For What It’s Worth
Today has been an odd day to say the least. I’ve been tracking down the story regarding City-County Councilman Lincoln Plowman and his administrative leave (with pay) from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Here’s what I know so far and you can take the information for what it’s worth.
Apparently the Justice Department’s Public Integrity unit has been stepping up its enforcement lately of local and state officials across the country who might be up to wrongdoing.
One of the targets of that investigation is Plowman. While I’ve left messages for his attorney and the FBI, what I’ve discovered from conversations with individuals involved in the investigation is that the FBI suspects Plowman may have taken money in order to influence zoning matters for a developer.
However, the individuals I’ve spoke with who have been interviewed by the FBI say they never had any knowledge of such alleged activity.
In addition, the FBI has also asked those individuals if they had any knowledge of corruption by any other elected officials, to which they have responded “no”.
I have been checking other local media and from I’ve been able to gather from my sources, Plowman never received a visit from the FBI nor did they raid his home.
This is not to say that Plowman is in the free and clear by any means, however the impression I have from following this all day is that the FBI may be on a fishing expedition looking for any information that they can use against embattled financier Tim Durham.
Now some of you may want to call me out for this due to my relationship with Plowman, that’s fine. I’m a big boy and I can deal with it. However, any of you who truly know me know I have no tolerance for elected officials who breech the public trust and break the law. And if you have evidence that would lead to the guilt of any elected official in Marion County, don’t post here, take it to the authorities.
Right now, from what I’ve gathered, the local FBI is looking for whatever information it can find to help make a case against Durham and the agency is going down whatever path it thinks will lead it to him.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:58 am
Hopefully, Daniels will get some support for banning county/township/city employees from holding positions in the legislative bodies due to this. I'm betting this'll clean the ranks on both sides of the isle of the DOJ does a good job.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Move right along folks — nothing to see here!
Keep on moving…
February 5th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Move right along folks — nothing to see here!
Keep on moving…
February 5th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Matt, I fully agree with you. Employees of local government bodies should not be allowed to serve on those same bodies.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Matt, I fully agree with you. Employees of local government bodies should not be allowed to serve on those same bodies.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:01 am
C'mon Wilson. You know I didn't say that. By the way, where were the Ds when Monroe, Ron and Doris were having “issues”?
February 5th, 2010 at 3:36 am
Fox 59 says there was a raid at Plowman's home (http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-councilman-cop-o...). This'll be interesting when the details come out. In this world, there are many areas of gray, but raided Plowman's home and NOT raided Plowman's home doesn't leave much of an inbetween.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:29 am
I'm waiting for the full facts to come out. Thanks for staying on the story Abdul. I know first hand how tough it is when a friend is in the media spotlight for the wrong reasons.
February 5th, 2010 at 6:53 am
According to the Star, Monroe Gray owes almost $3500 in back taxes on his home and it is on the list of homes to be sold by the Treasurer's office. It might be fun to buy it and have Monroe pay me the penalty to reclaim it……………………
February 5th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Actually, the hardest part of all this is finding someone who will talk on background.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:33 am
Hector, if that's true, you can certainly do that. Anyone can.
I'm torn on this issue. Normally, I want to wait and see all the facts. That's only fair. But Lincoln has been a Cottey enforcer for years, and Cottey is, well a thug. A thug with a bad wig.
Then there's the political side of me, that hopes if there is a need to replace Lincoln, the Republicans do something as dumb as Aaron Williams. But I smell it coming.
I'm dusting off my gibberish-to-English dictionary. And it isn't just the Williams speech pattern that's annoying. His father, and the few times I've heard the son, can talk for a long time without saying anything. It's a unique talent.
This is an at-large seat. Which will be on the ballot next year with the Mayor. It is an important choice is if comes to that.
It also highlights, Abdul. the need for something else besides banning public employees form serving on the body that rules their jobs: doing away with at-large seats. they're a Republican control leftover from Unigov circa 1970. That tool bit them in the ass in 2003…if they'd stuck to district seats only, they'd have controlled the council then, and the council presidential tenure of Monroe, Steve and Rozelle, from which the city almost didn't recover, would've been nil.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:51 am
TA,
You and I are in full agreement on that one. Public employees should not serve on the same bodies they work for. The Council should also be full-time and the at-large seats need to go away. In fact, the number of seats should be reduced to 15. You with me on this one?
February 5th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I don't know the right number Abdul…but at-large is just stupid. The Republicans set it up thinking they'd always be in control. Here's another take, in support of district-only seats:
If I, as a citizen, need councilperson help with a problem, I call my district councilperson. They're part-time employees of the taxpayer…almost all have other work. Currently, each council district contains about 35,000 constituent.s A daunting number of constituents to handle their concerns.
