I’ll be spending my week focusing on the Indiana General Assembly as lawmakers are back Wednesday.  In the interim though, here are a couple interesting tidbits of gossip and rumor that always make life more enjoyable.

Sometimes a Cigar Really Is a Cigar

The conspiracy theorists are having a field day over the recent City-County Council Committee shuffle which saw at-large Councilor Ed Coleman lose some spots, including public safety.  Sources tell me Coleman’s removal from the public safety committee had less to with his public criticism of the Ballard administration, but more to do with his attendance, saying he’d missed nearly half the committee meetings. He’s being replaced by Ben Hunter, a former IMPD officer who now oversees public safety at Butler University.  

In addition, former Council Vice-President Kent Smith stepped down because his job and family committments would not allow him to step into the role of President if necessary.  He’s being replaced (like I told you a month ago) by Ryan Vaughn.  The conspiracy theorists think this is all part of some evil Barnes & Thornburg plot to control everything.

There was a news story this past week about an acorn shortage, I know where the squirrels can find a few nuts.

McAtee Attack

If there was any question whether Bart McAtee was running for Marion County Sheriff in 2010, question no more.  McAtee has a website now,  Click here to see it.  There’s no word yet on how many of his family members will be on the payroll.

Different Drummer

Speaking of Sheriff, Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer is the latest name I’m hearing being thrown into the ring to run for the job in 2010.

JLT Redux

I recently ran into a former top official of the Jill Long Thompson campaign.  He gave me an earful about the press’ coverage of her campaign and blamed her failed race on Evan Bayh, Dan Parker and the Democratic establishment.  He said the state’s top Democrats didn’t want a Democratic Governor  because they would lose their power and prestige.  Yeah, right.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish”

– Proverbs 29:18.

“Pay attention to what you’re  doing dumb a**!”

– My Grandfather.

I cite those two quotes, one obviously more famous than the other, to address the criticism about Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and his “vision” or lack thereof, his critics say, for the city.

Critics argue the Mayor lacks a vision for the city and isn’t telling the public where he wants to go. Ballard has always said his goal for Indianapolis is a “safe, livable city that is internationally recognized”, but apparently that isn’t enough.

I think part of the problem here is that we can’t agree on what “vision” actually means.   I think for some, “vision” means some new building somewhere that will eventually cost the taxpayers some ungodly amount of money to operate and there is no funding mechanism to cover its operating expenses which are about to skyrocket (*cough* Lucas Oil Stadium *cough*).

I am perfectly content with “safe and livable ” as a vision for now.  And apparently so are a lot of other people.  A recent Democratic survey showed the Mayor with an approval rating well above 65 percent.  And even when another poll was taken in the individual townships, it showed Ballard’s negatives were normal for any elected official and there wasn’t going to be a massive uprising of torches and pitchforks anytime soon.  That tells me, at least for now, the people want a city that doesn’t tax you death, keeps crime under control and has good schools and good jobs.  Oh, and they have no reason to toss out the current leadership. 

Ballard has already taken steps in the financial area by balancing the budget (garnering nearly $50 million in taxpayer savings in 2008) and actually cutting the COIT.  While crime is a concern for all of us, the fact it stayed relatively stable during one of the worst economic climates since the depression means somebody is doing something right.  The Mayor has no control over schools, but he is working on a citywide mentoring/tutoring initiative.  And Indianapolis’ unemployment rate is about 6 %, while Indiana’s as a whole is more than 7%.  Not bad for this climate. 

Now this not to say the Administration hasn’t had a misstep or two or three, but like anyone in their freshman year, there’s a learning curve involved and they can expect a lot more scrutiny and higher expectations in their sophomore, junior and senior years, as well they should.  And they should be prepared to step up their game accordingly.

Should the Mayor have long-term goals?  Yes.   Should city planners be looking 5, 10, 15, 20, 50 years down the road?  Yes.  That’s what you’re supposed to do when you run a city.  But you cannot dismiss “safe and livable” as a vision.  Because if you don’t have a city that is safe and livable, the only thing vision you’ll have is of the the mass exodus of people leaving your community to go live somewhere that is.

I try not to do New Year’s resolutions, but instead set goals for the year ahead.  That usually gives me plenty of time to meet them, drop the ball, and meet them again by the end of the year.  So with that in mind, here’s my advice for some your favorite elected officials.

