If it's good for assessors, fire departments and 911 call centers, it surely must be good for the trustees.

Trustees are a remnant of the past. Off with their heads.

This is where Wilson inserts some notion that it only costs two cents of your tax dollar or something like that.

If it's two cents, it's four cents too much.

This started going off the rails when folks like Drummer started buying property for purposes outside the scope of trustees' work. And now, what happens? Those buildings are still mothballed.

Wonder where he's storing his cars for free these days?

Pat Bauer wants to eliminate township government and have major ethics reform?????

Give us a break.

He killed all bipartisan Kernan Shepard reforms the last three sessions and took great delight in brushing off all ethics reform.

While words are cheap, real actions are priceless. We only have the fourth branch of government (the media) to hold anyone accountable.

Nick? That part about the media holding folks accountable was a joke, right?

Did anyone see Drudge today? There's a headline about the AP sending out the hounds to “fact check” and scrutinize Palin's book. Funny, they didn't fact check and scrutinize Obama's book (ghost written by Bill Ayers) and Obama is the president! Palin is a private citizen.

That is the Wayne Township Trustee at his best. Trying to once again screw the citizens for which he serves. Folks in case you are wondering, the cost for the Insurance is 18,000 dollars for each member plus he wants to put them into the Civilian Public Employee Retirement Fund. Which means for the one day a month that they actually work they get a ton of benefits, plus when they “retire” from this position, YOU will continue to pay them. But, hey who is going to stop them. No one is trying to stop him, all they do is stop and shake their heads, but continue to allow him to move forward. What a joke!

Melyssa, honey…I'm usually in your corner, but the 2008 election is over. I don't know how you missed it. It was in all the newspapers. So was the hype and quizzing Obama took over his book, which was not ghost written by Bill Ayres. You've really got to stop trusting Hannity as your primary news source.

Sarah Palin needs fact-checked. There are major discrepancies on multiple subjects…and the discrepancies are being put forth by Republicans, not Dems.

We Dems are just sitting back and enjoying her book tour. I hope she goes to every city in America. Repeatedly. Rock on Sarah. Rock on.

I'm with Nick on Speaker Bauer. He buckled to someone, presumably the Black Caucus, to keep townships in place. This discussion was overheard at a Center Township Board meeting last winter (among a board member or two and a citizen):

“They're talking about doing away with township boards.”

“Seriously? Then we'd lose our salary.”

“Yep. And that's what I use to go to the boat.” (As in casino boat)

Township boards need to go too. An 1880 answer to 2009 problems. Antique.

While he doesn't acknowledge the unconstitutionality of the “catchy” one-two-three; the Speaker does identify another major defect with the mathematically challenged “caps,” which are factored by the variability or instability known as “assessments.”

The divide 'n conquer, one-two-three gimmick is a departure from any concept of value or equity. “Just because” shouldn't fly with adults. All property is unique & purchased accordingly. Hyperfactoring the use of one common currency (US Dollar), used to purchase real estate, is nothing, but unjustifiable gaming driven by unadulterated GREED.

Melyssa, I'm not going to get into a debate on the AP's ethics. But Sarah Palin is not a “private citizen.” That type of spin is trying to portray her as some average shmuck who is being hounded by the media for just existing. The fact is she's an American politician who has been a mayor, a governor, and a vice presidential candidate. In other words, a public figure. She has a book out and is making the talk show and cable news circuit. She is just about as far from “private citizen” as one can get.

TA, honey, when was Barry ever quizzed over either one of his books? There's that memory problem of yours again. Perhaps you should pick up a copy of Fugitive Days by Bill Ayers. The writing style and verbage is remarkably similar to that of Barry's books. Barry was way behind schedule in writing Dreams of my Father and had already taken an advance. Simon & Shuster dropped the deal before Barry conned another publisher into another advance. He struggled with writing the book for years, then experienced a literary ascent like no other writer before him. I wouldn't expect a sycophant like yourself to ignore the 'electricity up your leg' that Barry gives you long enough to remain objective about this, but how in the hell do you know for sure Ayers didn't write both books??? With the exception of a few bad poems, there's virtually no paper trail (conveniently) for any of Obama's written words. And without a teleprompter, he's never said anything even close to eloquent. You're such a sap!