But the at-large members are supposed to serve the same constituency the mayor serves. And the mayor has what, 20 people working for him up on the 25th floor?
I know one at-large member pretty well. The constituent-service headaches are huge. People get late return calls, and sometimes, no return calls. Time marches on.
For the sake of good constituent service, at-larges should be blown up.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
TA, I'm surprised. Usually you have your facts straight but this time you're wrong. Plowman is a district councilman, from the 25th district, which contains all of Franklin Twp. and a little of Warren.
The at-large vacancy is Kent Smith's seat.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I have served on a town council with an employee of the town on the council, during the four year term anyone want to guess who took over writing every salary ordinance? what to guess which department got the “favorable treatment”? AND want to guess what single employee benefited the most from new salary ordinances and policies? –the employee had a “good friend” as one of the three member board—so votes of 2-1 were common. Hopefully the proposed law banning employees as adminstrative board members will pass.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
The City Council, with the exception of about 2 people, Ryan and Joanne, are a joke. The professionalism displayed by both sides is equalled to that of a 3rd grade plaground.
IMHO.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Yikes, Agman, that's scary.
Thundermutt, you are correct. Two Republican council members in deep kimshee, in two days, is a little more excitement than I could handle.
I won't gloat. The tables have been, and could easily again, be turned.
However, isn't Aaron a candidate for the at-large seat, regardless who held it? I think I had that right. Lincoln hasn't resigned. Yet.
He may not have to. We Dems like this slow-twist-in-the-wind thing, ala Patrice Abdullah, et al. It drags out the nonsense. In the world of public perception, this ship has sailed. If the Feds are truly involved in Lincoln's case, and the Durham case is an example of timeframes, we may not know the true outcome for months. One thing's for sure–there's smoke, or he wouldn't have been forced to turn over his car, badge and gun.
Every time I think of Lincoln Plowman having a gun, it sends a shiver up my spine.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
The city council has just two philosphically grounded councilors. They are Coleman and Scales.
The others have all violated their own stated ethics.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
The at-Large seats for some in Indy is the only representation we can hope to get. When a constituent asks for assistance on REAL issues district 18, Vern Brown’s stock reply is contact the Mayor Acton Line.
It makes no difference if the one asking is a D or an R Brown is LAZY. I guess with his IFD day job he's too busy to get involved with community issues.
Take away the At-large and we have no champion.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Mel I know Coleman is the only elected (as a republican) office holder that the Libertarians have but … at best Coleman's a certified goof. You would be better off with a different qualified replacement to run for the next term. Coleman's toast.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Wow Melyssa. You couldn't be more wrong. I like Christine, but Coleman is a loon.
But, regardless whether we agree, both parties need to clean house in 2011 municipal slating. If just a few are left standing in each caucus, so be it.
I'm going to start requiring brains of my councillors. It's not too much to ask. You shouldn't get slated just because you've hung around long enough and outlasted the other cronies. Or because you did just enough nonsense leg-work for a political hack like Cottey.
Lincoln Plowman is Exhibit 1 for that. Funny thing is, regardless of his current potential troubles, this is not new news.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Add one more to the list. Even though I disagree with her politically, I think Angela Mansfield is a very principled representative.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Or we could get rid of this whole slating process altogether and just do primaries, right? How do other states elect their county/city offices?
February 5th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
If it wasn't for the at-large councilors, I would not have repressentation. My councilor is Monroe Gray. He doesn't do anything. He fills a seat.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I'm quite happy with the representation I receive from Ed Coleman, thank you. And I intend to do all I can to support his re-election and I don't care what party he is with. I'm not partisan that way.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Call Coleman what you want, but I know where he stands. The others? They blow with the breeze and each of them have put politics ahead of principle. Coleman and Scales don't. Their actions match their words. I can trust that.
On the other hand, I don't trust a single one of the other councilors to put into practice their own words.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
I hear ya, Melyssa, but I've watched Coleman close-on for two years plus. I'll stick with “loon.” Comfortably.
I think Scales is honest, but trouble is, she's wrong for me on most of the important issues. Trust is important, though, and she's good on that score.
I also trust Jackie Nytes, and Vaughn. I know lots of folks don't like Ryan, but I'm glad he took over. I also like Angela Mansfield, probably the best constituent-service member of the Council.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Just because Aaron Williams was “mentioned” for the Kent Smith seat doesn't mean he's a viable candidate. Ever hear of “trial balloon”?
