Expect an announcement tomorrow morning from the Marion County Libertarian Party that At-large City-County Councilor Ed Coleman is joining their ranks.

Coleman would not comment on the move when I spoke to him tonight at an east side forum over a proposed city-wide smoking ban.

Libertarian party officials were also silent, however, I have confirmed  that Coleman will make the switch.

Coleman was one of three Republican at-large members elected in 2007, giving the GOP a 16-13 majority.  His defection now makes that 15-13-1.  Relations had been somewhat strained lately been Coleman and members of his party.

There’s no word yet on whether Coleman will be allowed to keep any of his committee assignments now that he is becoming a Libertarian.

The last time there was anything close to this shift of a Council make up was when Republicans and some Democrats joined together to elect Steve Talley Council President over then President Rozelle Boyd back in 2005.

21:50 UPDATE:

I spoke to CCC President Bob Cockrum this evening who said he was surprised to find out Coleman was leaving the party.  He said Coleman had not contacted him yet about his decision to join the Libertarians although he got his first call about the defection mid-afternoon.

Cockrum said while there had been some disagreements in the GOP caucus, there was always open discussion and debate was never stifled.  He also noted Coleman voted with his caucus a majority of the time.  Cockrum did not say that Coleman would immediately lose any of his positions on the Rules or Economic Development Committees, but he did say that matter would have to be taken up with the GOP leadership.

Cockrum does not expect Coleman to vote very often with the Democrats on the Council as Libertarians tend to be more conservative on many issues.

I’ll make this quick…

SB 452 is the first local government reform bill to pass the State Senate.  It gives counties the option to choose either a county-council form of government with a chief executive or a county board with a city manager.

Amendments are being heard to HB 1213 which would ban smoking in most public places except bars, taverns, casinos and places that only allow patrons over 18. Preemption language that would have forbid local governments from placing stricter anti-smoking laws on the books after January 2010 was removed.

I’m at the Statehouse today keeping an eye on things.  Here’s what I’ve seen or heard so far…

Stadium Stuff

• As lawmakers are trying to find ways to plug a $43 million operating deficit, there is private praise for the Indianapolis Pacers and frustration with the Colts.  Lawmakers say the Pacers can demonstrate real financial hardship which makes them more sympathetic to their plight, while Colts’ owner Jim Irsay is reported to be much more “difficult” to deal with in negotiations because he doesn’t understand the mood of the taxpayers.

Government Reform

• The Indiana Senate is debating government reform. Lawmakers are hearing amendments to SB 506 which would give locals the power to change their County Commissioner form of government to a county executive with a county council, a county board with a county manager or just stay the same.

Stimulating Conversation

• As lawmakers prepare for the economic stimulus package to come to Indiana, the city of Indianapolis could see about $100-$150 million for roads and infrastructure.  That number is based on past funding formulas, however local officials are still waiting for final figures and how many of their projects fit the “shovel ready” definition.

Where There’s Smoke

• Tonight’s smoking ban hearing could get pretty heated.  Sources says anti-smoking proponents plan to pack the room to keep out opponents of a possible city-wide total smoking ban.  This could get real ugly, real quick.  Come for the show, stay for the fight!
• Speaking of smoking, State Representative Charlie Brown is expected to bring his smoking ban bill to the floor this afternoon for second reading.  I’m told some “interesting” amendments could be offered to it.  Stay tuned.

It’s President’s Day, so I’m off to go buy a mattress.  In the meanwhile, C-SPAN has compiled a pretty interesting list of Presidential rankings; Lincoln came in first while James Buchanan came in last.  Care to add your best and worst?

Although this really shouldn’t surprise anyone, Republican Mayor Greg Ballard endorsed Republican County Chairman Tom John this week.  Here’s the full text of the Mayor’s letter to precinct committeemen…

Dear _________:

Thank you for all you do for the City of Indianapolis and our Republican Party.  Make no mistake about it: my election in 2007 was the direct result of the grassroots political work that you and other party volunteers do so well.  Our election reminded us all that, working together, we can still effect change in our government for the better. Once again, I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to serve.

