From the information taxpayers are receiving from Washington Township taxpayer advocates, Schellinger’s firm stands to stay fat off higher and higher property taxes forced on us by their school board. And Schellinger’s firm does lobby the state government in regard to school spending…and it is not to lower spending or make it more accountable either.

I’ve been working in the metro school system for decades. Schellinger and his cronies have been bilking the taxpayers for many years in his “business” dealings with schools. He’s part of the reason that our schools account for half of our ballooning property tax bills. I’m not voting for him, or any other under-the-table fat-cat.

When IPS was talking about adding on to school 84 it wasn’t IPS officials that were lobbying the neighborhood for getting it done, it was Schellinger himself, holding neighborhood meeting after meeting trying to talk the people into even tearing down houses so he could build an extravagant add-on. At the time I wondered why the “architect” was pushing the project. One would think that if adding on was so imortant to learning that teachers or the school board would have more of an interest in the project. The only answer is money.

The three prior comments sum up my limited observations and participation in school board, council and state government. We surely have need of improved facilites from time to time, and the construction industry is not incarnate evil. But, the capacity of our pocketbooks is not limitless. The fact that the construction lobby can corner your politician in a hallway to sqeeze-out the desired vote while you’re stuck at work is galling beyond measure. With the advantage of hindsight, think it makes any more sense to elect a Governor from the construction industry than a President from the oil industry?

Ah, Jen Wagner’s whining! Oh I missed it so! (NOT)

All one needs to do is take a short drive to Whiteland High School to see one of Schellinger’s masterpieces

Schellinger harbors a front mbe/wbe firm at his CSO location alllowing him to take advantage of setaside contracts that are intended for women and minority owned businesses.

Several years ago, Schellinger was advised that his firm could not get the architect contracts, plus the engineering. So, he got a black woman for New Orleans who was an electrical engineer, gave her a cubicle inside his large CSO office up north, re-assign some worker to her and instantly, she had an bona-fide legitimate mbe/wbe firm (NOT). They claimed to have given her 80% of his business. Well, that is ‘exactly’ what a front company is and it’s illegal. For years, CSO not only got the architect contracts, but also engineering contracts, including mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

Jim Schellinger is an mbe/wbe whore and should be required to give all the money back that he bilked from taxpayers.

Here are the websites for both companies. You’ll notice they are located in the same building owned by CSO.
http://www.laceindy.com/lac_copyright_privacy.asp
http://www.csoinc.net/

This company fails the requirements to be a mbe/wbe firm. 1) owners used own money to start up company.
2) Pays own expenses – rent, etc.
3) Is independant.
4) The only role she has is to be the ‘minority’, the work and the money is handled by the white men who have been put in charge by Schellinger.

Below is the announcement of the ‘front company’.

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1166063/CSO-engineers-adapt-to-new.html
Publication: Indianapolis Business Journal
Publication Date: 10-NOV-03
Format: Online – approximately 895 words
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Olson, Scott

Article Excerpt:

CSO may have failed in its bid to participate in a $200 million school renovation project in New Orleans. But what the architectural firm gained from the experience could prove to be more valuable than any contract.

Back in 1996, locally based CSO partnered to bid on the school work with a small, female- and minority-owned engineering consulting firm operated by Lisa Harmon, a New Orleans native and Tulane University grad.

Armed with the confidence and the support from CSO to compete for contracts in Indianapolis, Harmon opened a branch office in 1997 at local general contractor J. Beard Management Inc. Early this year, though, CSO and Harmon took their relationship a step further. The architectural firm spun off its engineering practice in February and gave Harmon 80-percent ownership.

For James Schellinger, CSO’s president and CEO, the decision made…

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.

Even their websites look very similar. Not only is jill not lying but there seems to be a lot more that she COULD be saying.