Wonder if Dr. SerVaas is available?
February 5th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Dr. SerVaas is older and very smart. Too smart to get into this crap.
Uh, the Aaron Williams thing is no trial balloon. He's pushing that sorrry-ass cart all over town.
February 5th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Thundermutt needs to eliminate onions from his diet if he thinks TA usually gets his facts right. One could make a comfortable living factchecking TA for $10 per corrected error.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Mayor we disagree on Ryan Vaughn. He was taught by Brizzi and now serves the whim of Grand. I think he may actually have defenses to what he his doing based on that last sentence. With county gop, look what we have here, more investigations and raids of public officials. This is why Massa is needed, to clean house. Laws are not meant to be broken for your own personal gain and power corrupts, but it is not meant to. Look at Mitch. Look at brizzi and tom john. One serves the people. the others just help themselves.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
I like Jackie and she works hard. But I've seen her put party before her principles. I'm thinking that CIB vote.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Doubtful, Pascal. You can kepe spouting that drivel, but it doesn't make it true. But thanks for stopping by.
Craig, I don't know this Massa fella very well. His record seems pretty spot-on. I do know that Carl Brizzi has been Johnny-on-the-Spot if a TV camera is there. Not much else.
As I've said before, it's a lousy job. Your best attorneys make maybe $40,000 a year. Not enough to make you poor, but these lawyers are worth twice that. The turnover is large. The continuity is lousy. The courts are backed up, and the prosecutors work pretty damned hard.
I think if most citizens knew how lousy the judicial system was there'd be pitchforks on East Market Street. And it doesn't come cheap. Courts are very expensive. The prosecutors, though, as well as the public defenders, work on very slim salaries for their overall worth.
Tell that to any of the couple-dozen judges who aren't worth a cup of warm spit. At $134,500 per annum. Plus bennies. Plus staffs. Plus fully-vested in five years. And very few break a sweat.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
“I think if most citizens knew how lousy the judicial system was there'd be pitchforks on East Market Street.”
Yea, right. Until it comes full force in their face, repeatedly, and maybe with physical injury, most won't care. I constantly am explaining that the folks breaking into vehicles are being arrested, then released, then arrested, then released. I always get the “Why is that?” I then point out to the folks that the metro area decided to spend a billion dollars on a football stadium instead of a large jail, with full staff, etc.. I have never had anyone say anything like “Well, that stadium is more important!” or “Oh, so you're blaming the Colts?” or anything like this. The vast majority understand.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Thundermutt and Think Again,
Dr. SerVaas has been fairly inactive in politics for a while. I've heard through the grapevine that he has his on days and his off days. Remember when he came out and bashed the Colts about tossing that game? He didn't do it himself, but through some spokesperson of his foundtation.
As for what Craig said, even though Vaughn's background doesn't seem too promising, I'm fine with him so far. Him coming out and saying Coleman's “guns-in-parks” prop will get a fair hearing despite a mayor veto gave me some faith in him.
February 6th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Monroe doesn't even pay his property taxes.
February 6th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Matt: I stay connected to Dr. SerVaas through a friend, who's close to him. While Mrs. S has her on-off mental moments, I think Beurt is sharp as a tack mentally. He probably is getting around slower. I don't think he drives much any more–he had a wreck three or four years ago. No one was badly hurt, but he was bruised from head to toe.
I didn't always agree with him, and he was an architect of the machine that put the GOP in power for almost 40 years. But he was always a gentleman. And if someone doesn't tie him down and get his history on tape, they're going to miss a fascinating story.
On a side note, I don't think there's any love lost between he and his former son-in-law Mr. Durham. But that's just a guess. The guy still is father of his grandchildren.
As for his Colt tirade last month–that was all Beurt. No filtering. And if he chose to get involved in GOP politics, they'd be stupid not to listen to him.
John Doe, our courts aren't necessarily worse just because we built a stadium. That didn't help. Under 30-plus years of Republican dominance, Combined Sewer Overflow and Courts/Jails got short duty. Because each has/had a very expensive solution, and those municipal govt. solutions were sacrificed at the altar of “No New Taxes Ever Ever Ever.” It has been pointed out before, and is worth repeating, that one of the nation's most-conservative Reagan-era federal judges, Sarah Evans Barker, ruled the jail was inhumane over 15 years ago. The fix was then, and is now, very expensive.
But that argument doesn't play well with the GOP base. “Hang 'em high” is their motto. And some don't realize, that an overwhelming majority of jail residents are not yet convicted of anything. Technically, once convicted, they become wards of the state, via the DOC. Although I think some shorter sentences are served in the MCJ.
