballot, Turner gained, but I still led. As ballot after ballot was taken, my support grew.
Between ballots I watched helplessly as Turner and Harper were discussing a deal. My hunch was that no deal would be made and that I was the second choice of Harper's Allen County supporters.
I know that Paul Helmke said helpful things about me to people. This got back to me, and for this I remain appreciative. But to suggest that I "muscled" my way to the nomination and that he "got me the victory" is inappropriate. Any other analysis sends the wrong message; winning such things takes study, hard work, determination and a passion for ideas.
The 1989 special election
Since the 1989 special election, I have never spoken publicly on the matter of my loss. For a long time it was a fairly painful matter. Allen County voters who would have under normal conditions supported me decided to vote against me to "send a message to Helmke."
Lee Atwater, President Bush's campaign guru, said I was a "bad candidate." Helmke is fond of blaming the Washington campaign people for the loss and (in his recent recollection) that I failed to address attacks by Jill Long on the controversial local issues of taxation and annexation. Time magazine blamed then-President George Bush for his change on gun control, costing me the NRA's endorsement.
In retrospect, it may have been a mix of all of the above and a few other factors. In managing Helmke's campaign, I made certain that we painstakingly "phone-banked" independent voters and emphasized those voters in our well-coordinated get-out-the-vote effort. In my campaign, I could not convince the Washington campaign types to do the same.
Finally, I would say that Paul might be right in concluding that I should have been more active in countering Long's attacks on me. But I would not necessarily conclude that this would have turned the election. Moreover, I felt that it would be dishonorable to come out against annexation after having worked in Paul's administration. Instead, I tried to shift the focus to national issues. Polling indicated that I picked up support among older voters after the AARP debate. If this didn't work, I prepared myself to take the hit. There is no dishonor in losing honorably.
Severing ties
Years after the 1989 election, I did sever ties with Paul in a heated disagreement concerning the annexation of the Adams Center Landfill. I left the practice at his old law firm and resigned as an assistant city attorney. I began my own law practice and was eventually elected to the Allen County Council. Subsequent to that, I was elected as a Superior Court judge.
But I remain firm in the belief that I was right to assist him in 1987, and what he did generally as mayor will mean much good for the future of Fort Wayne. The conclusion I make is that in doing the right things for the city, we both paid a tremendous price in terms of our political futures. Had I stayed away from his campaign in 1987, I might have been elected to Congress by some other route or would be serving in the Legislature.
Paul may have won the mayoral race with a different campaign manager and could have taken a less controversial route and would, perhaps, be in some higher office today. His courage and determination to do what's best for the city should be respected and applauded.
Today
The 1989 election is a distant memory. I am a judge now, and couldn't be happier. My work is fulfilling. Even more importantly, I had the opportunity to watch things happen in the lives of my children that I could never have dreamed would happen.
All of us face defeats in life; we just get back up, dust ourselves off and jump back into the fight.
Dan Heath is judge of Allen Superior Court, Civil Division.
