Thu. Nov 7th, 2024
Two men smiling, one with glasses and a bald head, the other with dark hair and a beard, outdoors with blurred buildings in the background.
Two men smiling, one with glasses and a bald head, the other with dark hair and a beard, outdoors with blurred buildings in the background.
Henry Heck, left, and Mike Doenges. Photos courtesy of Heck and Doenges

As Rutland City voters arrived at the polls to cast their ballots on Tuesday, many were met by Henry Heck — current alderman and former city clerk — holding signs declaring his campaign for mayor.

While petitions to run for mayor are not due until January, Heck said he decided to kick off his campaign on the day of the presidential election to start “a little buzz” and encourage more voters to come back to the polls in March for their local election. 

With a public service career based in Rutland City spanning roughly 17 years, Heck thinks he has a sporting chance against the current mayor, Mike Doenges, who was first elected to the office in 2023. 

“Getting to work very closely with two administrations and all those department heads gave me a really vast insight as to how government works (and) how the city works,” said Heck. “I think that I definitely have a leg up in that capacity, because I’ve been around for so long.”

The two men are not strangers. Doenges declined to reappoint Heck to the city clerk’s position — which Heck held for the previous 14 years — when the new mayor took office.

Heck considers their stances on fiscal concerns to be the main distinctions between him and Doenges. He said he takes issue with the city budget recently submitted by the current mayor with a potential increase of just below 6%, and that he hopes to employ his knowledge as a former city clerk to uncover any unnecessary costs burdening Rutland residents.

“The taxpayers can’t, on a yearly basis, take those kinds of increases, so sometimes you have to make tough, tough decisions. You have to figure out whether you can do projects,” said Heck. “I wouldn’t leave any stone unturned when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars and making sure that whatever we’re investing in, it will benefit the citizens.”

In response, Doenges said he presented a budget that includes recommendations for cutting spending, to give the board of aldermen some say in setting priorities. The board can reject sections but not add ideas to the mayor’s proposal. 

“I think what’s different about this is, historically, the mayor has submitted a budget that they feel like is exactly what the city needs, and what I’ve done the past two years is I’ve submitted a budget that I believe is the right path for the city, but there are choices for the board to make,” said Doenges.

By working with the board to determine the city’s funding priorities, Doenges said he is hopeful that the budget increase will be trimmed down to his target of 4% by the time the budget is typically ratified in mid-December. 

Heck said his ability to connect with people and bring players to the table would be an asset as mayor. 

“I truly enjoy people, and I love helping them, and it’s something that I take pride in,” said Heck. “I’ve been in the service business basically my whole life, and it’s one thing that I’ve just naturally migrated to even in the clerk’s office when it came to tax appeals (and) tax abatements.”

While Doenges plans to make an official announcement in late November, he confirmed that he will seek a second term. He said that talking with voters was part and parcel of his duties as mayor for the past 18 months.

“I spend more time talking to Rutland citizens in my office than I do to anyone else…I love that aspect of the job,” said Doenges. “I’m hearing all of that feedback on a regular basis, and that’s part of what helps us make informed decisions.” 

The most common concern Doenges said he hears from Rutland residents is the cost of living, adding that he has tried to tackle his goals for housing and economic development without increasing the cost to taxpayers. He maintains that Rutland is “going in the right direction.”

“We’ve seen growth, and we’ve seen investment in the city, and it’s been absolutely fantastic,” said Doenges. “It takes time to ensure that those (goals) are on the right track.”

Heck, for his part, said he is running for mayor because he believes the Rutland community is ready for a leadership change.

“Whether I’m the guy or not, I don’t know,” said Heck. “But, based upon what I’ve been through and my experiences, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to get out and debate … and see where the voters are.”

VTDigger reporter Emma Cotton contributed reporting to this story. 

Read the story on VTDigger here: On Election Day, Henry Heck kicked off his early bid to be Rutland City’s next mayor .

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