Loading ...The Monroe Doctrine
A proposal is being introduced at tonight’s City-County Council meeting which would censure former Council President Monroe Gray for ethics violations.
An ethics hearing found Gray failed to file proper disclosure forms regarding his business interests.
There are no penalties in the ordinance, but it does call for Gray’s actions to be publicly condemned.
Expect some controversy out of this one as there is a question as to whether the Council’s investigative committee of Gray ever had a quorum since it was made up of two members from each party. And there was a question as to whether Democrat Paul Bateman had officially resigned from the Committee after he was part of a federal investigation regarding charity fraud.
Stay tuned.
October 6th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Just saw Wilson Allen at the City County Building, voting early. Of course he had an Obama shirt on. Forget the fact that is a violation of election law. Also, the lady in the back helping people vote was providing commentary on GOP candidates. Looks like the Beth White show is in full swing.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
My question is “When is Carl Brizzi going to step up and file Ghost Employment, Corrupt Business Influence, Official Misconduct, and Theft against Monroe Gray?”
-His criminal actions were so obvious, the evidence was placed on the front page of the newspaper!!!
October 6th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I’d like to know how Wilson Allen as an individual voter with guaranteed First Amendment Rights to Free Speech wearing a political shirt to vote is a violation of election law? If he were working the polls I’d understand, but as a voter doing his duty no way! And, just for the record, I don’t know Mr. Allen and wouldn’t want to meet him.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I would never use this for a source of anything, but DailyKos says:
Lastly - make a couple of suggestions to your friends. For instance, voters should not wear Obama gear (clothes or buttons) to the polls. Some election officials may turn you away because you have campaign materials on! Also, remind your friends that Indiana’s polls will ONLY be open from 6am-6pm on Election Day. This means your friends need to get in line EARLY if they don’t early vote. Finally, urge them to VOTE OBAMA. Since you’re talking their ear off anyway, remind them why Obama is such a great candidate! Explain why you’re passionate about Senator Obama. It they’re on the fence, this could help.
-
I think since you have to be 100 ft away or whatever with campaign material, that’s why shirts could apply as well. You could fight it, but sounds like no one called Wilson on it.
_
If someone in line tries to tell me to vote for Obama, I don’t know what I would do. (besides continue to NOT vote for Obama) Is telling someone to f*** off still legal?
October 6th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Any discussion of candidates by workers in a voting area is a violation of federal law. As the previous poster mentioned, campaign materials are also not to be visible by voters, or anywhere in or near the voting booths. Candidates are not allowed to loiter in, or greet members of the public inside the polling areas. That is considered campaigning inside a restricted area. If they are voting in their own precinct, they are supposed to conduct their business and leave- not that Mayor Peterson ever submitted to those rules.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Abdul, being a member of the bar, would you clarify the Wilson crime above:
I believe that wearing campaign materials inside a polling place (even if you are voting) constitutes campaigning inside a polling place and is prohibited. Is that true?
October 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
It doesn’t take a member of the bar to follow through on election law.
There is no politicking allowed within 50 feet of the polling place; this neutral area is commonly called “the chute.” Inspectors are asked to use discretion in determining that chute (given building layout, etc); however, once established, it is final, and no electioneering can be conducted therein. At our precinct, that chute ends up continuing outside the building, but we always allow all candidate volunteers (both D and R) to step inside if it’s cold or inclimate. By the time folks get to the polls, you’re not going to influence their vote anyway.
Mr. Allen was in a government building open for business for other purposes today…I think you’d have a hard time telling him he could not wear his gear there. But it is a touchy area of the law.
Jerry you’re too funny. I think telling someone to eff off is still within the law if they don’t view it as a tyhreat to potential violence.
This whole Obama Gear thing is new, though…I’m going to inspector training tonight, and I’ll ask about it. I don’t know if we can legally ask folks to take off their Obama gear, especially if, uh, it would mean they’re half naked without it. That could be a pretty, or ugly, sight, depending on the circumstance. LOL
Anon–Ms. White ran a nearly-perfect municipal election last year. Get off it already. How do you know the persons you overheard tlaing, were Democrats, Republicans, office workers, or voters?
Get a life already.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
And as for Monroe–if I were on the council, I’d support such a resolution. A censure resolution is not required by state statute to originate in or travel through a committee first–it can be introcued at any time by any member of the council, at the appropriate time on the agenda.
The council committee established by the new Republican majority, did not have a quorum, however, and did not legally take action. Council rules state a strong preference, procedurally, for committees to take action. But a Motion to Censure, as well as a Motion to Table, could be apprpriate without such committee pre-action.
Monroe behaved badly. If the censure is base don solid facts, and not inneundo or nonsense, put it out there.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I have read where inspectors creatively used garbage bags to re-dress people in the past.
