The Young Crowd Is Getting A Little Old
When the Marion County Republicans were trying figure out who would be there new chairman, State Senator Mike Young said current Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John would get the job over his dead body. Tom got the job and Mike didn’t keep his promise. Young is symbolic of what is wrong with a portion of the local Republican establishment. Young and his ilk are fighting consolidation like third world dictators who are past their prime, still fighting revolutionaries.
Indiana lawmakers will have a conference committee meeting over Indy Works tomorrow afternoon. And Young will lead the charge to try to stop it. Young is symptomatic of the outdated and anachronistic thinking that still plagues part of the GOP in Indianapolis. By opposing consolidation, instead of embracing and co-opting the issue, the old guard members come across as protectors of the status quo and more concerned about the jobs of township officials than saving the taxpayers money.
Even one of their own experts who testified at the summer study committee on consolidation in 2005 told the panel that fire consolidation saves money and creates efficiencies. Were they not listening, or did they only hear what they wanted to hear?
The members of the GOP who are fighting consolidation need to move on. They are on the losing side of history. This county faces serious problems concerning crime, taxes, finances, foreclosures, schools and economic development. Maybe Young and his group should spend time focusing on those issues. But then again, they do take time, energy and thoughtfulness. And I would never accuse the Young crowd of being thoughtful.
