Loading ...An Offer I Hope the Mayor Won’t Refuse
The Mayor’s Office is apparently complaining about the news and media coverage of the public safety tax increase, accusing a lot of us, me in particular, of sensationalizing the tax and going for the more inflammatory headlines and stories.
This is not the first time the Mayor’s office has complained about media coverage and it definitely won’t be the last. Politicians are notorious for saying how they wish they could take their message directly to the people and avoid the press altogether.
Mr. Mayor, here’s your chance.
I’m taking off the week of August 6 to spend time with my son. I have guest hosts slated to fill in for me on my morning radio show at WXNT-AM for each day except Thursday, August 9. It’s yours if you want it.
It can be you. It can be Steve Campbell. It can be Mike O’Connor. Anyone affiliated with your administration. You pick the person who can best articulate your vision for this city and defend your record and I will gladly give him or her the microphone. The only condition is you have to take calls and keep the show informative and entertaining. Other than that, it’s all yours.
Your staff has told me how more is spent annually on public safety than the new football stadium. You’ve told me how you are proud to have City-County Council Members like President Monroe Gray sit next to you and help you make decisions. You’ve told me that the city has used tax increment financing to rebuild impoverished neighborhoods and not just build hotels. You even told me how you felt the Marion County Coroner was being attacked in part because of race.
Here’s your chance to tell everybody else without a filter.
An as an added bonus, I’ll even throw in some space on this blog to make your case in writing.
Will you take me up on my offer?
July 29th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Ain’t going to happen.
July 29th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Mike O’Connor is a punk.
July 29th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Getting personal doesn’t help the discussion. I would appreciate it if you guys would focus on the issues at hand.
July 29th, 2007 at 10:54 am
wouldn’t you just love to have monroe gray sitting next to you making decisions?
July 29th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Are you kidding? Bart can’t even walk down the hallway on the 25th floor without having the state police clearing it first. He does not want to talk to anyone at the moment.
July 29th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Wow, more is spent on public safety than the new football stadium - Say it ain’t so! They just don’t get it. Nothing should be spent on the new football stadium!
Rebuild impoverished neighborhoods? Are these the same neighborhoods that also have residential tax abatements? Now that is a winning combination. Wait until those tax abatements expire and see what happens to some of those homeowners.
People had a chance to talk directly to the Mayor at the last MCANA meeting. The room should have been standing room only, but it wasn’t. I’m sure that there wasn’t a press release from the Mayor’s office about his appearance there.
July 29th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
OK, correction then - Mike O’Connor is a political animal, not a leader.
One example … when I reserved the domain name bartpeterson.com, the Star asked him why Bart didn’t reserve it when he had the chance, and Mike said it was because it was already taken, which was hogwash.
Ever hear O’Connor say anything that wasn’t right down the party line ? Ever hear him or Bart express outrage at all the violence ? They both live in safe white suburban enclaves and probably can’t find Hamilton Avenue with a Tom-Tom.
Mike O’Connor is what he is.
July 29th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
In late 2004 O’Connor left his city job to take a gig with Indianapolis lobbyist BoseTreacy Associates.
BoseTreacy did lobbying work for the Indianapolis COlts.
At the time, O’Connor was the city’s negotiator on Indianapolis Colts matters.
Though O’Connor claimed no impropriety had occurred, any non-flatlining mammal would say that move stunk to high heaven.
Even worse that O’Connor’s political consulting firm is called High Road Communications.
See, the p-word is used for people who think might makes right. Who think Mose Mckinney should run the city (which it does).
Goldsmith was the same way…
July 29th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Right on, Abdul! I think it is a great idea to let the mayor host the show! How can he turn down your offer? And if he does, then does he have a leg to stand on and whine? Will Chris Spangle be his producer and screen the calls?
July 29th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Abdul, I think it’s a great idea. Ironically enough, I can tell you that if the mayor runs even a one-hour segment on Thursday if it’s advertised your ratings will be very, very high. I for one will wake up early just to catch it.
I bet he’ll get some really colorful phone calls too. There aren’t very many things more entertaining than a flustered mayor.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:10 am
There is no way Bart will do it. Can you imagine the phone calls that morning? That would be hilarious. But, that is all wishful thinking because he won’t do it. He would be pounded on air.
Great idea though, Abdul.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Jay, if you do indeed own the bartpeterson domain, you are likely breaking ip laws…
Eugene Fisk is the name, with a false phone number and bogus address.
I’m also guessing that Eugene Fisk isn’t a real name.
As for the registration, it was created on May 4, 2003 and won’t expire until into 2009.
July 30th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
So ? Try going to http://www.gwbush.com, ya think that’s George’s site ?
July 31st, 2007 at 10:50 am
Nice try, Jay the gwbush whois is accurate and reflective of a legal registration. You’re probably still in some trouble…
July 31st, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Jay, since we’re namesakes I won’t tell the internet registration police so I think you’re in the clear.
July 31st, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I think he should do it. He has disappointed many of his former supporters, and he deserves a chance to have his say. I, for one, would like to understand this, because I don’t. It seems like he could have waited until we knew what was going to happen with our property taxes prior to raising the income tax. From what I understood, this county option income tax could be used to alleviate the sting of the property tax, but instead it has gone (partially - i guess 30 or 33 percent) to new programs. Sometimes…..it almost seems like they (Mitch, Bart, Pat, Brian, the assessors) are all in this together. Sometimes…..it almost seems like they all agreed they needed to restructure government and the good ‘ol boys wouldn’t let them do it and they figured that people like Melyssa, et. al. would do their dirty work for them. Hmmmmm, how likely is that???