-
I would only support a resolution if it got rid of Gray, if that’s even possible.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I think that the LEAST the city council could do for the voters that Monroe Gray has defrauded is to put him in public stockade in front of the city council building for an entire day to suffer our condemnation for his actions (in addtion to censure).
.
Censure alone is not enough for what he’s done.
He STOLE $83k per year from us!
October 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
It is 1900 and I am watching the start of meeting. I MUST be having a nightmare. Bad Minton opening the meeting. The minister is praying for all that are picking on her…etc, etc. What is wrong with this city?…..It is obvious. Check out our “leaders”.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Amen, Melyssa. We’ve got the last of tomatoes in back I’ll donate to the cause. Should be done for anybody stealing the people’s money for either party. Any old folks who irretrievably lost their savings to bank default should be able to publicly stone the convicted Wall Street scoundrel. A couple of stonings and well-publicized incarcerations for illegal hiring will serve our purpose more efficiently than billions in loans and millions in fencing. Money we no longer have.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Think Again,
You pretty much have the whole deal there in one sock pertaining to polling places.
If anyone wants to follow-through, the Election Day Handbook and training materials are available on the SOS website.
Best I can tell, no advocating of any candidate within the chute - no pins, no handouts and no tee shirts.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I can’t disagree, Melyssa, albeit the method of punishment is a tad harsh. And my reason will surely differ from anyone else posting thus far, if history is any indicator. But stick with me: (ducking from the predictable brickbats)
I believe Bart Peterson was a very good mayor. You don’t have to, but it’s my right, and I’m pretty sure that view will hold true soon enough. He listened to the wrong folks too often, but he genuinely wanted the best for this city. And he sure as hell didn’t do it for the money. And with this caveat: his stormtroopers were obscenely harsh to you, Melyssa, which served no good purpose.
Anywayz…I wanted him to continue at least one more term. His steadfast refusal to criticize or throw Monroe & Co. under the bus, directly resulted in his loss, IMHO. He was either scared, which is probably 25% true, or he is steadfastly loyal, which I tend to believe.
Either way, Monroe threw HIM under the bus with a year or so of Kangaroo Court council leaderhsip. Ably assisted by King Ro and friends.
So I wish Monroe would get what’s coming to him, if only to serve as a reminder that my party cannot allow such nonsense to ever happen again. Because we all share the boat, and when someone’s shooting holes in it, he must be promptly shown the gangplank, by persuasion or by force.
Ahoy.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Gray left the assembly room during the introduction of proposals which included the one to censure him. Monroe didn’t return until the intro was over.
Mc Neil is a joke. Her pastor passed the blame on to everyone else in the city, some grand conspiracy.
I’m sure we all knew that she was going to get drunk, call the police, assault the officer responding and then pee in the transporter. Yep it’s everyone’s fault except Mc Neil’s…poor girl so misunderstood by all.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
TA- while unappreciative of some accusations, much ideology, and most candidates, I salute your sense of intraparty justness and loyalty.
October 7th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Thanks Taxpayer.
And just think: I didn’t ask my pastor to reign down justice for me.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Think again said, “At our precinct, that chute ends up continuing outside the building, but we always allow all candidate volunteers (both D and R) to step inside if it’s cold or inclimate.”
I believe you mean “inclement” since there is no such word as “inclimate”…dumba$$.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Yes I did mean that Rampage. I was typing fast and on a BBerry; no time for spellcheck.
The slur could’ve gone untyped, tho. So who’s the DA now, huh?
Somebody needs to get on decaf.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Oh common practice for Democrats. Just wait until election day when all hell breaks loose at the polls. Wilson only did what most democrats do, ignore and violate election laws, but blame republicans for enforcing them publically.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I wonder if you voted Monday AND wore and Obama Tee, you got double the preferential seating for the upcoming campaign speech? Maybe it gets you that special chair to the immediate right or left right behind the podium?
October 10th, 2008 at 11:58 am
anon - it is not just dems. What monroe did was wrong and calling it monroe doctrine is funny. What about tom john putting his girlfriend and family on boards? That is wrong also. That would never fly outside of governemnt as applications are important and not who you know so girlfirends and family have to get in on their own. he has a surgery named after him also.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
A “public condemnation” - big deal. What is this, the UN school of punishment? Perhaps the Council has been inspired by Congress’ slew of non-binding resolutions?
.
In any case, this is far too weak of a consequence for the actions of Monroe Gray.
October 25th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
It is most certainly NOT illegal for a VOTER to wear a campaign shirt or a campaign button into the polls to vote. It is not illegal for a voter to carry into the polls campaign literature either. It would be a problem for people to be working the polls and wearing campaign shirts or buttons or to be displaying campaign literature in the voting area. But that rule doesn’t apply to a voter entering the voting area to cast a ballot.