MORE MONDAY MORNING MUSINGS
There are a lot of things on my radar screen this morning. As funeral arrangements are pending for Congresswoman Julia Carson, Marion County Democrats are still as one operative put it, “in a tailspin” over who should lead the party. Civil war anyone?
Also Council Democrats are going to make one last effort to exert their power tonight. On the agenda are two resolutions, one would require the developers of the new convention hotel project to get a “labor peace agreement” in order to get city financing. In coming Council Minority Leader says the measure would guarantee workers the right to organize, but John Livengood of the Indiana Hotel and Lodging Association the proposal would force the hotel to hire union work. Call me crazy, but I’m very suspicious of this plan. There really isn’t much difference between the pay grade of union and non-union hotel work. So the only people getting rich out of this deal would be the union in the form of dues, because neither the workers nor the company will benefit.
The second measure is a Council resolution calling for a reversal of the public safety tax. Democrats finally realized they could not vote to repeal the tax because they would be breaking the law, so they have decided to go the non-binding resolution route. The point of the resolution is to embarrass the Republicans by putting them on record as opposing the tax. I personally would like to see a resolution that says anyone who does business with the city, but also serves on the Council, would cancel their contract and give the money back to the taxpayers.
I’m also hearing there may be more to the shooting incident involving Indiana Pacer Jamaal Tinsley than thought. Police are investigating a double homicide on the southwest side in the 4900 block of West Troy. 47-year old Anthony Earl and his 18-year old son Michael were shot multiple times. Police are initially calling the shooting was a possible home invasion robbery. However sources say Michael Earl might have been involved in the shooting involving Tinsley, and identified the owners of the truck that was used in the incident, and his murder was in retaliation.