Loading ...Indy Works Fallout
The fallout from the Legislature’s failure to pass Indy Works could be even more far-reaching than originally anticipated. Both the recently agreed to contracts for the city’s police and fire fighter’s unions were both tied to the passage of Indy Works and the Mayor having a public financing plan to pay for public safety.
City officials are still trying to determine what impact the non-passage will have on the contracts. While it is not uncommon for a city-union contract to tied to a municipality’s ability to pay, most agreements don’t hinge upon a particularly piece of legislation.
More to come.
April 30th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
FROM THE INDYREPUBLICAN WEBSITE:
INDIANAPOLIS – In a crushing defeat before the General Assembly, Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson’s government consolidation plan dubbed “Indy Works” died on the chopping block as members of his own party wielded the axe.
“Peterson promised our citizens millions in savings, but his own Democrat Party delivered only more government,” said Marion County Republican Chairman Tom John. “Our party offered the Mayor everything he originally asked for in his Indy Works proposals, and in the end, he couldn’t even get his own party’s support. This is an utter failure of leadership.”
Republican State Senator Jim Merritt offered Peterson a plan that would have given him both fire and township trustee consolidation and would have saved at least $25 million a year in operational costs. The plan would have also provided a more than $20 million windfall for the city from cash surpluses and property liquidation in Center Township alone, and would have shifted to Peterson’s office trustee duties – including administering relief to the city’s poor.
House Democratic Leader Bill Crawford stifled the plan to protect the Center Township Trustee, and cited as his reasoning his own mistrust of Peterson’s administration to manage poor relief.
“For every $1 of poor relief the Center Township Trustee’s doles out, it spends more than $2 on “administration” costs. This is efficiency? Yet this is what Peterson’s Democrats want to save. Representative Crawford can’t be serious!” John said, “Unfortunately, this isn’t about government efficiency. This is about good old political cronyism and failed leadership.”
John also noted that during the last three years, each of Peterson’s Indy Works proposals have contemplated trustee consolidation which has been advocated by both the Indiana and Indianapolis Chambers of Commerce. In 2005, Crawford even offered an amendment to an earlier Indy Works proposal that would have consolidated the Trustees under the Mayor. However, now that six of the nine trustee offices are held by Democrats, Crawford has changed his mind. “This certainly leads one to question the motives of the switch,” John said.
John concluded, “How can we trust Peterson to continue as our Mayor when he cannot even convince his own party that he is able to adequately protect the poor and lead our city? It is time for a change. It is time for real leadership.”
Of course, today on Amos Browns show, Peterson blamed anyone BUT the State Democrats, instead blaming Mike Young of all people… what a tool our ‘leader’ is.
April 30th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
The problem with Indianapolis Works has NEVER been the leadership of Mayor Peterson (demonstrated with the intiative to introduce the proposals and fight for them every year since), but the obstructionist Republicans who chose political gain over good governing.
The unfortunate truth is that while good government makes good politics, it doesn’t work the other way around.
April 30th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
If you were Peterson would YOU lay the blame at feet of the very people you depend on for re-election and future support?
No!
Bart knows exactly what happened. The BIG QUESTION is how can he handle the betrayal “in house” with somebody’s ox not getting publicly gored? Not that that hasn’t already happened.
Pesronally, I think Crawford and others within that cadre will pay some kind of price. Either that or Bart will not be viewed as an effective leader worthy of FULL party support.
In any event, it does appear that Bart’s career beyond that of Mayor is toast for now.
April 30th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Leadership? The pitifully weak GOP is now reduced to getting its media releases out via blogs for free? Sad, very sad!
April 30th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Lest it be forgotten: in the last election, the GOP couldn’t even scare up anybody to run against Representative Bill Crawford — he was re-elected unopposed. That’s a pretty solid political base … make of it as you will!
April 30th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
You can call it a solid political base. The rest of it call a safe, gerrymandered district in which the primary is the election. If you’ve been in Indiana politics you understand it goes both ways. (You think people want Dan Burton and Julia Carson as representatives? Ha!)
In some ways, what Crawford did was worse - he backed consolidation when it was a way to get rid of Republican trustees, but as soon as those offices became Democrats, he had to protect fellow Democrats. Talk about a flip flop.
I mean, he ends up being compared to Mike Young. What’s that tell you about how low he went?
April 30th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
By the way Wilson, why don’t you get a new set of talking points. Can’t you get some new ones that actually have to do with the issue at hand?
