Loading ...INAUGURAL PREVIEW
Mayor-elect Greg Ballard says he’ll name nearly a dozen members of his cabinet this week. He says there will be a couple surprises in his choices, but the public should be happy with the picks. Ballard says some of the positions he’s filled are Chief of Staff, Corporation Counsel and Deputy Mayor of Neighborhoods. He adds the public shouldn’t expect wholesale firings, saying a number of individuals in city government have expertise in areas that can serve the public well.
Ballard says his priorities will be reducing the number of dropped calls to the Mayor’s Action Center line, putting the police department back under the Mayor, outlining a plan to deal with the abandoned housing issue and instituting an ex-offender work program.
Ballard also says he plans a baseline audit of city functions and will incorporate a program called “City Stat” to measure the performance of city agencies. He also plans to create a department of “Enterprise Development” to look at whether more privatization is needed for city services and whatever other efficiencies can be discovered.
The Mayor-elect also told me he wants to create a Mayor’s Night Out where the Mayor would take one night a month to meet with members of the community and also plans to increase city cooperation with neighborhood groups.
Ballard will be sworn in as Mayor on January 1.
December 26th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Surprises?
Considering the appearance of vettings made by un-supporters (yes, I used “un” on purpose), I’d be surprised if the picks weren’t simply a Who’s Who of Red up-and-coming, law-degreed hacks/wanna-be’s with a Blue ringer or two tossed in for “balance”.
If I were to be really surprised, the hirings would be bereft of anyone holding a law degree, not including the City Attorney, and be completely free of personal/familial/political/economic ties to any of the major downtown law firms, or people currently holding “fluff” jobs at major corporations around town.
December 26th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
If the mayor elect really wanted to make some changes, he would have contacted many of the corporate entities here in the city to get of listing of recently retired employees who these organizations hated to see leave. From such a listing he could have made cold calls to see who might be interested in giving back to the city. Less expense, a new level of experience to go along with current city employees. Working the same long list of names and expecting something different in the way of outcomes for the city is crazy.
December 27th, 2007 at 5:05 am
varangianguar, You said”
I’d be surprised if the picks weren’t simply a Who’s Who of Red up-and-coming, law-degreed hacks…” and “If I were to be really surprised, the hirings would be bereft of anyone holding a law degree”
Comment: With the exception of “black” people with law degrees. They want too much, such as TRUE equality, an “earned” spot on the team and the “fullfillment” of campaign promises made to the blacks on the campaign trail who supported Ballard.
If you recall two black “lawyers” stuck their neck out for the campaign and they will be replaced with cottohhead blacks with no integrity–just fluff and grant stealling. But, what does any administration about stealing of grant money earmarked for the poor. So long as they don’t steal from the wealthy and keep a facade of happiness in the ghetto. We have been hood-winked.
Respect is something just not afforded black lawyers in the State of Indiana. We get SHIT ON all the time, unless we are being pimped by a white lawyer!!!!!
Indianapolis is beginning to SUCK even more!
December 27th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Talk is cheap.
Not the mayor’s — rather, that of those who would work his puppet strings, if they had half the chance.
How about shutting up for a change and seeing what actually transpires after January 1.
December 27th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Fuzzy,
You are a wild and crazy guy! “(S)hutting up for a change”? You must be mad!
Seriously, oh never mind. I can’t take your remarks seriously this morning.
December 27th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Fed Up,
Don’t feel bad, I pick on all (politcally inclined) lawyers equally (Abdul included). Attorneys, as a whole, do get a bad rap from lots of other people (like me). Why? Because so many attorneys make themselves such an easy target (see ambulance chaser or John Edwards).
Mayor-elect Ballard will be foolish not to have tried to recruit some competent African-American attorneys for his administration (along with other types of management postions, as well). The problem is that “competent” and “politically-inclined” are often mutually exclusive concepts. But, my question is, did you try?
If Mayor-elect Ballard does fall into the Republican “busines-as-usual” trap, he’ll find running Indianapolis to be an exasperating experience during the next four years, in my opinion.
December 27th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
varangianguard:
The ULTIMATE insult to black people. The non-speaking, ethically challenged, ex-con Olgen Williams who supported Bart Peterson OPENLY for Mayor is now our deputy mayor. LOL.
December 27th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
He applied. Did you?
There are worse “ultimate insults” I could think of that a politician could perpetrate upon Indianapolis’ black community.
Anyway. Abdul did promise a surprise. Maybe this was it?
December 27th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
We were promised the most qualified person for the job.
Of course “who” the most qualified person is varies situationally, but I think there should be “minimum” standards for Deputy Mayor positions, irrespective of race, ABSOLUTE MINIMUMS that’s all.
We should continue to recruit until we’ve found such candidates. Was there an advertisement in the newspapers to attempt to recruit hoosiers who don’t live off of grant money or currently work in government?
There seems to be a conflict of interests here. What about the Christamore House? Will he give up his BABY? I DOUBT IT!
And what next, O appoints his kid, who should go to college by the way while he is still of college age, as a solution?
Come on…Peterson played this song over and over…RESULTS? 100+ MURDERS A YEAR. Old solutions don’t fix new problems, they either created it, ignored it or exacerbated the problem.
We need “NEW” Black Leadership [plural, not singular] and one size “does not fit all”.