The feds aren't always right. But in these two cases–the EPA via the Sewer problem, and Judge Barker on the jail–were spot-on. The hammer on each problem was, if we don't pay attention, the fixes will be mandated and more expensive than necessary if we'd only paid attention. That's why we had the Pogue's Run project a few years ago under Peterson–if we didn't take care of some of that, uh, crap–the entire urban area would've been in substantial non-compliance with baseline EPA sotrmwater drianage rules. Combine that with our car-dependent choked air, and economic development could grind to a halt.
Funny isn't it? Shit and broken jails. Expensive fixes. For almost the same reason. And unfixed under multiple Republican mayors. To our detriment.
February 6th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Bart did ever so much for both problems?
February 6th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Ta there is another solution. We could tax the residents to death like Chicago and the Democrats can manage the city and we can still have a broken infrastructure. Is that what you want? Dump the R's and let the D's ruin our city?
February 6th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Ta there is another solution. We could tax the residents to death like Chicago and the Democrats can manage the city and we can still have a broken infrastructure. Is that what you want? Dump the R's and let the D's ruin our city?
February 6th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Uh, check around Ernie. By almost any acceptable measure, Chicago has been and always will be “the city that works.” The taxes are too heavy for me, true that. Somehow, they survive. Very well, actually.
All I know is: living her for for decades, most of which were controlled by the GOP, their avoidances cost us dearly. And they did not avoid the “extras” : stadia, etc. They avoided the basic necessities.
I am not necessarily for higher taxes. Especially for stadia. But I am for higher taxes, if required, to fix critical infrastructure: streets, sewers, schools, safety, jails. Especially when we're mandated by higher authority (EPA, conservative federal judges), we need to step up and do the tough thing.
“Tough”, as in: expand the jail. Build better sewers. Eschew stadia until we do those first two things.
On top of that, a little-known expensive problem is: we've got a court system that's overrun with minutia. And too few judges to handle that roadblock, in a physical complex that's too small. We can argue about the quality of those judges, but this much is true: file a civil lawsuit in Marion County, and you'll likely wait over a year to get it adjudicated. File one county north, and you're done in 60 days unless everyone lawyers up with continuances out the whazoo.
The criminal court system is even worse.
It's interesting how you take many situations, look at solutions, claim most all the territory as your own, and leave no room for reasonable solutions.
That approach is helpful to win some blog arguments. It does not suffice as good government stewardship, tho.
Always remember—-problems delayed are problems amplified. That CSO fix in 1981, when discovered, was one-eighth the cost it is today. And the jail is just a series of overflow-complex outsourced band-aids that will burst again real damned soon.
February 6th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
“Finally, the city is known as the The City That Works, as promoted by current Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicago's labor tradition and the long hours worked by its residents, its willingness to tackle grand civic projects and to make fortunes for a lucky few.”
Not meaning 'functions well' or 'uses it's tax monies sensibly.' I admit the quoted paragraph came from Wikipedia. So sue me.
February 6th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Schools are bloated with money and long ago ceased to be a good value for anyone. Throwing more money at $29,000 per year per employee health care costs would be stupid, was stupid, is only advocated by the terminally stupid.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Uh, Pascal, we weren't talking about school employees.
Have you woken up too early form your nap?
February 7th, 2010 at 2:37 am
Chicago? Their Daley paper reports $520M deficits, furloughs, municipal late payments / slow or no pay, $1 houses in Chicagoland burbs that aren't selling. It's a great city, but like most in America, it's less so; having given up on ideals in a trade down exchange, for lowest common denominations of “survival.”
February 7th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
“I am not necessarily for higher taxes. Especially for stadia. But I am for higher taxes, if required, to fix critical infrastructure: streets, sewers, schools…”. I think fact checker is on vacation but the dunce that is being quoted here does not seem to realize that schools have employee costs that are around 90% of their expense. Folks interested getting a dollar's worth of value for each tax dollar expended would trim employee health care costs, especially those of employees whose expensive plans dwarf those available in the private sector such as Marion, IN plans that cost $29,000 per year per employee. So, send another $10 to Haiti and suggest to any legislator you may know that a good first step would be to strip health care benefits from all school board members. The next step would be to strip them for all employees of every school in the state whose contributions to the health care costs did not exceed 20% of the cost.
February 7th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Uh, Dave, their municipal debt has the same rating as ours. Their museums and retail are world-class. Their sports venues are, too. heir schools are bad, but getting better. Their universities and top-notch. Great parks. Nothing much has changed there in 50 years.
