Another Compliment for Kennedy
I’m going to surprise many of you today and pay a compliment to Melina Kennedy, the Democratic candidate for County Prosecutor. Don’t look shocked! I’ve done it before. Click here to read it. I know a lot of you like to think I’m on the GOP’s payroll, but they can’t afford me. Back to the blog.
During today’s debate with Republican incumbent Carl Brizzi at the Indianapolis Rotary Club, Kennedy paid a compliment to Republican City-County Councilmember Ike Randolph.
Indianapolis Star Editor Dennis Ryerson asked the candidates about public safety and what they would do to help those offenders getting out of prison. While both candidates gave standard answers, Kennedy cited the Indiana Department of Correction’s offender re-entry program at Plainfield and the city’s own efforts to hire ex-offenders and provide them with work. The last time I checked that was a proposal submitted by Randolph and was shot down and later put on hold by her own Council Democrats. Check my friend RiShawn Biddle’s Expresso column for details on what went down there.
I have to say, I was impressed Kennedy would cite a Republican program in her debate, when Democrats tried to stop it for political gain. As I said before, Kennedy and I have our philosophical differences and I think overall in this debate the crowd (primarily businessmen and businesswomen) walked away supporting Brizzi, on this point she gets credit from yours truly.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Abdul, I think you read the crowd wrong. You can’t slam economic development to a group of business people. That dog just don’t hunt. Debates thus far have been a sweep (although none has been a knockout) for Kennedy.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
I really hate to resort to that “you’re not from here” line, Abdul, but the first poster is right.
Melina was the clear winner today. I was there. I hung around and talked to many of those folks. One longtime Republican told me he’d vote for her.
His reason? “She doesn’t sound like a typical Democrat and the mayor is for her. That’s good enough for me.”
Melina sounds shrill a lot of the time but she knew her audience today. It’s not the entire election, but Carl lost today. It wasn’t that close, either.
October 17th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
I disagree. I spoke to number of business people while there and on the phone later. They gave it to Brizzi. The good news for Melina, however, is that more people blame the Mayor for crime than her.
October 17th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Well at the Broad Ripple High School forum which was put together by several neighborhood associations, Melina pretty much shook her head and agreed with everything Dave Wiser (sorry about the spelling) had to say when she spoke second. (Carl had a previous engagement and couldn’t make it.)
October 18th, 2006 at 7:14 am
Melina Kennedy fro prosecutor and the Democrats are good at twisting the issues to make them fit their agenda.
If she stretches the facts now, what will she do if elected? She says anything and everything to get voter attention, but she won’t be getting my vote. She has no experience in fighting crime.
Each of us have an opinion on fighting crime and that is all she has to offer.
She doesn’t seem to have an opinion for fighting the present corruption in her own Party.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:44 am
The city is already doing what Ike proposes. Have you read his proposal? Once again Ike is all about fluff and air time.
October 19th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Corina,
The only reason Melina agreed with Wyser at the Neighborhood meeting was because he didn’t say anything that had to do with policy or politics. Good for him on this because he was really put in a tough spot to sit on this “debate” or “forum” whatever you want to call it and he stayed mostly away from politics.
Wyser stuck to things like: we work hard everyday. We do the best we can, etc. How can she disagree with that?
October 19th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
By the way, the forum that Brizzi missed because of a “previous engagement” has been on the calendar for a really long time. He originally agreed to come and then backed out.