Rob Waiz
Encyclopedia
Robert L. Waiz, Jr is a politician of Jeffersonville
, Indiana
. He works in real estate
and has been on the city council
and served as mayor
. Waiz, a Democrat
, was first elected mayor in 2003, defeating two-term incumbent Tom Galligan
in the May Democratic primary and then defeating Republican
Monty Snelling in the November general election. On May 8, 2007, he lost the Democrat primary against Galligan; who went on to win the general election in November 2007. Rob Waiz was the youngest mayor elected in the city's modern history.
to Bob and Barbara Waiz. He and his sister were raised in Jeffersonville. Waiz is a graduate of Our Lady of Providence High School
class of 1981 in Clarksville, Indiana
and Indiana University Southeast
in 1986 with a Bachelors in Business Management. He and his wife, Susan, have two children Lena and Robert. On January 11, 2011, Waiz announced that he will seek the mayor’s office again this year. He’ll challenge current Mayor Tom Galligan — who ousted him in the May 2007 primary — and Clark County Commissioner Mike Moore for the Democratic Party’s nod in May’s primary.
Waiz is a local businessman who runs Waiz Real Estate and Taggart-Waiz Insurance Center founded by his father Robert L. Waiz Sr. Additionally his career in the political field has brought him a mixture of experience from serving on the Jeffersonville planning commission, the city council, and as mayor.
In May 2007 Rob Waiz lost the Democratic Party primary election to challenger Tom Galligan, who won the general election. Following the election, Mayor Waiz filed a complaint with the Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart that several laws regarding the absentee ballots had been violated. Stewart filed a petition for a special prosecutor to be appointed to avoid a conflict of interest because Stewrat's wife was working for the Galligan administration. Clark Circuit Court Judge Daniel Donahue appointed Ronald Simpson as special prosecutor from Corydon, Indiana
.
The investigation is ongoing.
. Waiz worked with the businesses, the city council, and talked with then governor Joe Kernan during the following months regarding the incident to help restore the area.
On November 21, 2005, the city council passed a smoking ordinance
and Waiz signed it into effect shortly after. This made Jeffersonville the first community in the Southern Indiana Louisville Metro area to pass such an ordinance.
On December 1, 2006, Waiz campaigned to abolish the City Court to save taxpayers money. This was brought up because City Judge Vicki Carmichael was elected to the Clark County
Superior Court bench and was set to take office on January 1, 2007. Rather than continue the court system, Waiz wanted to abolish the court like many other cities have done previously in Indiana in an effort to reduce costs. His campaign didn't succeed. Also during 2006 Waiz helped negotiate a $5 million offer to help aid the Jeffersonville Town Center commercial center development by Vision Land Development, which has been in the works since 2002. The $5 million became $7 million in January 2007 with additional funds from the city's TIF district. This is was major issue in Waiz's reelection campaign. Galligan criticized the Waiz administration for failing to move the project forward while Galligan promised to develop the project. No stores have opened in the Town Center as of 2010.
Waiz signed an ethics law which would be enforced by a commission of members from an unbiased political stance in 2006. This created the Jeffersonville Ethics Commission
. During Waiz's 2007 campaign he asked for the removal of the Ethics Commission's attorney Larry Wilder on April 10, 2007. Waiz claimed that Wilder secretly supported the Galligan campaign because his wife, Peggy, had a mass postage address that she lets anyone use. Waiz was answered the next day with Wilder stands by the Ethics Commission. Wilder used to be the a city assistant attorney in the Waiz administration until a public falling-out in January 2006 in which Wilder resigned. Wilder now works as an attorney for the Galligan administration.
During his tenure, Waiz concentrated on economic development and job creation. He was successful in having the State of Indiana certify the North Port Business Centre as the state's last technology park. The designation led to Heartland Payment Systems, Inc., building a 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) facility; Key Electronics, Inc., building a 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) facility and MedVenture Technology Corp. relocating its headquarters from Louisville. Waiz worked with Governor Mitch Daniels to craft a $4.4 million incentive package for MedVenture.
