The Wayne Township Board Thursday night , found Jesus, common sense or angry voters and decided to take a pass on voting themselves a pay raise, retirement benefits and health insurance.   There was no discussion and I did a double take when it all happened because I thought I missed it.

However, at the end of the meeting I spoke to Anna Peay,  who supported the raise.  I can’t really describe the conversation but I embedded it in this blog post.  You have hear it for yourself.

I don’t think Ms. Peay is a bad person, but, well, you just have to hear the whole thing for yourself.

My recorder got cut off at the end, but I think you’ll get the point.

Anna Peay

Terry Burns at Indianapolis Times says that former Indy Mayor Bart Peterson is expected to endorse Melina Kennedy for Mayor.  That confirms something my sources told me that Peterson alluded to endorsing Melina at a fundraiser last night at Highland Country Club.

I doubt if I’ll get a media advisory for the press event when it happens, but I’m hearing through the political grapevine that may not be happening anytime soon.

Word on the street is that Peterson’s bosses at Eli Lily aren’t crazy about him interjecting himself into the 2011 Mayor’s race right now.  Especially since Lily is potentially on the hook to give back possibly millions of dollars in tax incentives  to the city for jobs that were supposed to be created but never were.

If I were trying to work out a deal with the city, the last thing I would want is one of my top executives (who lost to the current officeholder by the way) running around publicly endorsing his possible opponent (who also lost the one and only time she ran).   Word also is that Peterson’s name was not supposed to appear on the stationary for Wednesday night’s fundraiser but somebody didn’t get the memo.

My sources also tell me that Peterson recently told a gathering of high-dollar Democratic contributors that he has several friends who are running for Mayor in 2011 and has no intention of  backing any one candidate until after slating.

Ah, the things that make life interesting.

If there was ever another reason to get rid of township government, this is it.  The Wayne Township Board is voting on the following  tonight…

1. A pay increase for board members.
2. Payments into the Public Employees Retirement Fund for board members.
3. Health insurance for board members.

Right now board members make about $8500 a year.  That’s about $700 per monthly meeting.

I know of at least one board member who is voting yes.  Democrat Anna Peay.  In an e-mail I obtained she writes, and I am not making this up…

“I am voting yes on the pay increases and the option for benefits.  I do not want to end up like the city county council [sic] who hasn’t had a raise in 20 years.”

To the best of my knowledge, Republican board member Lisa Bentley is a “no” vote.  I’m not sure where all the other board members are, but if you’re a Wayne Township resident you might want to contact the township office and voice your opinion.

I think it’s damn foolish the  township board would vote itself these benefits in this economic climate where most regular people are lucky to keep their jobs, let alone retirement plans and health care.  Not to mention the property tax caps that fully kick in next year as well.

Refresh my memory, what purpose does township government serve again?

The Board Meeting is at 6 p.m. at the Wayne Township Government Center, 5401 West Washington Street.  (317) 241-4191

Indianapolis Attorney Paul Ogden has filed suit against the Marion County Traffic Court alleging the system is unfair and violates the Constitutional rights of defendants who challenge their parking tickets because they can be hit with additional fines totalling up to $500 if they are unsuccessful.

Ogden claims that violates due process.  He also claims when traffic court is closed to the public it violates the Indiana Constitution’s requirement that Courts should be open.

Two points.   First, I don’t think the closed court argument will get very far.   If  I remember correctly, the fire marshal’s office has a limit of 165 people in traffic court.    If  it’s a crowded day the defendants get priority and the public has to wait outside, if there’s room the public is allowed in.  The defendants are the priority, not their family members who come to watch.

On the issue of excessive fines,  I had to go back and check  my notes from a Spring interview with Traffic Judge William Young.   Young told me the point of the additional fine, which is allowed under Indiana law,  is no different than what happens when someone refuses to plea bargain.  If you are accused of a crime and the prosecution offers you 5 years for a guilty plea and you say no, they can ask for the maximum penalty and your rights to due process aren’t violated.   If you are being fined more than the statute allows, then there is definitely an 8th Amendment violation.

