Loading ...Today’s History Lesson
Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Mike O’Connor called on Republican candidates for this year’s municipal offices to get on board the consolidation train. O’Connor said he found it odd that the same people who opposed government consolidation for the past three years are now calling for less government. He said if they want less government they should support Indy Works. O’Connor said Indy Works opponents were engaging in revisonist history.
When O’Connor took aim at State Senator Jim Meritt for opposing consolidation because he wanted to protect the township assessors, I politely reminded him that Marion County Democrats led by State Rep. William Crawford also did their part to oppose government consolidation this year, by not giving up the Township Trustee offices in their zeal to protect Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer, which was partially responsible for the Mayor’s plan not passing this year.
Now the history lesson is more complete.
July 26th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Yes Abdul, and what was his response to your comment? It was, afterall, the truth!
July 26th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Remember that State Sen. Jim Merritt wouldn’t give up township assessors… There are two sides to that obstruction story Abdul, tell both sides!
July 26th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I thought I did. :-)
July 26th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I know this is never a Republican priority but what entity was going to pick up the statutory responsibility for ‘poor relief’ if the GOP managed to ditch the Trustees in Marion County? “Clothing the naked and feeding the hungry” (as Christ said) still would be needed. Was Indianapolis going to be the only place in Indiana without poor relief?
July 26th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Poor relief would be administered by Health and Hospital. This is not hard.
July 26th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
You should at least spell the good Senator’s name correctly!
July 26th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
You did tell both sides, Abdul. The previous poster is on crack or something…
Here’s a potential chink in the armour: Peterson is afraid of the Center Township cabal. Well, maybe not afraid, but he knows he can’t beat them in a frontal assault. They are excellent at threatening to stay home on Election Day unless they get this or that…often including WAM (”Walkin Around Money”) that the balck pastors are famous for.Frankly, the numebrs are such that, in most cases, the cabal’s threats could probably be ignored. They don’t carry the clout they used to carry. Especially when they vote at 18-25%. That’s pitiful. But fear is an odd thing.
Now…on Ch. 16, the Mayor was talking to MCANA Sat. I’ve seen it replayed (partially) twice, and when it comes to this part, the Mayor’s voice dims, but he clearly says something about “trustees and township government.”
As in getting rid of them. It was in response to a lady’s question; the lady started out thinkign Bart had been on the other side of a particular issue, and he corrected her.
If so, his true feelings leaked out.
And his fear of busting Drummer in the mouth politically, is what led to the breakup of a perfectly good compromise on Indy Works in the last session. The Republicans are guilty of not wanting to give this mayor ANY victories whatsoever. But they’d have buckled if he’d have given in on trustees in Marion County.
At the 11th hour, he blinked, and trustees were protected. Thus, the GOP said, basically, kiss off if you can’t find a consistent way to streamline government. They weren’t willing to buy into his “consolidate everything but Carl” approach.
And they were right.
Have you ever had Carl on your show, Abdul? You ought to ask him. And post the date if he agrees. I’d love to see him squirm on the questions.
July 26th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Last year popular Trustee Carl Drummer was re-elected by better than 3-to-1 by the voters in Center Township. What the GOP can’t win at the ballot box, they try to finagle in the halls of the Statehouse.
July 26th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
And how many in that 3-1 margin are on the receiving end of Carl’s Poor Relief??
July 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Doesn’t hurt that Crown Hill is in Center Township either.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
You have got to be kidding me!!! We know how much was saved by the police merger. We know how Washington Township taxes went down with their township fire merger. NOT!
I’m betting when it’s all said and done the assessors weren’t that far off. Part of the problem in Marion County is the assessors’ budgets and been cut every year and the city drug their feet on approving a new property system. The system currently used is from the 1970s.
Mitch will not be the hero when this all shakes out. Several of the counties whose values have been thrown out were done by the so called “pofessionals.”
