Former Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Treacy is now the new Marion County Democratic Party Chairman. Treacy ran unopposed and takes over from Mike O’Connor.
During his fiery speech to his fellow Democrats, Treacy did not refer to incumbent Mayor Greg Ballard by name, instead he called Ballard “The Accidental Mayor.” (I hope he gave credit to Jen Wagner.) My question for Ed would be if Ballard is the Accidental Mayor, then who caused the accident?
We’re starting a new project over at RTV 6. It’s called the “Capitol Watch.” If all goes right it will be a weekly public affairs feature on the Internet. It’s a local program focusing on local issues. It’s hosted by me and Jennifer Wagner. We discuss/debate the issues of the day from our perspectives. And we’re working to make it a good mix of policy and political discussion sprinkled with entertainment. It’s a work in progress so you may see some subtle changes along the way to make it a great product.
I think you’ll like it and it will be a welcome addition to the discussion of the major and sometimes minor issues of the day.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels re-election campaign put out the following statement today regarding debates with Jill Long Thompson.
Two weeks ago we met with members of the Indiana Debate Commission and Governor Daniels agreed to participate in three debates to be held in three different regions of the state. Governor Daniels is looking forward to the debates as a way to discuss with Hoosiers the great progress Indiana has experienced in the last four years and as an opportunity to further share his positive vision for the future.”
No word yet from JLT but I’m sure the question will get asked when she has a news conference today at the Capitol on bringing more “green” jobs to Indiana.
Public funding for the arts will be the first casualty of tough financial times in Indianapolis.
City-County Council President Bob Cockrum told me Tuesday that the current funding for the art $1.5 million will be phased out by $500,000 a year over the next three years. Cockrum said with tough times it’s not fair to have the property taxpayers pay for art programs.
He told the local Arts Council that the city would do what it could to help the arts raise money but funding will no longer come from the city which faces a $26 million budget shortfall this year.
My RTV 6 colleague Jack Rinehart is reporting this evening that the teenage twins allegedly involved in the robbery at Don’s Guns have had more than one run-in with the law.
According to Jack, the two 14-year olds have been arrested 12 times this year for auto theft, one time for burglary and one for armed robbery.
And to make matters worse police say the two were involved in an armed robbery prior to breaking in at Don’s Guns.
Jack also reported that police believe the two were part of a juvenile gang that’s targeted Indy dealerships and involved in break-ins at seven dealerships and at least 25 cars.
And here’s the kicker, they were wearing home-detention monitors when they were arrested.
Someone here definitely needs a good rear-end kicking, and I’m not just talking about the twins.
What would you give up? That is my question as the City of Indianapolis gets ready to deal with a $26 million budget shortfall. Mayor Greg Ballard says he can restructure some of the shortfall, however there will have to be some cuts.
And while it’s real easy to say what other people should give up or pay more of, I ask you this morning, what are you willing to give up or pay more for to close the gap?
I’ll be awaiting your responses with baited breath.
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard gave a first look today at the 2009 budget and the challenges the city is going to face and it’s not pretty.
The city will have to borrow about $150 million to make through the rest of the fiscal year. That amount is a result of delayed payments due to the property tax reassessment as well as $33 million in under-budgeting due to the previous people running the show.
Also, city revenues are not keeping up with expenditures and by 2012 the city will be in the financial hole by nearly $170 million.
The biggest expenditures are public safety and public works which make up 55-percent of the city budget and property taxes and local income taxes are the largest revenue stream, making up 53-percent of the city’s intake.
Ballard says to get the city’s finances under control it will require tight spending controls and local government reform, while at the same time the city keeping its commitments to public safety, road infrastructure and economic development.
The rubber is now hitting the road and Ballard is facing his first true test as Mayor. Unfortunately for him, there is no room for error.
I’m keeping an eye on three things this morning; one federal, one state and one local issue. Here they are for your political consumption.
I’ve been checking some more poll data and the trends are not favoring presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain. Although Gallup has Barack Obama ahead by 9 points nationally, it’s the state polls which matter most because of the Electoral Map. Zogby has just released a poll showing Barack ahead in Arizona (42-39). Libertarian Bob Barr is at 7-percent and Ralph Nader is at 2-percent. Zogby expects conservatives to eventually come home to McCain, however being statistically tied with the “most liberal” member of the U.S. Senate in your home state can’t be a good thing.
I’ve also been doing some checking into Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson’s call for Indiana’s billion dollar surplus to be returned, in part, to the taxpayers. I expected Governor Mitch Daniels to not be crazy about the idea, I did not expect members of JLT’s own party to stay on the sidelines. When I called House Democrats looking for a response, a spokesman told me “there are no plans to comment at this time.” I don’t think anyone would consider that a ringing endorsement of JLT’s plans.
Also, watch for this tonight. The City-County Council’s Metropolitan Development Committee will take up the appointment of former Council attorney Aaron Haith to the Indianapolis Housing Agency Board. Expect some potential fireworks as Haith is the Democrats’ minority (party not race) appointment to the Board however Republicans will argue that because Haith is under investigation by the Indiana Supreme Court for alleged unethical conduct, that his appointment should be postponed until the Court concludes its investigation.
What are you watching?
Editor’s Note: Make that four items. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is scheduled to do a budget review this afternoon. It ain’t gonna be pretty. And Marion County Democrats are picking a new County Chairman this week.
Here’s a quick follow-up (what did you think I was talking about in the title?) to the blog posting about me getting kicked out of yesterday’s Concerned Clergy meeting.
It turns out they weren’t discussing some major public policy issue but how they are going to do their next round of elections. The current head of the organization is stepping down and the group is divided over what direction it should take.
There is one group that thinks the Concerned Clergy needs to change direction and become more relevant to the community at large while another wants the status quo.
What’s funny is that’s all they had to say. I would have gladly waited outside until they were done and then conducted my interviews on the serious issues facing this community.
Now the group continues to look like an irrelevant, out-of-touch, anachronistic organization and I still managed to find out what went on behind the closed doors that were slammed in my face.
