Loading ...Political Potpourri Part II
Stadium View
Republican County Councilor Ike Randolph is calling on the city to give up its luxury suites at the RCA Dome, Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco and Victory Field House. In a news release issued Thursday afternoon Randolph said the private sector should pay for such accommodations, not the public sector. He also says with the operations costs for Lucas Oil Stadium slated to run nearly $10 million annually over budget, the city should not pay for luxury seating. At best Randolph says the city should sublease the suites. He is also filing a freedom of information request with Mayor Bart Peterson’s office to find out how much the city has spent on the suites at the Dome, Conseco and Victory Field since 2000.
Mayor’s Budget Blues
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson says he will unveil his plan to full a nearly $10 million budget shortfall on Tuesday. The city needs the money to pay for public safety. The Mayor says in addition to a short-term funding solution, Indianapolis also needs a long-term one. He says his choices won’t be popular, but they are necessary. The Mayor’s options include increasing property taxes to pay for court expansion and raising the County Economic Development Income Tax. The city could not raise the CEDIT until March. A quarter percent increase would yield about $30 million.
Brizzi Gets Labor
Right before Labor Day Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi is announcing some labor endorsements. Teamsters Local 135, International Union of Operating Engineers 103, and AFSCME Locals 725, 1437, 3131 and 3766. Republicans normally don’t get union endorsements so this is newsworthy to that extent.
August 31st, 2006 at 9:01 pm
Wrong Abdul.
The unions mentioned almost always endorse Republicans (they all endorsed Gilroy in 1999).
I’m sure Kennedy has a great deal of union support.
August 31st, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Also, on the stadium thing,
I’m almost positive, because the city owns each one of those facilities (I’m assuming you meant Victoy Field, and the house wasn’t intended), that the city doesn’t pay anything for them.
I’d also be interested to see if Ike has ever used any of the suites.
September 1st, 2006 at 8:49 am
EXCELLENT question about Ike’s use of suites. Ditto for all other COuncil members. Let’s get out the lists and publish them. Here’s who you’ll see as multiple offenders, just in case you don’t already know: King Ro and his wife, Carl Drummer, and more than a few Republican council members.
Abdul, shame on you–you let that recuperating windbag Phil Hinle revise history for a half hour on your show this morning, with only one outside call. Well, one listener and Sen. Kenley.
The NEXT time you talk to Rep. Hinkle, ask him why the City County Councils on which he served routinely overlooked huge ticket items like combined sewer overflow, jail overcrowding and similar issues?
Kenly and Hinkle and their crowd despise the fact that a Democrat sits on the 35th floor.
Get used to it guys. When he’s wrong point it out. But here’s a hint: he isn’t wrong all the time.
All your show missed this morning was Rep. Murphy extolling the virtues of township government. Puh-lease.
September 2nd, 2006 at 8:14 am
I’m pretty sure those suites are free. the City/Cib has to pay for the food though.
Interesting Mr. Self Promotion Councillor only looks back to 2000.
“Ike” is the last person who should be looking into the finances of anything. While a firefighter, he was also a Mayor’s office staffer under Goldsmith and later head of the failed 10 Point coalition. Lots of double dipping there. No one ever looked at 10 point’s financing but he basically ran it into the ground with all kinds of questionable financial dealings.
Didn’t Ike serve on the council for 4 years when republicans had control of the council? What can he honestly point to and take credit for? He is just a P.R. machine with no substance. I seriously do not know why Republicans (and least the R’s in the media) love him so much. Especially after he was politically shamed and neutered last year by Delph and Hamilton County Republicans. Please put him up for Mayor - I am sure Bart will love wasting him.
Republicans will do anything to try to screw with Bart PEterson. I think they can’t take it especially because so many regular, non-hack Republicans like him. But Mitch, Murphy, Hinckle, Kenley, Ike and all the other partisans will not stop with their self serving rants.
September 2nd, 2006 at 8:18 am
By the way, I am sure Ike has never seen the inside of a city suite under Bart Peterson’s administration. But plenty of Republicans have. Phil Borst is at every colts game, you can be damn sure.
And Mitch and Kenley can talk about the ops at the stadium all they want now, but the D’s will have them by the balls in 07.