Greg Bowes…who will handle this under the mayor’s IndyWorks is the one that approved the Marion County values and sent them to the DLGF begging them to approve, which I might add they did.
Oh by the way, I have a letter from the DLGF saying Franklin Township was good.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Becky,
Try taking a look at Washington Twps. increases had they had not kept their COIT which was a condition of the fire merger…
July 26th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Mike O’Connor needs to return to Connersville. He is no longer chief deputy mayor of the city. As Peterson’s campaign manager he plans to bash Republicans through the November Election as a distraction. The Democraps do not have a plan to fix the problems in the city. Now that they control a majority of the public offices in Marion County, they still blame Republicans for the lack of progress.
Ask questions about the budget, the spend and tax Democraps are in denial. Bad mathematics. They couldn’t balance a trillion dollar budget if their lives depended on it.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
O’Conner is NOT from Connersville. He’s a very recent transplant to Indianapolis having grown up and lived most of his in Greenfield, which BTW is 99% white with a less than proud history of KKK involvement in government.
O’Conner has NEVER held any fulltime job other than that of a white political hack and that goes for his job at the Bowes firm.
Yes, I’d say he’s a real good spokesman for the Center Township black power brokers wouldn’t you?
This is completely laughable.
I suppose the next time O’Conner get’s up to speak he’ll be in black face.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Well there was NO WAY they were going to let Monroe speak after he showed his command of the English language Monday night at the CCC Meeting. Holy crap! I am embarrassed to say I am from Indy when people hear that.
July 27th, 2007 at 5:58 am
The deal was cut many years ago in the Democrat Party for the trustee and constable to be black democrats. The small claims court judge and assessor white democrats. When Julia Carson and company learned of the amount of money involved they went for control of all of the offices. More deals were cut and the rest is history. Weak whie county chairman surrendered to the pressure to retain the black votes in center township. Now the members of the Ghetto Mafia are living lavishly at the expense of taxpayers. What other jobs would they have earning the kind of money they are making, plus under the table benefits to boot.
July 27th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Why is Wilson posting anonymously now? How shameful!
July 27th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Wilson is posting anonymously because he accused people of threatening him (picking on him) on this blog and he was banned. Yeah, we all know it is him, but I see that we have struck a nerve with the mayor’s people because some of the posts are petty and pro-peterson. It is ok, it means we are doing something right!
July 27th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Ignorance is bliss throughout the Democrap Party, and it shows. Very few academic credentials, bad mathematics, poor speech and grammar, bad manners and alot of arrogance to go around.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:50 am
It is funny to see that ignorant Wilson posting anonymously…now Wilson is what he calls “an anonymous nobody.”
Wilson, as for election of Corrupt Carl Drummer: it is called “Machine Politics.” The Machine got him elected…and who makes out? Well, the 100+ patronage staff, for one! Yes 100+ make-work, do-nothing jobs. A $90k taxpayer-paid salary for an uneducated Township Trustee, that is obscene!
Let’s see, Corrupt Carl Drummer has those office buildings owned by taxpayers for no reason…my copy of the Indiana Code says nothing about the purpose of a Township Trustee as a taxing entity to buy office buildings at taxpayer expense and become a property manager/developer.
Can Corrupt Carl explain how “The Machine” the variance for the bar in the government building which, by the way, was granted by the wife of the city council majority leader, and part-owned by the wife of the city-council president!!!
Why did the city council president Monroe “Sweet Pea” Gray tell a reporter that he “doesn’t know what his wife does” when asked about her interest in the bar being placed in a taxpayer-owned building?
Machine politics consists of a nod, a wink, and and handshake with some green inside. It is just wrong. Nobody wants to be taxed so some uneducated person can have $11 Million of OUR money in the bank and become a property manager for fellow croneys with a (D) by their name!
There is clear & convincing evidence that Township Government must be abolished within cities of Indiana because there is simply no need for it. The functions can be best handled without the taxing entity…with fiscal accountability, and a much smaller staff of workers and facilities, instead of patronage people on a taxpayer funded payroll who are not given meaningful responsibilities.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Who will be first to get whacked?