Barack Obama – Make sure you keep the good will and high approval ratings you have with the public, you will need it as this economy probably won’t start to turn around late 2010 or early 2011.

National Democrats – Talk all the liberal policy stuff you want, but make sure you pass some center/right of center legislation because that’s where the country still is.

National Republicans – Get a clue.  Figure out what you are and stick with it.  And remember you can’t win being the party of the South and the national talk radio crowd.

Mitch Daniels – If you can balance the budget without touching the surplus, you’re my hero.

Pat Bauer – You’re a smart guy and  can walk and chew gum at the same time, so let government consolidation have a full hearing and vote.

Greg Ballard – Keep being a nice guy, but you still need to leave a horse’s head in the bed of a political friend and foe to show them you do know how to the play the game.

Council Democrats – Get your act together and come up with an alternative plan to run the city .

Council Republicans – Get your act together and come up with a plan to help the Mayor run the city.

The 20 million Democrats who want to be Mayor in 2011 – Good luck in not tripping over each over and showing the racial and geographical divisions in the County party.

Remaining Township Officials – Go away.

Obama conspiracy theorists and bloggers – Move out of your parents’ basements and start dating.

See anyone you recognize?

With today being the last day of 2008, it’s only fair we at Indiana Barrister note the top 10 most interesting news events of the year.  I decided to mix local, state and national stories.  As always, feel free to add your own suggestions.

10.  Townships Assessors voted out and the IPS bond referendum is voted in, proving that organization will always win the day.

9.  John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential nominee, DVD rentals of “Fargo” go through the roof.

8. The Chicago Cubs officially go 100 years without winning a world series.  St. Louis Cardinal fans show little surprise.

7. Washington Township Board becomes the official poster child for the Kernan-Shepard Report by voting itself a 69-percent pay raise.

6. The Governors of New York and Illinois both go down, just in different ways.

5. Indianapolis lands 2012 Super Bowl, now the big question is will the Colts still be good enough to play there by then?

4. The City of Indianapolis decides instead of buying American to buy like an American and purchase Toyota hybrids over Chevy Malibus as part of a pilot program.

3.  Indiana lawmakers pass property tax reform; it’s amazing what a 2007 mayoral election can accomplish.

2.  Wall Street collapses.  The only other comparable meltdown was the Jill Long Thompson campaign for Governor.

1.  Barack Hussein Obama, a Black attorney from the South Side of Chicago is elected President of the United States, proving there is hope one day for Abdul-Hakim Shabazz.

Thanks again for reading Indiana Barrister in 2008.  2009 promises to be a busy year and I plan to bring you as much perspective and entertaining analysis as possible.  And thanks again to Kevin who keeps this blog up and running.

Talk to you next year.

Just when I thought the situation in my home state could not get any more bizzare, it just did.  Soon to be formally indicted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich today appointed former state Attorney General Roland Burris to the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Burris is a nice guy, but hasn’t held elected office since 1994 and lost every race he ran for (Governor and Mayor of Chicago) since then.  His term as Attorney General was mediocre at best.  As soon as he was elected his goal was to run for Governor.  I know this because I worked with his staff when I went to work for his successor, Jim Ryan.

What I can’t understand is why Burris is letting himself be pimped by Blago like this.  Anyone can see Blagojevich is trying to pander to Black voters by appointing Burris, thinking they will get up in arms if he is not allowed to take the seat.  Also, President-elect Obama was a longtime Burris supporter.

However, someone should remind Burris that Blago is more radioactive than Uranium 236 and there is no way, he will be allowed to serve in the U.S. Senate without a court fight.  The only hope he has is a case involving Harlem Congressman Adam Clayton Powell who Congress tried to deny seating back in the 1940s.  Powell won that case as the Court held Congress could only decide if someone met the qualifications for the office, and unfortunately Blago still has the legal authority to fill the vacancy.

And just a note, will someone tell Gray Panther Bobby Rush to get somewhere and sit down.  He looks like he had a stroke and made absolutely no sense what-so-ever.

If this is what my home state is turning into, maybe I can start calling myself a Hoosier or Missourian or Hawkeye.  Heck, even British Columbia looks good right now.

I sat down with the Mayor of Indianapolis this morning for the standard end of the year interview.  Here are some of his thoughts local issues.

Biggest Accomplishment: An honestly balanced budget and being a good steward of the taxpayers’ dollars and saving them close to $50 million in his first year.