Waiz also oversaw the completion of Jeffersonville's portion of the Ohio River Greenway. The project included walking and bike paths along the Ohio River, which will eventually connect to New Albany, Indiana. The Waiz administration purchased the dilapidated River Falls Motel and Lounge in downtown Jeffersonville, which was converted into condominiums by a private developer.
Waiz presided over the relocation of the city's offices from the City-County Building to its own city hall at the historic Quartermaster Depot. The city also built two new fire stations, a new city garage and community center while Waiz was mayor.
After losing the primary in May 2007, Waiz had a very active end to his term. Waiz issued several vetoes of the city council for salary wages and a planned annexation. The council overturned the mayor's vetoes. The annex was overturned on August 20, 2007 and the salary wages were overturned on December 21, 2007. Waiz opposed both measures saying they were too costly.
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. He works in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and has been on the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
and served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. Waiz, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, was first elected mayor in 2003, defeating two-term incumbent Tom Galligan
Tom Galligan (mayor)
Thomas R. Galligan served as mayor of Jeffersonville, Indiana USA from 1996 to 2003. Galligan was unseated by Rob Waiz during the election year of 2003 and Waiz was sworn in as mayor in January 2004...
in the May Democratic primary and then defeating Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Monty Snelling in the November general election. On May 8, 2007, he lost the Democrat primary against Galligan; who went on to win the general election in November 2007. Rob Waiz was the youngest mayor elected in the city's modern history.
Biography
Robert L. Waiz, Jr was born January 30, 1963 in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
to Bob and Barbara Waiz. He and his sister were raised in Jeffersonville. Waiz is a graduate of Our Lady of Providence High School
Our Lady of Providence Junior-Senior High School
Our Lady of Providence Junior-Senior High School is a coed Catholic high school in Clarksville, Indiana, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The school first opened on September 12, 1951....
class of 1981 in Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River as a part of the Louisville Metropolitan area. The population was 21,724 at the 2010 census. The town, once a home site to George Rogers Clark, was founded in 1783 and is the oldest American town in the Northwest...
and Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Southeast is a regional campus in the Indiana University system and is located in New Albany, Indiana, in Floyd County, which is in south-central Indiana and part of the metropolitan Louisville, Kentucky, area.- History :...
in 1986 with a Bachelors in Business Management. He and his wife, Susan, have two children Lena and Robert. On January 11, 2011, Waiz announced that he will seek the mayor’s office again this year. He’ll challenge current Mayor Tom Galligan — who ousted him in the May 2007 primary — and Clark County Commissioner Mike Moore for the Democratic Party’s nod in May’s primary.
Waiz is a local businessman who runs Waiz Real Estate and Taggart-Waiz Insurance Center founded by his father Robert L. Waiz Sr. Additionally his career in the political field has brought him a mixture of experience from serving on the Jeffersonville planning commission, the city council, and as mayor.
Elections
Rob Waiz served as a councilman for one term and during that term he served as the vice-president and president of the council. Waiz continued to advance politically in 2003 as he filed to run for mayor against Tom Galligan, a two-term incumbent. Waiz defeated Galligan in a four-way primary race. Waiz won the general election and served as mayor.In May 2007 Rob Waiz lost the Democratic Party primary election to challenger Tom Galligan, who won the general election. Following the election, Mayor Waiz filed a complaint with the Clark County Prosecutor Steve Stewart that several laws regarding the absentee ballots had been violated. Stewart filed a petition for a special prosecutor to be appointed to avoid a conflict of interest because Stewrat's wife was working for the Galligan administration. Clark Circuit Court Judge Daniel Donahue appointed Ronald Simpson as special prosecutor from Corydon, Indiana
Corydon, Indiana
Corydon is a town in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Indiana, United States, founded in 1808, and is known as Indiana's First State Capital. After Vincennes, Corydon was the second capital of the Indiana Territory from May 1, 1813, until December 11, 1816. After statehood, the town was the...