April 30th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Wilson must wait for his masters to hand him the latest set of talking points.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Just call him Bill “flip-flop” Crawford.
May 1st, 2007 at 5:13 am
“In some ways, what Crawford did was worse - he backed consolidation when it was a way to get rid of Republican trustees, but as soon as those offices became Democrats, he had to protect fellow Democrats. Talk about a flip flop.”
Marion Co. residents get what they vote for. The only good thing about folks like Monroe Gray, Crawford, and Howard is that their actions pretty much make any future “regional tax” DOA. I now have plenty of proof that Marion Co. elected hacks are involved in shady dealings. My elected county hacks should not vote to give them a dime. If my county needs another half of 1%, then they need to cut spending and/or demand the state let them keep the entire tax increase in-county. They got their Ir$ay tax, that is plenty.
May 1st, 2007 at 6:32 am
That anonymous nobody at 8:33 must be Todd Rokita again — “masters”? The GOP sure has that plantation mindset, doesnt it?
May 1st, 2007 at 7:38 am
What’s wrong, Wilson - get your talking points via the Pony Express? I’m not so deep it takes this long to reply to me.
I can understand regional taxes for the stadium or mass transit … the flip side being, Marion County would have more money if they weren’t so inefficient in spending the money they have.
May 1st, 2007 at 8:23 am
Hey Wilson, where is Anon 833?
01:39 PM
02:24 PM
08:03 PM
08:51 PM
05:13 AM
Just like a demomcrat, making up things again…
May 1st, 2007 at 9:09 am
If quibbling over a typo is the best the unfortunate Republicans can do, everybody can see why they are in such pitiful shape … poor babies!
May 1st, 2007 at 9:56 am
Ok Wilson, I have a question for you. What is the population of Indianapolis inside the old city limits?
As I understand it, the current IPS District boundaries are the old city limits.
IPS gives a “student population” but what I would like to know what the entire “people population” is in the “old city limits”.
Obviously, we’re going off the last census but if you or anyone else can give me some numbers that would be great.
May 1st, 2007 at 12:16 pm
According to the Indiana State Dept of Education, the 2002 population for IPS (old city limits) was 330,017 total humans.
http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/TRENDS/popcharacter.cfm?corp=5385
May 1st, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Wilson, you are the first one to point a finger at someone else’s slip of the finger. If you can’t take it then don’t dish it out baby.
May 1st, 2007 at 8:14 pm
As a lousy typist myself, I’d never criticize others typos — I do criticize egregiously incorrect spellings, obviously inappropriate word choices and of course factual inaccuracies…
May 1st, 2007 at 9:10 pm
That is a mistruth Wilson, but don’t worry, I’m saving your words to remind you when your nasty little emails pop up.
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:01 am
The last commenter sounds like a certain Tech HS dropout whom I have ridiculed for his poor English here and elsewhere…
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:30 am
Ah, assuming again Wilson! Your comment speaks volumes for the quality of students Indy produces!
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Thanks for the link Wilson. I made a post on it over at AI site.
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:55 pm
The fallout from the Legislature’s failure to pass Indy Works could be even more far-reaching than originally anticipated. Both the recently agreed to contracts for the city’s police and fire fighter’s unions were both tied to the passage of Indy Works and the Mayor having a public financing plan to pay for public safety.
And that’s a nail in the coffin… but I’m not sure which nail or what coffin. We know last session the Republicans destroyed it in the house. This year, even if it made it through the House the Republicans in the Senate would have never passed it.
What’s left of the state Republican Party is trying to power grab… or something; they’re specifically not letting Indy Works through in order to make Indianapolis fail and make Bart look bad. I don’t see it as any other scenario. Knowing it was a lost cause in the Senate it languished in the House.
Either voters will grasp some common sense and vote Democrat; not necessarily for comprehensive Democrat policies (are there any?), but in order to have common sense policies like Indy Works pass while rhetoric about Gay Marriage dies down. That’s the nail in the coffin for the Republicans.
If the failure falls on the Mayor’s shoulders it becomes his failure and fodder for Mr. Ballard. Perfect timing for this election year.
May 4th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
>> This year, even if it made it through the House the Republicans in the Senate would have never passed it. <
But it couldn’t make it through the House because the Indianapolis Democrats torpedoed it to save their political buddies in the Trustee offices. They wanted to close the same offices a few years ago, but now they wanted to keep them open.
When presented the option of doing something for their voters or their buddies, they chose the latter. Sad.