You’ll be seeing and reading a lot about “tea parties” today across the country.  Citizens who are mad about the stimulus package and everything else will show up and protest.  Organizers says thousands of people will meet at the Capitol this afternoon, even though only about 660 have signed up on their website.

I expect these guys will get some pretty decent news coverage, but my question is what are these people going to do when the “tea party” ends?  Are they going to form a political action committee or think tank and put out position papers?  Are you going to raise money?  Are you going to register voters?  Are you going to recruit candidates? Are you going to pool your resources with other like-minded people and form your own political party?

Already I’m hearing about dissension in the “tea party” ranks and chatter about whether these things are really citizen-oriented or part of a bigger National Republican get out the vote effort.  Regardless, of who’s behind it, the bigger question is what next?

If people are going to stay in this for the long haul and attempt to make some real change, then I’m all for it. Petitioning your government with your grievances is a good thing.  But if all you’re going to do is make noise and go home, then I prefer you save yourself a step and stay home.

The Indiana State Senate, by a voice vote, amended the current CIB funding plan to adopt the Mayor’s finance proposal.  A final vote could come later this week. 

Meanwhile, City-County Council Democratic Leader Joanne Sanders will have a news conference tomorrow to share her ideas on how to fund the CIB shortfall.  Monday she told me her preference is to capture more donwtown revenue by expanding the amount of sales and income tax captured in the area to pay for the CIB operations costs, an idea the Ballard adminstration has privately been pushing at the Statehouse for a while.

I’m at the Statehouse today and ran into a key lawmaker who says he would not be surprised if Governor Mitch Daniels vetoed whatever budget comes out of the General Assembly.  The Governor has expressed concerns that the budget spends too much money and relies to heavily on federal stimulus dollars.  There’s no word yet from the Governor’s office on whether he would actually veto the budget, but I plan to find out and report back to you later.  With 15 days to go before lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn, this place is going to get real interesting.

Here is audio from Monday’s news conference where the Mayor outlined his proposal to address the CIB shortfall.  There is also react from the Council as well as industry spokespeople.   This way you can hear first-hand what was said and draw your own conclusions about the best course of action.

Ballard Presentation, part 1

Ballard Presentation, part 2

Ballard Q & A with Media

CCC President Bob Cochran

CCC Democratic Leader Joanne Sanders

John Livengood, Indiana Resteraunt Association

Philip Ray, Omni Severin Hotel

THIS IS THE FULL VERSION UPDATED AT 3:50 P.M.

With a little more than two weeks to go in the Indiana General Assembly, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard unveiled his plan to shore up the $47 million operational shortfall.

The plan includes the following…

• Increasing the local alcohol tax and expanding the professional sports district ($20 million)
• Contributions from the Colts and Pacers ($10 million)
• Increase in the hotel and motel taxes ($4 million)
• A two-percent increase in the car rental tax ($2 million)
• Increase the ticket tax 6-10% ($6 million)
• CIB budget cuts ($8 million)

Ballard hopes the tax increases can be sunset once the Marriott and Convention are brought on-line, as well any revenue from the Pacers once the NBA renegotiates its contract with the player’s union.  This actually makes sense because Ballard has a reputation for reducing taxes after he returned a portion of the County Option Income tax which the city did not need.

The Mayor also says he did not want to raise the food and beverage tax because those would be too broad and hit too many families.  There is no word yet on who will sponsor these proposals.

Here are some things to munch on this morning…

Will Ballard C.I.B.?

• Expect a plan to be unveiled today from Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard on eliminating the Capital Improvement Board’s $47 million shortfall.  Details are unclear at this time but expect the Mayor to offer up a menu of options that gets him to that $47 million figure.

Delay, Not Denial

• If Indiana lawmakers do nothing to help close the C.I.B. shortfall this year that may not necessarily be a bad thing.  There is discussion of floating the city a loan to get it though it’s deficit for one year and taking that time to do a thorough examination of the finances of all the parties involved and coming up with a workable solution that solves the funding problem long term.  Stay tuned for that one.

CCC Stuff

• Look for the City-County Council to vote tonight on a proposal that would have lobbyists register with the City.  Look for a proposal to be introduced at tonight’s meeting that would to push back the deadline for Councilors to file  their statements of economic interests until July.

Evans for Mayor?

• I’m hearing another name being tossed around into the ring for Mayor.  This time it’s City-County Councilor Jose Evans of  Pike Township.  Although Evans is a freshman councilor he has strong ties to 7th District Congressman Andre Carson which could give him a leg up in a crowded primary.

It’s no big secret that I like Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. I knew him before he ran for Mayor and I think he is what this city needs at this moment in time. Instead of spelling out lofty visions full of empty platitudes, Indianapolis needs someone who gets down to brass tacks and deal with urban issues of crime, infrastructure and livability. I still believe that Greg Ballard is that person. However, the Mayor’s performance during the crisis involving the Capital Improvement Board has left him open to attacks by his enemies and some growing concerns by his friends and allies.