My vision for Indianapolis is straightforward – to make it a safe, livable and sustainable globally-recognized city. In just a year, we have made major strides toward this goal, from giving public safety a unified chain of command under the Mayor’s office, to our successful bid to host the 2012 Super Bowl, to giving Indianapolis its first truly balanced budget in years.  With these achievements and others, we are laying the foundation for Indianapolis’ long-term health.

Still, we have much work left to do, and that work will depend on successful elections for Republicans in 2010, 2011 and beyond.   Our party needs to be organized to retain our majority on the City-County Council, maintain Republican leadership in the Legislature and Marion County’s excluded towns, and add more allies by electing more Republican officeholders countywide.

To that end, it is now time to turn our attention to the election of our leadership team at the County Convention on March 7.  I hope you will join me in supporting Tom John’s re-election as Chairman. Tom has a plan moving forward to continue our party’s success. He will work to empower our precinct committeemen to turn out Republican votes on Election Day and ensure ballot integrity in places in the county where fraud is a concern. Tom will also continue to grow our party’s ability to communicate by engaging the newest, most innovative ways to communicate with voters and volunteers, ranging from e-mail and social networking websites to internet video and text messaging.

We must stay the course and work toward the goals we set during the 2007 campaign.  Simply put, I need a partner to continue my fight for the taxpayers of Marion County. Tom has shown himself to be a worthy partner and stalwart supporter in these efforts. I endorse the re-election of Tom John for Marion County Republican Party Chairman and urge you to vote for him and his team of Jennifer Ping, Lesa Dietrick and Avachino Reeves on March 7, 2009.

Best  regards,

Gregory A. Ballard

Apparently this endorsement is infuriating the people who think they should be running the show.  Whatever!

The man who gave me my first news job back in 1993 once told me, “Abdul we’re all ignorant, just about different things.”  For me that usually applies when talking about something sports-related.   However, I honestly think my ignorance of sports just might be surpassed by the ignorance of the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts.

It was reported Saturday that the Colts are raising ticket prices for some seats in Lucas Oil Stadium, but these are same people who looked at raising the ticket tax to help cover the Stadium’s operational shortfall like a parent looking at Michael Jackson showing up to babysit.

The Pacers have not shown much better judgment.  Their owners have been pushing the story about how they’ve lost money over the years.  To use another analogy, that’s like the guy who patronizes cheap brothels and and then complains about the STD he got.  The Pacers problems are self-inflicted.  By putting up with so much thuggish behavior for the past 4-5 years, all they did was turn off fan after fan.

The only team I haven’t heard complain too much are the Indianapolis Indians, even though they say any increase in tickets will hurt them.  But even they need to be hit over the head with a whiffle bat for not understanding the mood of the public.

This is pretty simple folks, if I were a professional Indianapolis sports team, I’d stop the posturing and start making concessions.  The public is not in the mood for it, and if you threaten to leave, a good chunk of the people would not care and would probably come down and help you pack, and in this economic climate right now, who’s got the cash to take you anyway?

It’s not every day the director of mysmartgov.org gets into a heated exchange with a radio talk show host who accuses local government reform advocates of backhanded racism during a Friday morning news conference with the Governor standing by.

But when it does happen, you have to put it out there so everyone can give it a listen.

Fight!

My Dad always told me the best time to look for work is when you don’t need it.  Between my broadcasting, legal, teaching, consulting and stand-up comedic obligations, I’m not hurting for employment so I figured now would be a good time.  And after this past week at the Statehouse,  I have found the perfect place to look for work, township government. 

Now I will admit that previous writings on this blog other forums might have led some of you to think that I was no fan of township government.   I’m not, but I do love money.  And just like Willie Sutton who liked to rob banks because that’s where the money was, I’m going to get myself a job in township government because “there is gold in them thar hills”, or at least $200 million in surplus. 

Don’t believe me, try this on for size.