The problem with most defendants is that they come to Court trying to game the system.   They don’t hire an attorney to navigate them through court procedure or how to question the police officer who is their accuser on the radar gun that was used to record their speed.   Instead, they hope the police won’t show and they can walk.  Sorry folks, real life doesn’t work that way.

If  Ogden and his clients don’t like Indiana’s traffic laws, they should petition the Legislature to change it.  Marion County Traffic Court officials are simply doing what the law allows them to do.

And before I forget, one of Ogden’s clients was fined $25 for not wearing a seat belt.  The client says he didn’t want to challenge the ticket because he “heard about the court policy regrading additional fines.”  Maybe the client should have made a call  because he would have found that a seat belt violation is $25 regardless if you challenge it and there are no additional fines, unlike other traffic offenses.

Here’s my interview with Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi on Tim Durham which aired on the radio show this morning.

In part one Brizzi explains his relationship with Durham, the impact on his work as Prosecutor,  his role on the Board of Fair Financial, Durham’s notable lifestyle and Brizzi’s other finances.

In part two we discuss whether Brizzi will return any of Durham’s campaign contributions, whether the two have spoken since the FBI raid and whether Brizzi will run for re-election.

Brizzi, Part I

Brizzi, Part II

If you are another media outlet you are free to use excerpts from the interview as long as you credit the audio is courtesy of the “Abdul in the Morning Show” on Newstalk 1430, WXNT-AM.

I sat down this afternoon with Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi and spoke to him about his relationship with local financier Tim Durham, who is under investigation for running an alleged Ponzi scheme.    The interview will be broadcast tomorrow at 8:10 a.m. on Newstalk 1430, WXNT-AM.  It will also be available for download here as well by 9 a.m.

Included in the conversation were discussions about Brizzi’s decision to sit on the board of Fair Financial, whether he will return any money donated by Durham, the impact on whether he will run for re-election, and whether the two have spoken since the investigation became public.

I think you’ll find it interesting.  Listen in if you can.

Here are some political tidbits you might have missed to get your Monday morning off to the usual start.  As usual take them for what they are worth…

Don’t be surprised if the next Public Safety Director for Marion County is from out of town.

Former City-Controller Kathy Davis says she’s considering a run for Mayor in 2011.

Expect Brian Williams to hit Melina Kennedy on her “record” of job creation which some Democrats say isn’t what she proclaims it to be.

Marion County Democratic Sheriff candidate John Layton may have some serious explaining to do soon.

The city has received about a dozen or so bids regarding privatization of the operations of Lucas Oil, Conseco Fieldhouse and the new Convention Center.

The Wayne Township Board is getting ready to vote itself a pay raise and retirement benefits.

Former Franklin Township Assessor Becky Williams is running for County Assessor in 2010.

Marion County Health Officials say Smoke Free Indy should not use public money to attack the Mayor or political parties.  They also say they are open to other ways to curb tobacco use rather than a total ban on smoking in bars and taverns.

Speaking of which Governor Mitch Daniels says he would sign a smoking ban if it got to his desk, but did not go into details.  He also says the economic benefits of smoking bans are grossly exaggerated.

And in case you were wondering, the Governor says his campaign isn’t giving back any money it may have taken from financeer Tim Durham because it’s already been spent.

I stopped by the Community Values Summit this weekend at Charles Tinley Charter School on the east side.  I was looking for an elected official to do a quick interview on something I was working on.   I couldn’t find the official, but I did find something that I thought was a bit disturbing.

It wasn’t the Summit itself.   I actually am very happy when members of the community and their local government officials get together to deal with local issues, particularly crime.  There’s nothing better than when people step up to the plate and take charge.