Melyssa's point (which was obviously lost on you) was that our current president Obama's books weren't fact-checked at all. In fact, nothing about Barry was fact-checked by the mainstream media. Yet the left is so threatened by Sarah Palin (a private citizen at this point in time)that the media feels compelled to put her book under the microscope?
SNL does a skit about Barry, and it's fact checked by CNN? Are you freaking kidding me???

Incidentally, your post does point to the fact that Palin was far more qualified to president than Barry.

Rico, say what you want about Palin or Obama, your opinions of them, etc… But Palin is not a private citizen in any sort of definition. No “private citizen” crisscrosses the country promoting a book being sold in bookstores across the nation, holds various political offices, runs for VP, and appears on talk and cable news shows.

The talking point of Palin as a private citizen being used to deflect criticism is built on a delusion. If Palin moved out of the public eye, it would have some credibility. But she is putting herself into the public spotlight intentionally, and she is not a private citizen. She is very much a public figure.

Mel's post also wasn't lost on me at all. I specifically said I had no intention of discussing that aspect of it. I just felt like she needed a bit of a fact check. It is a fact that Palin is not a private citizen.

TA…point taken. However, I paid very close attention during the Obama campaign. I don't recall that he was closely scrutinized by the media at all. Also, the media left his kids alone.
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Conversely, Sarah Palin, was scrutinized by the media more as a VP candidate than Obama was as the POTUS candidate.
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Why didn't the media do as much hard edged questioning of Obama as they did Palin?
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Also, I rarely watch Fox News, can't stand Hannity, and don't have cable.

Is Sarah Palin holding public office right now, Matthew? No? Then she's a private citizen. That doesn't mean she's a 'private' person. Based on your definition, anyone who has ever held office and has the audacity to write a book and, subsequentially, goes on a book tour, is not a private citizen.

And we all know that if Palin was a liberal, her book would receive nothing but praise by the media and there would be no 'fact-checking' at all. They've proved that by swallowing all the lies and distortions in Gore's book.

TA please don't tarnish our American treasures by associating them with Township Boards and Trustees.

Okay people that's enough. This post is about Township Trustees and local government reform. If you people want to talk about Sarah Palin or Obama's scrutiny, kindly go do it somewhere else. Shouldn't you all be working anyway?!

Holding office or not has nothing to do with being a private citizen, though not holding it certainly helps. There are countless number of celebrities, philanthropists, and politicians who intentionally invade the public eye, and they are private citizens. Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man, only has a half dozen known photographs available publicly, never grants interviews, rarely publicly speaks, and only works on comics, and pretty much has done that since the 1970s.

She had every opportunity to retire from the public eye and get a job in the private sector that doesn't involve television appearances and tours.

She chose, however, to release a book, go on tour, and form a political action committee. Now, unless I've missed something, most people don't go on nation wide book tours, have their own PACs, and regularly appear on cable news and are interviewed on Oprah.

The reason this talking point is used is to dismiss all criticism, because HOW DARE someone question a PRIVATE CITIZEN just speaking her mind! Instead, the right would be better off deflecting the criticism by…well, addressing the points. The best defense against lies are the truth, not talking points.

Point taken, Matt. However, she's now not a person holding any office nor is she seeking office, yet is getting more scrutiny than the POTUS

That's what blogs, Twitter, and Youtube are for, right? Wasting time at work?

*does most of my work during evenings and weekends*

The whole concept of township government has always boggled my mind. Does anyone have some good reading on the subject on how it's survived this long? Do other major cities have the sort of issues we've had, or are townships mostly a thing of the past?

Well, it is the best that a bunch of drones can come up with even though 60% plus of the State's spending is spent on so called education. It is a lot easier to convince a bunch of illiterates that township trustees are where the money is to be saved. Indiana has the Legislature it deserves. Whatever the claimed excess costs of trustees might be some multiple of that number could be extracted from so-called education with no adverse consequence to student academic achievement.

I'd like to see our schools teach kids the importance of knowing your elected representative at the state house and how these people literally affect their wallets. I cannot think of a single one of my friends (outside political circles) who knows who their state representative is. The sociopaths at the state house count on that.

Can someone update us on the status of all the property Center bought in the last years? For gyms, storage, housing, etc.? I believe they're all empty, off the tax rolls, and basically worthless or close thereto.

And again, the mission of trustees, by statute, is….? I believe it's cemeteries and poor relief.

