Mayor shuts down Southtown Advisory Committee

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A committee whose goal was to revitalize the Southtown area in Fort Wayne was shut down by Mayor Tom Henry.

Two years ago Mayor Henry formed the Southtown Advisory Committee in effort to better the south side of Fort Wayne.

Some folks said they've seen some change, but not enough.

"There has been some economic development. We have Wal-mart. We have Menards. But do we need more things? Absolutely," Fort Wayne NAACP President Paulette Nellems said.

The City of Fort Wayne said it shut down the committee because membership was dwindling. Some have joined a similar organization called the Southside Business Association .

Frank Suarez with the Mayor's Office released this statement: "We have been and will continue to work on the issues of the Southside Advisory Committee, such as infrastructure and business development."

Paulette Nellems is an active advocate for the Southeast side. She's the President of the local NAACP and volunteers regularly. Nellems believes if the advisory committee had better communication it could have gained more members.

"There just has not been a lot of information given to organizations. I know the NAACP has not received information as to when they met."

She said one way the southeast side can become stronger is by investing more into its schools.

"Then you have people that want to move into an area where the schools are productive for the students."

Nellems also said more people in the Southtown area need to become more involved.

"You need to get out where the decisions are being made so that you can be a part of that process."