What bothered me was the nature of a conversation I had with one local activist.  The activist asked me if I would allow them to come on my morning radio program and talk about some of the things they’re doing to keep at-risk young Black men on the straight and narrow.  I said sure, folks like you are always welcome.  I was then told, and this is the kicker, that a significant portion of the Black activist community doesn’t trust me and consider me the “white people’s radio talk show host.”  Say what?!

I told her you have to be kidding me?  She told me “no.”  I told the activist that I not just the radio talk show host for white people.  Now I have some Democrats who think I am the radio talk show host for the local GOP, and the anti-smoking crowd say I’m the talk show host for the tobacco companies, but those are log posts for another time.  I reminded her that my job is to talk about issues that face ALL people of Indianapolis and the surrounding area, not just white people.   Some days we do a really great job, other days we could use a mulligan.

But what was most annoying, and I should know better by now, was that someone who is supposed be helping young black men get on the straight and narrow, would have an issue with a black man who exemplifies everything they want the young black men to be.  Instead of being mad at the black man with the microphone, law degree and ears of local leaders, how about you tap him as a resource to talk and connect with some of these young guys who don’t have role models?!  Instead of being mad at the guy who uses proper English, get mad at the people who use be in its infinitive form.  And instead of getting mad a the guy who drives a nice car, get mad at the guys driving cars into day care centers!

I freely admit my personal political philosophy isn’t that of the typical black activist crowd, but I like to think we have the same goal; empower people to make decisions for themselves and live up to their full potential.   Like I said it’s really annoying and at times frustrating to have to deal with people who look like me and are more upset about what I do for a living than the young guys who have my same skin color who are making living in their communities unbearable.

Unfortunately, it’s something I’ve had to live with all my adult life and I really shouldn’t be surprised to have to deal with it again.  Oh well, I guess I can always hope for change.

Enjoy your day.

My Capitol Watchblog colleague, Mike O’Brien, penned a pretty good post this week on the Democrats’ recent attack on financier Tim Durham and his funding of Republican candidates.  Mike, reminds our Democratic friends that before they go too far off on the plantation after Durham, they may want to look in the mirror and see if they see the Indiana State Teacher’s Association staring back at them.  Here’s Mike’s post…

Democrats Could Use Some Quiet Time

Fine, you win, I’ll talk about Tim Durham.  Today, for reasons that defy rational explanation, the Indiana Democratic Party decided it was in their best interests to wade into the Durham mess.  Chairman Dan Parker called on Republicans who have received donations from Durham to give the money back.  I don’t know who is running the political strategy over there, but they must be on vacation.  Indy Star columnist Matt Tully sat down with Parker and has more:

On Wednesday, I met Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker for coffee. He brought a prop: a list of the hundreds of thousands of dollars Durham has contributed in recent years to state Republicans. That includes multiple five-figure donations to Gov. Mitch Daniels and lesser but still large donations to a laundry list of other GOP candidates and organizations. — Indianapolis Star

Parker really out-kicked his coverage on this one.  If the standard for returning political contributions is that the contributor is suspected of fraud, Democrats better start writing checks.  This week the Indiana State Teachers Association, Democrats’ largest political benefactor, was accused of securities fraud by Secretary of State Todd Rokita after months of state and federal investigations.  On Wednesday, Rokita sought to freeze ISTA’s assets.

Tim Durham may have been a big shot in local political circles but the ISTA has been buying Democrat House seats for decades.  In the last cycle alone they dumped $1.1 million into the coffers of House Democrats and they’re not doing it for the cause of good government. The ISTA isn’t just another big dollar contributor, they run the agenda.  However long Parker’s prop list might have been, it surely falls far short of the tens of millions of dollars that the ISTA has given to Democrats in exchange for killing anything that resembles education reform.

Democrats aren’t exactly winning any awards for clean livin’, not while former party officials are living behind bars and their biggest political contributor has been sharing office space with the FBI for the past six months.  Tully said he was surprised that Democrats had been quiet for this long.  Given current events, they might want to stop talking.