Friday’s Follies
I have to hit the road this weekend, but I couldn’t leave without dropping these tidbits of gossip, rumor and blatant innuendo. Enjoy.
Super Bowl Shuffle
- The head of the Marion County Emergency Management Agency has managed to get on the bad side of the FBI. As the City puts together its plan for security for the 2012 Super Bowl, I’ve discovered that EMA Director Jim White has managed to annoy the “you-know-what” out of the FBI by overstepping his bounds and authority on several occasions. Things have gotten so bad that the FBI has apparently told the city that they are no longer dealing with White and prefer to have someone else as their point person on security.
Water Works
- City-County Councilor Ben Hunter says it may be time or serious changes at the Indianapolis Water Company. The Utility is planning to ask the State for an 11% rate increase for some capital improvement projects. Hunter, who chairs the Public Works Committee, says while the Council can’t stop the Utility from asking the state for a rate increase, it can use some of its other power to reign in the board. Hunter says the Water Company has been mismanaged in the past and it may be time to get rid of the current board and get one more responsive to the taxpayers.
Melina’s Mayoral Run
- As Melina Kennedy moves forward with her run for Mayor in 2011, she may want to brush up on her economic development stats. Kennedy touts her time as the head of economic development for former Mayor Bart Peterson. However, I’ve been informed by some of her rivals that job creation in Indy was virtually stagnant during her tenure with Peterson. Keep an eye on that issue.
CCC Redistricting
- Despite charges that the Indianapolis City-County Council would be breaking the law by redistricting prior to the completed census results in 2011, it turns out the Council actually can legally redraw the maps beforehand. I’ll have a fully spelled out legal argument and rationale when I come back. You’ll love it, Amos.
Klop’s Out
- Brad Klopfenstein is no longer Executive Director of the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association. Klopfenstein and the Association parted ways a couple weeks ago. This comes at a time when the Legislature is debating Sunday alcohol sales and a smoking ban may be returning to Indianapolis. Someone made a mistake and I don’t think it was Brad.
Back on Monday. Play nice.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:48 am
I agree they can redistrict for the 2011 IF it is done before November 8, 2010. The law is crystal clear though that there is a year window between November 8th before the election and the day after the election when you can't redistrict. If they think they are going to redistrict after 11/8/2010 using new census data, they will clearly be violating that statute.
This argument has been out there awhile and no one, including the Council's attorney Bob Elrod, has even offered any legal basis for why the redistricting statute prohibiting redistricting the year before the eledction doesn't apply.
But hey, it's just $580,000 the council is throwing away. Let's forget too that the legislature can redistrict their districts for 1/10th of that.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:50 am
Ben Hunter wants to change the Water Works board because it's been mismanaged and is not responsive to the people? And he doesn't think that same argument applies to the CIB?
September 25th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Among the jobs touted during Ms. Kennedy's term were the tax-abated Lilly jobs, some of which are now leaving.
But calling her tenure unproductive is a little overboard.
September 25th, 2009 at 7:12 am
It is long past time to cease thinking that elected officials have any talent at all in economic development. Those last two words, in the mouths of the unskilled dolts we elect, have cost us billions of dollars over the years with very, very little to show for it. Government, as it has grown, has outgrown cost/benefit analysis such that it clearly costs more than it benefits in nearly all areas. When you count all of the costs, government schools are a disaster area. The court system is not affordable to the average person. We could go on and on but to what point on this thread? If Kennedy wants to improve things by slashing back the overgrowth that would be one thing, if she wants to fertilize the overgrowth that would be another. Economic Development is a red herring.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Pascal you're not all wrong. Economic Development…in the hands of some government officials, it's as oxymoronic as “military intellegence.”
Just realized…ED stands for economic development and erectile dysfunction. Build your own joke.
Under our current mayor, the folks who peddle ED (the jobs kind, not the, uh…other kind) do not command the respect of their national peers. That could be a blessing in disguise. But in a tough economy, most large-job-creation deals have massive government involvement, so if you want to play in that arena, you've got to roll up your sleeves and protect your constituents as best you can.
It's a risky game. Just to stay even, you've got to roll the dice.
And all the while, your national-recruitment efforts could be undermined by one backyard (Lilly) announcement. Five hundred new jobs from tax-abated South Carolina relocation, 1500 local Lilly jobs gone out the back door.
Many years ago, one of the only bright things Goldsmith did, was to move the ED functions out of the mayor's office and into a public-private cooperative. The mayor pulls most of the strings in that endeavor, but it's a better tool to use.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
““Economic Development…in the hands of some government officials, it's as oxymoronic as “military intelligence.”“ I corrected your spelling for ya.
So TA what are you stating here…are you implying that all government officials and servicemen are stupid? One can’t be in the military and be intelligent?
September 25th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Kennedy has become the perennial “D” candidate. If I were a “D” I'd be thinking more along the lines of a Woody Myers. Myers certainly has actual business, public health, and social services experience. His education makes Kennedy look like a G.E.D with the equivalent of a community college education. However, he is a person of color, and Indy is just a little too blanco to vote him in.