They're gone. But beware the rural lobby. The Farm Bureau loves trustees for some freaking reason. All told, that's about 40 House and 20 Senate votes.

In other words, enough votes to make things sticky.

The abolition of trustees is a no-brainer. I harken back to the days when Becky, an assessor from the southside somewhere, tried to tell us that all township assessors did a great job. Cheaply. And that we'd have to drive “all the way downtown” to get redress for our concerns. She regularly whined about those “facts” on Abdul's morning program.

Their statewide association hired “professionals” to do “objective studies” that were, basically, right out of Paul Ricketts' assessor office. Trying to defend their decades of nepotism and sloppy work.
That's how they rolled.

I can't wait to see the trustees' defense. And whether they can provide it with a straight face. As someone who deals in property issues daily, in multiple Indiana counties, let me assure you: there weren't a half-dozen competent township assessors' offices. Inconsistency ruled. Ask anyone in the real estate industry.

The combination of township assessors into the countywide assessor system, isn't finished yet, and it's a mess. But it will be run under one uniform system. With one person accountable for errors and omissions.

Trustees' duties, in terms of how they touch our daily lives, aren't anywhere near as important as property assessors.

Trustees, get your resumes ready. It's about damned time.

There's a book in this idea, something like “The Socio Path to Success.”

TA owners of commercial property are really suffering now. Commercial space is readily available and has been for a few years now. Those properties that Drummer bought using our money a few years ago if sold at today's market would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. His insight will cost us much more than just the property tax revenue. With no oversight protection I wouldn’t be surprised if kick backs didn’t happen.

TA, you have a common misconception about the few duties of a Township Trustee. I believe you are an attorney so I recommend you check out the Indiana Code. The list of mandates for a Trustee is fairly long.

More importantly, the Trustee with consent of the Township Board may do whatever the citizens in that area deem proper (unless specifically prohibited by state law). Others outside that Township may squawk and holler but local control (and financing) is important in a democracy.

Even, Dennis “Never seen a public project I didn't Like” Ryerson, acknowledged Palin didn't get a square deal. I don't think I'd use current events as a shining example of how well our American media served us in the last election. However- I'll bet most of us are more than ready to try life without township government. After sitting in the same room with them while they voted themselves a 60+% raise, I know I am.

“The Socio Path to Success: My Life as a Politician”

waaaaaaaahhhhh!

We need a goal as a public of being able at any time to look in on exactly what our politicians are doing via our abundant and inexpensive technology to do so.

We are to think of ourselves as owning the RIGHT to be the Big Brother because the politician consents their rights over to us as our literal servants at the time they take office.

It is not the other way around.

A parent called a talk show I heard recently complaining of a book their kid was made to read in school which claimed our rights are given to us by our government (not intrinsic to humanity).

I did look, Wilson. Cemeteries and poor relief. That's the statute. I will admit that the poor relief mandate is very broad, and open to about any interpretation. Please don't make the quantum leap, that because I don't favor continuation of trustees, I somehow don't favor citizen participation, voting, etc. I own property in Center. So I have a right to yell.

Nothing at all in statutes about buying buildings as investment.

Center will be paying for this for decades. It's a crying shame.

How about someone running for Township Trustee In Lawrence that supports eliminating Township Government. How silly am I?

It costs absolutely nothing to get your name on the ballot to run for public office. Do it yourself — why wait for somebody else?

I am, filed paperwork 2 months ago. What is happening in the Township is just wrong. I have supported Consolidation for many years. Politics got in the way.

ummm… maybe you've organized a fundraising committee but in Indiana nobody can file to run for public office until January 2010.

Filed with the Marion County Clerks office and had a oportunity to open an exploritory committee or the full campaign which I did. I was told State office is different than local office. Different paperwork.

How about someone running for Township Trustee In Lawrence that supports eliminating Township Government. How silly am I?

It costs absolutely nothing to get your name on the ballot to run for public office. Do it yourself — why wait for somebody else?

I am, filed paperwork 2 months ago. What is happening in the Township is just wrong. I have supported Consolidation for many years. Politics got in the way.

ummm… maybe you've organized a fundraising committee but in Indiana nobody can file to run for public office until January 2010.

Filed with the Marion County Clerks office and had a oportunity to open an exploritory committee or the full campaign which I did. I was told State office is different than local office. Different paperwork.