Crime: The city is working to get better.  Homicides are up slightly over last year, but crime is down in other areas.  Expect a big push for community policing in 2009.

Poor Relief: The county could easily take over poor relief in the event township government is eliminated.

Parks & Arts Budget: Although the parks and arts lost money, much of the parks budget for after school programs has been recaptured in the form of grant dollars.  And when it came to the arts budget, the Mayor said he fought for arts funding, because there were calls to eliminate the funding altogether.

Lobbying: The Mayor acknowledges that some lobbyists have sat in on city staff meetings, however, they lobby for the city and need to know what’s going on to better advocate on behalf of Indianapolis.

Candidness: The Mayor acknowledged he can “think out loud” at times which has caused some misunderstandings with the public.  He promises to be a bit more guarded in the future.

Economic Development: The Mayor says he’s continuing to work to bring companies, both domestic and international, to Indianapolis.  

Vision: A safe, livable city.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels plans to present the budget to lawmakers on Tuesday, January 6. He sat down with us media folks Monday morning and answered some of our questions on the budget, education, government reform and other issues. Here’s a summary of portions of that conversation.

Biggest Accomplishment of 2008: Property tax reduction. It brought long overdue relief to homeowners and makes Indiana a better place for business to invest, but the caps need to be put in place to protect taxpayers from future legislatures; also, a balanced budget.

Indiana as an island of Growth: Indiana is in the black and surrounding states are in the red. Indiana was hit hard by the national downturn. Despite the increase in unemployment, Indiana will be one of the better positioned states. Indiana is a magnet for new investment, but unfortunately no one is investing. It’s like being the prettiest girl in school and prom gets canceled.

Scaling Back New Initiatives: The State may have to set aside plans to expand full day kindergarten since the money is not there. Other state initiatives may be postponed for a year as well.

Education Funding: Daniels says he plans to flat line education spending. He disagrees with the argument that flat lining spending amounts to a budget cut as inflation is practically non-existent. Daniels also said all educational institutions need to be more efficient as well. He says 40 cents of every K-12 dollar doesn’t make it to the classroom and a change of one percent to the classroom would result in up to $120 million in new funding.

Rainy Day Fund: The state should make every effort not to tap into its more than $1 billion budget surplus, because the national economy could still get worse and no one knows how long the recession will last. He says the preservation of the surplus, as well no tax increase or budget gimmicks, are his top priorities.

School Transportation: School districts could save money by pooling their transportation resources, particularly in counties with small school districts. He also said he’d support legislation that called for statewide purchasing of buses to save money.

Tax Cap Constitutionality: Daniels said he doesn’t worry about any immediate challenges to the property tax caps. He doubts courts would step in and hold the tax caps unconstitutional while lawmakers are in the process of putting them into the Indiana Constitution. He says a challenge would make more sense of lawmakers halted the process of putting the caps in the Constitution.

Unemployment Trust Fund: The economy has aggravated Indiana’s unemployment insurance shortfall because the state was giving out more in benefits than it was taking in revenue. He also says the system will have to be reformed, including having large employers with scheduled seasonal layoffs in down times picking up more of the burden from smaller employers whose workers are year-round.

Government Reform: Daniels says he would open to grandfathering in elected officials who also work for the municipalities which govern them, while banning the practice for future officials.

Redistricting: Daniels says he will veto any redistricting plan that comes out of the two party headquarters. He says districts should not look like inkblots on a Rorschach test.

The Next Four Years: Improve education. Make Indiana the top state for job investment. Finish the job of property tax reduction and government reform.

Delaying Passage of Tax Caps: Daniels says there’s no real reason for lawmakers to delay passing property tax caps and Kernan Shepard. He says while the budget is important, the house will have plenty of time to work on those issues while the Senate works on the budget.

Stadium Bailout: Although Lucas Oil Stadium could potentially run operating deficits in the millions, Daniels says the city should not expect a bailout from the State. The governor says he is open to helping local lawmakers find a way to cover those costs using local dollars, but a bailout from general state funds is out of the question.

Federal Bailout Dollars: Indiana should treat any bailout this money as a one-time deal don’t use it to delay putting off tough decisions down the road because the current budget forecasts show the state taking in less money in 2011 than 2009.

His Favorite Christmas Present: A white t-Shirt that given to him by his family that read, “I’m more honest than Rod.”