September 25th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Ernie, nothing of the sort. I speak from experience. There are vast and expensive intelligence-gathering functions inside the military, and they're not well-respected, for the most part. Expensive and slow, oft wrong. The military's intelligence-gathering capabilities are roundly known for their failures.
To be fair, the best of the intelligence lot, the NSA, is technically a part of the Department of Defense. But it's far from military.
It's an old joke. Started by some defense intelligence folks, for cryin out loud. Lighten up.
Shortylong–did Woody pay ya well? Dayum. We probably can't vote for him because it's likely he doesn't meet the residency requirements. Details details.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Woody Myers does not meet the residency requirement. That makes you suggestion moot.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
RE: Super Bowl
The FBI acts like Indianapolis doesn't know how to handle a major event. Jim White has the city's best interest covered. Our Public Safety agencies will be doing all the work not the FBI.
September 26th, 2009 at 5:33 am
Did Ernie really try to take issue with the old joke about “military intelligence” being an oxymoron? I believe Carlin used to use that line a bit, yes?
What's funny, is even 'small government' conservatives who will claim that government cant do anything right will give government a pass on things so long as we're talking about police, military, intelligence services … of course, our brave military ends up cleaning up after or getting involved in things after goofs (W) our intelligence (M) services often make (D).
“Legacy of Ashes” and “All the Shah's Men” are both great reads for those interested in foreign policy and inappropriate uses of military intervention.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Public officials discussing “economic development,” usually sound like kids speaking a made up language. Their best shot at “relevance,” is the elimination of barriers, staying out of the way & focusing on their narrowly chartered, constitutional purpose.
September 26th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I was just trying to insert a little excitement into the pages…TA didn't take the bait.
September 26th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Sean, I've been saying that for quite some time and it's refreshing to see someone else think the same way. Despite what many presume, the military, police, etc… are another form of government and there's plenty of fat and corruption in them.
Unfortunately, any time a politician votes for cutting fat out of a military, police, etc… budget, they're slammed for being “against” the police/military.
September 26th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I helped negotiate the United Airlines Maintenance Faiclity economic development package when Evan Bayh was governor. It was the largest ED prize in the country at the time. Everyone wanted it. (Not to mislead: I was one of about 30 negotiators on different pieces of the package…no huge deal)
From Day One, the governor was firm: we get reimbursed if United's job goals or investment goals are not met. He held firm to that–and as the race got down to three or four sites, Indiana was the only site which asked for paybacks. I thought it would kill the deal. The people negotiating the specific economic package begged the goveernor to remove the paybacks from the deal. He refused.
The United CEO at the time, a guy named Wolff, liked the governor and the whole negotiating team. He told us he decided on Indiana despite the payback provision. The overall package was the winner for Wolff.
Flash forward a decade or so, and Wolff was ousted, United filed bankruptcy, and the courts threw out the original agreement. Bankruptcy judges, you see, can rewrite any legal document if they think it benefits creditors.
So, a local govt. can try all it wants to get the best deal possible. It can all crash to the ground if companies declare bankruptcy.
In the case of United, we have a healthy facility whose ownership reverted to the Airport Authority, and they've been marketing it and using it to some degree since.
Win-win? No. But not a total loss.
September 27th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
The United facility was exposed by Styring as one of the worst hosings Indiana taxpayers ever took. But, internet diletantes are easily misled. I suppose if one looks at big ticket items like the 1,000 employee Honda Civic plant then some room exists for some government involvement but to look at the large projects is to miss the real deal. That is, every job needs to provide a worker with about 1,800 hours of work each year. Who does that? The existing manufactuing base, for one. My point about Melina is that it is short hand thinking to credit or discredit her for “jobs” and it is doubltthink to thing that governments actually create or maintain them, at least productive ones. Governments can “create” unproductive jobs such as our vast “teaching force” unable to accomplish expectations such as teaching kids how to read profeciently, or to understand and be able to do math, or to write well in the English language.
So called “economic development” neutered the Chamber of Commerce according to Art Walls and by putting the watchdogs on a regular diet allowed governments to grow well beyond their means.
September 27th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Hence the new, “Chamber Of What Commerce?”
September 28th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Styring exposed what, pascal? The United fiasco fell apart because the airline declared bankruptcy. The state and local govts. did all they could to protect taxpayers–bankruptcy judges voided the agreement on day one of the filing.
You can rail against Melina all you want. She's not my favorite nominee either. But whomever the Dems nominate in 20 months will be the next mayor, unless Ballard does a 180 and starts governing like he campaigned. I don't think he's got it in him. The lawyers have bought and bossed him.
But hope springs eternal.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I am not railing against Melina. I wouldn't expect any job creation at all out of her and no one else should either, or, for that matter, any of the wanna be's. If you want to read the expose of the United fiasco dig up old Indiana Policy Review articles on that subject by Bill. The hosing was done long before the bankruptacy.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:40 am
It seems that you are maintaining a steady blogging pace. Well done! Looking for more updates from your end. Thanks a lot!
regards
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