Loading ...BART v. BART & BALLARD v. BALLLARD
At last Sunday’s tax forum at Light of the World Church we interviewed Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and his Republican challenger Greg Ballard. Both candidates were asked about taxes, crime and economic development. You can hear both their responses here.
After talking to both men, I’ve concluded that their main opponents aren’t each other, but themselves. For the incumbent, he has to prove that after eight years of his leadership, the city is on the right track and voters should entrust him with another four. This is going to be pretty difficult with a climate that is filled with rising crime, taxes, home foreclosures and a decreasing quality of life. However, the Mayor’s best friend is voter apathy. If not enough people care and stay home, he cruises to victory.
For Ballard, it is not enough to say Peterson is a bad mayor, but why he would be a good mayor. He needs to get a lot more aggressive and start appealing to the masses. Speaking to small groups off the radar screen of the mainstream press is one thing, but now he needs to get ready for prime time. However, for Ballard, his best friend is voter anger. If he can tap into that anger by getting more aggressive with the mass appeal and asking if voters are better off than they were four years ago, he can give the incumbent a run for his money.
If this were any other election, and if either man had another opponent, this race would be over. However in this climate with taxes, crime and other news it will be the events that drive this campaign and not the candidates. And for each candidate to truly take advantage of those events, they will have to overcome their biggest hurdles, themselves.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Interview Box Score:
Adbul: Softballer. Too easy on the Mayor.
Chris: Campaigner. Asked questions that allowed Mr. Ballard to campaign on air.
TIE.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:35 am
So does a tie go the runner?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:38 am
A tie goes to “Who’s show is this anyway?”.
LOL
August 29th, 2007 at 10:01 am
More fluff.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Then go read Indy Undercover.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Damn straight on Ballard. Instead of telling me you are the Anti-Bart, tell me what Ballard is. Until he does I am not voting for any mayorial runner.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Ballard has a much larger obstacle to overcome: His party is only behind him with lip service and a picture of him on their lame-ass website! No money!!!$$$
Mad Mike for mayor!
August 29th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
No answer to my question Abdul? What’s happened? Me thinks somebody has pulled your reins in.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
He’s not going to be able to play this entirely clean. He needs to pull up every bit of righteous indignation within this community and channel it! The citizens need to hear it. Ballard needs to start studying Peterson’s jugular and go for the kill. The people want reform. WAKE THEM UP with your indignation!
Note to Ballard: Don’t worry so much about the Republican party…a lot of them got in bed with Peterson and you won’t be able to count on them…although they may vote for you. You have enough citizens behind you who are so well networked, that you will win.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Abdul,
In your opinion, if the election was held tomorrow, who would win? Peterson? Ballard?
August 29th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I’m not Abdul but I think it would be a toss-up and maybe take a couple recounts to decide. There’s a lot of voter anger, but there’s a lot of “devil you know vs. devil you don’t know” attitude too.
Ballard - barely. And his feet will be held to the fire by the IndyStar and other liberal media.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
There hasn’t been a decent media interview of the mayor OR his challenger in this city yet. The media is lazy, largely incompetent and herd-oriented.
Here’s the cunundrum: as a result, the public is largely uneducated about who should get their questions, anger and, sometimes, compliments.
Mad about the property tax system,and want property taxes abolished? Me too. I heard it on Abdul’s show this morning. But the mayor has zero–ZIPPO–to do with the system. He can use his bully pulpit, but the wonderful Indiana legislature establishes the system. If there’s a bigger bunch of losers anywhere, please point them out.
Mad about the actual tax bill? The Indiana Dept. of Local Govt. Finance, whose commissioner has dodged responsibility, actually approved the rates and charts assessors used to compute those taxes. They’re in this up to their necks.
Local assessors probably need to be pooled into one office, countywide, elected by voters to oversee, and thus be accountable. Now, it’s a maze.
Can we please stop blaming the wrong parties for the problems? Sort it out and use your noggin.
In short:
Legislature: legally establishes prop. taxes.
DLGF: (Executive Branch): approves the mechanism, charts, etc., used by assessors.
Assessors: compute the bill based on the mechanism. Hopefully,. using home sales as a guide. But don’t count on it.
Units of govt., i.e., schools, City Council, etc.: spend too much of our money on stupid things, thus requiring more prop. taxes from this antique system.
There. Got it? Bart cannot abolish property taxes. The legislature cannot re-compute your property tax bill.
You don’t ask your plumber to change your oil.
Our system isn’t really that complicated. But until and unless we start asking the right people the right questions, this election, and then the next one, will slip away and the politicians will bob and weave, and everything will remain status quo.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
LP,
Did you forget the levies are set by the local government budgets? That’s where you should start. Reduce spending and the the number of governments and the next thing you know, taxes go down.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Abdul - I disagree. It seems that the next thing that happens is the people have less local representation and less recourse regarding how their taxes are assessed and spent.
Rather than consolidating local governments, I recommend reducing or eliminating non-essential programs and partnering with resources from neighboring municipalities. Keep the costs down without minimizing the local impact of citizen voices.
August 31st, 2007 at 12:56 am
How can the party be behind Ballard when they have no money? I guess that is what happens when Republicans turn their backs on business, progess and growth.