Pascal, the personnel side of most school budget sis large. But if a smart school board were to trim where it's needed–the central office–that figure might shrink. Congress, the City, libraries–almost all public entities spend most of their money on people.
It's how you staff that's important. How you use that money.
See how easy it is to point that out without insulting you, like you always do vice-versa? You ought to try it. It's good for the soul.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:53 am
I have known Lincoln since college and would trust him with my life now, just like I have in the past. Amazing how none of the Ds ever got this attention from the FBI…
February 8th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
In the English language “might” means exactly no more or less than “might not”. The example we have been using, donated to us by the esteemed Eric Turner, is that every employee in the Marion, IN school system with health care benefits cost the school system and its taxpayers $29,000 per year per employee. Were that the case in IPS you could fire the whole administrative staff and still be quite deeply in RED INK. Charter schools, as in Chicago, New Orleans are the answer here as well. No one complains about bloated admin costs in charter schools SINCE THEY DONT EXIST. Of course, neither do bloated compensation schemes like the $29,000 per year per employee for their health care benefits. New Orleans is now 60% charter schools and the performance differences will soon be VERY APPARENT. In case there is any wondering, I would not give IPS another dime regardless of any lies they might come up with.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Pascal, you've whined about the $29,000 figure so much I'm going to research it today or tomorrow.
But a caveat: I've known Eric Turner for a long time. On and off the legislative floor. Bright he's not. He is fairly typical in that Gang of 150, tho. I've learned to look at anything he says skeptically. SOme of the things he's said from the podium have been outright ridiculous. Again–he's not alone, on both sides of the aisle.
Over the weekend, as part of that research, I asked two friends, who have good and excellent company-subsidized insurance, to give me a quick rundown on their insurance packages.
Friend A works for a small business (40 employees) for over ten years. He's their CFO, so his answers were much more exact. He is in charge of his company's insurance package and bidding each year.
He has a family of four…two kids in college. He pays $490 a month for basic catastrophic coverage—his choice. He pays out of pocket for anything under $5,000 per person. That means he gambles every year with up to $16,000 of personal medical expense liability. He pays another $233 a month for family dental, which he said was “borderline worthwhile” because of what it covers–he'll surely drop it once his kids get their own degrees and jobs. His company pays about $1200 monthly for his family's policy. The company portion has risen proportionately with the employee share 45% since 2004. It is with Anthem-Wellpointe. For the prior six years, the total insurance cost rose a collective 15%. Total cost to his company and family per month: almost $1700 for medical, which pays for nothing under $5000, and the extra dental. (Pascal, that's almost $20,400 for a family of four, without dental, for a catastrophic-only policy) The reason the policy is so expensive, he note,d was that the company's claim history included four long-term cancer patients in the last five years. God forbid anyone should get SICK while they have insurance.
His company's insurance choices include a much more expensive lower deductible plan. He said only four or five persons could, afford it any more. And last year when he put that plan out for bid, he had only two others willing to bid, both comparably priced.
Friend B works for a large locally-based pharma company–you do the math. He get fantastic prescription benefits–as in free–if the drug is company-manufactured. He is an empty-nester, widower, and pays $405 a month for Cadillac benefits. He was not exact about the company's share, but he thought it was around $600. That's over a thousand a month for a great plan, one person. He said his cost of the plan had doubled in three years.
My guess is the $29K Marion figure includes the most-expensive options available, and contributions to teacher retirement funds (total benefit cost). But I will check it out.
It behooves all of us to ask around and get educated. I was shocked at the number of people at a Super Bowl party did not know their company's share of health care costs.
I will gladly report back after my Marion/Turner research. If wrong, I'll gladly eat my words, Pascal.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Fuzzy math–Friend a gambles with up to $20,000 a year, not $16,000 in personal expenses.
Nah, we don't need any stinkin' health care reform.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Not whining about the facts but revealing them. According to Mr. Turner's latest the Marion, IN has reduced down to $20,000 a year for each employee in the system for health care expenses only. Research away but also note that http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=084023447eb6... 8% interest assumption our 150 dumbosans have trotted out to help cover the fact that THEY have been stealing from the Pension Plans-a practice of long standing. I imagine teachers are complicit in this theft and nest lining with tax payer feathers….I also imagine that the Indiana pension plans did not escaped the stock market meltdown and that no one is talking about the TOTAL RED INK in said plans.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Wow, now that the Republicans have a very smart, young man who happens to be black ,,all of a sudden he is not qualified because he is connected……? WOW TA, how does the crow taste?
Arron Williams will be holding the at large seat this time next year. Deal with it.