While I have never been a fan of empty news conferences, my friend Greg Ballard has made a serious misstep by not being more vocal regarding the CIB and its $47 million operational deficit. It is not the end of his administration by a long shot; but this is an incident that can have a long reaching impact on this city and his tenure as Mayor.

The Mayor’s strategy of focusing on getting results is one to be admired, however in the vacuum of his silence; others have come forward to fill the void. Whether it was Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats or House Democrats, by not being more vocal about his options to close the CIB operational deficit, my friend has allowed the issue to define him and not the other way around.

I do understand that Indiana cities and towns do not have home rule and they are at the whim of the Legislature. I understand he has inherited a situation that was not of his making. I also understand that Marion County Democrats reach a new level of hypocrisy when they question his role in the CIB mess. However, Greg Ballard is still Mayor and sometimes working behind the scenes to get things done unfortunately is not enough.

Believe it or not, the Mayor does operate from more of a position of strength than some might believe.

When the Pacers talk about being broke, someone should remind them that in 2011 the NBA renegotiates its collective bargaining agreement with the owners. It is unlikely that in this economic climate, which is going to last for a while, the Players’ union will walk away with as generous a deal as they do now. Therefore, the Simons will have a much bigger revenue stream than they do now, which means they should be able to contribute more to Conseco’s operations.

Second, the Colts have always been tough negotiators when they needed to be. It’s time for the Mayor to be just as tough. He should take a page out of the President’s book and remind Jim Irsay and Bill Polian that he is the only thing standing between them and Lucas Oil being burned to the ground (politically speaking) by an angry public. I would also say publicly while the Colts have been good citizens, Indianapolis needs them to be better citizens.

Third, when dealing with the General Assembly I would throw every non-tax increasing idea on the table as a way to close the operation shortfall; Sunday alcohol sales, expanding the downtown sports development district, privatizing Lucas Oil Stadium and Conseco Field House, a casino in Union Station, etc. Make sure the it is squarely on them if taxes go up. And for the record, I would not put bankruptcy on the table as some have suggested. I have researched what‘s happened to the handful of municipalities that have either filed or flirted with filing bankruptcy, the results are a lot more devastating and widespread than anyone could imagine.

I also would offer the public an apology for not being more vocal early on. Play it straight as you always have that you thought working behind the scenes would get more done, but you should also been more public about your wishes. Tell them you learned from your mistake and it will never happen again. You find them to be very forgiving, especially when they know you are fighting against putting anymore burden on the taxpayers to pay these facilities.

In the worse case scenario, I would ask the state for a loan to get through the next year, while at the same time have the Pacers provide an independent audit, the CIB do whatever restructuring it needs to do and let the Colts continue to demonstrate they would rather see citizens pay higher taxes and be bad neighbors. Hopefully by next year, a workable solution can be reached, especially if we have numbers that everyone can trust.

And one last thing, I caution anyone who reads this post with glee that my thoughts mean that the Mayor is done for, far from it. This crisis has wounded him, but he is not down for the count by a long shot. I think if anything, he will learn from this and will actually be a better Mayor because of it. But sometimes before you stand up, you have to get knocked down a bit, and sometimes it has to be friends who do the knocking down and who help you get back on your feet.

Now go give ‘em hell, Mr. Mayor.

The controversy continues in Indianapolis Public Schools.   Indiana Barrister has obtained a copy of a recorded conversation between former IPS Principal Jeffrey White and his District supervisor Prudence Bridgewaters.

In the conversation Bridgewaters tells White that he is not allowed to suspend students because of the school district will get sued, however the district’s public position that they are working with children to keep them in school.  You can hear that conversation by clicking below.

[display_podcast]

In IPS’ latest annual report out of school suspensions went from 4032 in 2007 to 2473 in 2008.   I had asked IPS Superintendent Dr. Eugene White in an March 25th interview on my morning radio show if he had ever not suspended a student due to the threat of a lawsuit.

His response was an emphatic “no.”

White was removed as principal of John Marshall School earlier this year.  IPS officials would not comment on the specifics of the removal, however in a March 19th meeting with parents, White said if “[Jeff] White was doing such a really great job, then you know the reason we let him go had to be really bad.”

What’s old is new again.  The Indianapolis Star is reporting this morning that State Representative Bill Crawford is proposing a casino for downtown Indianapolis in order to help close the Capital Improvement Board’s $47 million operational deficit.

Crawford is proposing putting 1500 slot machines in downtown Indy.  The revenue from the gaming tax on the machines would raise about $20 million.

Reaction has been cool to out right opposed from the usual suspects.

However, here is something for lawmakers and policy makers to think about.  The public is opposed to raising taxes.  The Colts have basically said hell will freeze over before they contribute another dime to Lucas Oil.  The Pacers are broke.  And there is only so much the CIB can cut before it becomes counter productive.

So under those circumstances, if anyone has a better idea on how to solve this problem, under this current climate, I’m all ears.

I spoke to House Speaker Pat Bauer and Republican Minority Leader Brian Bosma on Thursday regarding the budget and the Capital Improvement Board.  Both had interesting things to say.  Here they are…

House Speaker Pat Bauer

Republican Leader Brian Bosma