.
The investigation is ongoing.
Mayor
Waiz assumed office and presided over his first council meeting on January 5, 2004. On January 11, 2004 a fire devastated a city block in the historical districtOld Jeffersonville Historic District
The Old Jeffersonville Historic District is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It marks the original boundaries of Jeffersonville, and is the heart of modern day downtown Jeffersonville It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983...
. Waiz worked with the businesses, the city council, and talked with then governor Joe Kernan during the following months regarding the incident to help restore the area.
On November 21, 2005, the city council passed a smoking ordinance
Smoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
and Waiz signed it into effect shortly after. This made Jeffersonville the first community in the Southern Indiana Louisville Metro area to pass such an ordinance.
On December 1, 2006, Waiz campaigned to abolish the City Court to save taxpayers money. This was brought up because City Judge Vicki Carmichael was elected to the Clark County
Clark County, Indiana
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2010 Census, the population was 110,232. The county seat is Jeffersonville. Clarksville is also a major city in the county...
Superior Court bench and was set to take office on January 1, 2007. Rather than continue the court system, Waiz wanted to abolish the court like many other cities have done previously in Indiana in an effort to reduce costs. His campaign didn't succeed. Also during 2006 Waiz helped negotiate a $5 million offer to help aid the Jeffersonville Town Center commercial center development by Vision Land Development, which has been in the works since 2002. The $5 million became $7 million in January 2007 with additional funds from the city's TIF district. This is was major issue in Waiz's reelection campaign. Galligan criticized the Waiz administration for failing to move the project forward while Galligan promised to develop the project. No stores have opened in the Town Center as of 2010.
Waiz signed an ethics law which would be enforced by a commission of members from an unbiased political stance in 2006. This created the Jeffersonville Ethics Commission
Jeffersonville Ethics Commission
The Jeffersonville Ethics Commission is a commission formed in 2006 by an ordinance compiled by the City Council of Jeffersonville, Indiana that was passed unanimously on June 30, 2006. Then it was signed by Mayor Rob Waiz on July 13, 2006. The Commission reviews complaints and subjects of...
. During Waiz's 2007 campaign he asked for the removal of the Ethics Commission's attorney Larry Wilder on April 10, 2007. Waiz claimed that Wilder secretly supported the Galligan campaign because his wife, Peggy, had a mass postage address that she lets anyone use. Waiz was answered the next day with Wilder stands by the Ethics Commission. Wilder used to be the a city assistant attorney in the Waiz administration until a public falling-out in January 2006 in which Wilder resigned. Wilder now works as an attorney for the Galligan administration.
During his tenure, Waiz concentrated on economic development and job creation. He was successful in having the State of Indiana certify the North Port Business Centre as the state's last technology park. The designation led to Heartland Payment Systems, Inc., building a 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) facility; Key Electronics, Inc., building a 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) facility and MedVenture Technology Corp. relocating its headquarters from Louisville. Waiz worked with Governor Mitch Daniels to craft a $4.4 million incentive package for MedVenture.
Waiz also oversaw the completion of Jeffersonville's portion of the Ohio River Greenway. The project included walking and bike paths along the Ohio River, which will eventually connect to New Albany, Indiana. The Waiz administration purchased the dilapidated River Falls Motel and Lounge in downtown Jeffersonville, which was converted into condominiums by a private developer.
Waiz presided over the relocation of the city's offices from the City-County Building to its own city hall at the historic Quartermaster Depot. The city also built two new fire stations, a new city garage and community center while Waiz was mayor.
After losing the primary in May 2007, Waiz had a very active end to his term. Waiz issued several vetoes of the city council for salary wages and a planned annexation. The council overturned the mayor's vetoes. The annex was overturned on August 20, 2007 and the salary wages were overturned on December 21, 2007. Waiz opposed both measures saying they were too costly.