Monroe Gray or Carl Drummond?
July 27th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Poor relief at 150% overhead is actually cruel to the poor, and criminally inefficient. Don’t dare claim the system works to serve the poor. That’s a lie!!! Currently the real reason for that Township Trustee taxing entity is for political patronage. Taxing us for their benefit. With excessive patronage employees, excessive overhead, excessive land & building space, excessive money in the bank, excessive salaries!
That 1.5% of our tax bill goes to fund the ridiculous real estate empire he’s built up! It is just wrong!
It is NOT the trustee’s mission!!! And to pay for his expensive police car. In fact, I checked Indiana law and IC 9-13-2-6 does NOT allow Township Trustees to have or operate emergency vehicles!!!!
-And to store his personal vehicles on taxpayer owned property for free???
-And to pay his $87000 salary, for crying out loud!!!
-And to pay the silly salaries of seven township board members, one of whom, when informed their positions might be eliminated, remarked publicly: “What will I use for money to go to the (casino) boat?” There are 63 or so similar township board members across the county–costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars.
As long as people like Drummer continue to rape the tax base, and spend money like drunken sailors, their taxing entity deserves to be eliminated; there is no need for Township taxing entities in cities!
July 27th, 2007 at 10:37 am
To set the record straight. Dr. Benjamin Osborn purshcase the Mayflower Building with a federal grant to house the offices and a training center for poor relief recipients. He had a GED program and graduations ceremonies there. Never had a surplus in the bank. The funds were spent for the people in need of temporary assistance. He served as many people as he could without predjudice and would exhaust his budget many times.
Julia Carson purchased the former Standard Life Building at 300 Fall Creek Pkwy. N. Drive for #350,000.00 of poor relief funds at auction, and went to the state tax commission for $18 Million Poor Relief Debt Bonds to fund the $8 Million renovations and retired the debt of Center Township with the help of Atty. Lacy Johnson. Until the bonds are repaid, Center Township has to maintian $5 Million of tax dollars in the bank to support the bond rating of the city.
Her plan was to have the building named after her when she ran for congress. The one story Mass Avenue Building also housed an expensive boutique in the one story building adjacent to the main building where poor relief recipients purchased clothes for the school friends. The store was listed in the name of her associate Louis Morse and his wife. they main akilling in the short time they were there.
Only the bookkeeping department was moved from Mass Avenue to 300 East Building leaving the fourth floor vacant on Mass Avenue., and Cral Drummer’s collection of expensive cars were housed in the building for free.
Carl Drummer with the help of Rep. Bill Crawford purchased the former Fall Creek YMCA for $1 Million of poor relief money with the promise to renovate the hotel for homeless people.
Both Carson and Drummer cut services to poor people but spent funds for their personal monuments. It was allowed and overlooked like everything else in Center Township.
Drummer has and $11 Million surplus in the bank which indicates his budget for this year should be cut. The township board went along with the program. Not one of the board members stood up to them. If you asked questions, you ere black- balled and defamed throughout the Democrap Party. Check it out Abdul and you will find the waste in Center Township.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:59 am
“Last year popular Trustee Carl Drummer was re-elected by better than 3-to-1 by the voters in Center Township. What the GOP can’t win at the ballot box, they try to finagle in the halls of the Statehouse.”
Hello Wilson. Almost didn’t recognize you with the anonymous hood of TCP/IP over your head.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Wilson, can you please look up “hypocrite” and read it’s meaning? I’ll provide it for you: a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. Now, aren’t you always spewing about ‘anonymous nobodies?’
Carl Drummer stinks of Machine Politics and corruption. He is not popular!
We need legislation to abolish the taxing entity of Township government in Indiana cities…there is just no need for it and it has turned into a corrupt Political Machine eating our tax dollars!
Peeeeewwwwwwww!!!!