Remember the Washington Township Board in Marion County which recently voted itself a 69-percent pay raise, even though it no longer has a fire department to oversee.  Board salaries went from $2200 annually to $3800.  They average about 8 meetings a year.  When was the last time you got paid $475 to sit in a meeting?  Now granted that’s not quite as good as the Noblesville Township Board that pays $7500 annually, but they meet once a month, so that’s a nice $625 for a meeting that lasts an hour.  Or if neither of these works out, I can always try for the Union Township Board in Montgomery County.  I could get $5,000 a year to attend four meetings.

But it’s not just direct pay.  Any good job also has to have benefits attached to it.  What’s a job without health insurance?  It’s not one any of the part-time board members have on Noblesville Township Board in Hamilton County or Perry Township Board in Marion County have to worry about.  They get taxpayer funded health coverage.

And don’t forget life insurance.   You get that if you’re on the Warren Township Board in Marion County. Die while in office, your beneficiaries get $15,000.   

And even if I couldn’t get good insurance, there are plenty of ways to milk the system.

For example, if I was the Lake Township Trustee in Allen County I could do poor relief from my home and pay myself rent.  I made $4,800 last year.  And I only gave poor relief to 15 people.   As a matter of fact, 13 out of 20 of Allen County’s township trustees use government money to rent space out of their homes.

And the other nice thing about a township government job is if you play your cards right, the public will rarely bother you because they would hardly be able to find you.   Only five of the 11 Township Trustee offices in Montgomery County are listed in the phone book, only two have signs and only one keeps regular office hours.

I’m telling you folks these are some pretty cool jobs and I frankly don’t blame township government folks for not wanting to give it up.   Based on recent data, 75 percent of township trustees ran unopposed in 2006 and 64 percent of the township advisory board candidates ran unopposed.  Fifty percent of Indiana’s poor relief comes from two percent of its townships.  In 2007, 40 percent of the townships gave poor relief to less than 10 households.

And if anybody tries to complain about how my job is outdated, I’ll just take myself and my employees to Indianapolis and use money that should go for poor relief and lobby to save my job.

So let’s recap.  Nice pay, little work, taxpayer funded health and life and a 60-plus percent chance of getting re-elected.  I don’t blame the township folks one bit.  So who wants in on this?  I’ll start taking resumes next week.

If you’ve ever wondered how township government  stays in business at the General Assembly, here’s how…

1. Join the Indiana Township Association.
2. Payment of your ITA annual dues or your special assessments should all be made from “Other Services, & Charges, Dues and Subscriptions.”*
3. A Trustee may transfer appropriations, without board action, from any line item under “Other Services & Charges.”    The Trustee must notify the board of the transfer at the next meeting.*
4. A township board may approve a transfer of appropriations, upon the trustees request, from “Personal Services,” “Supplies”, or “Capital Outlays”, to “Other Services & Charges”.  The Trustee is responsible for for sending a notice of the transfer to the County Auditor.*
5. It is recommended a special assessment be paid from your 2008 budget, if at all possible.  However if appropriations are not available for transfer, you may pay from your 2009 appropriations.*
6. Indiana law gives a provision for townships to use townships funds for membership to the ITA.  The Board of Accounts Compliance Manual, Chapter 5, page four states the following: “MEMBERSHIP IN GOVERNMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS – BOARD’S AUTHORITY TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS – REPRESENTATION – Township Boards are hereby authorized to appropriate necessary funds to provide membership of townships in in county, state and national association of a civic, educational or government nature, which have as their purpose the betterment and improvement of township governmental operations. Township boards are also authorized to participate in the activities of  these associations, and the township boards are authorized to to appropriate money to defray the expenses of such representatives in connection with these activities.  IC 36-6-6-12″*

*The above text is taken verbatim from a September 24th letter from ITA President Mary Hart to the ITA’s membership.

I got some of  the charter school data for the Mayor Sponsored Charter Schools, here it is…

• Charles Tindley – 63.2 %.
• Indianapolis MET – 57.6 %.