While most of Indiana and the rest of America is paying attention to the GM/UAW strike, there’s some union activity taking place close to home that is worth paying attention to. The local public employees union is looking for people who’ve had negative experiences with the privatization of services by FSSA. Privatization has been an issue with the union for the longest time and now they’re on a fishing expedition. Just thought you would like to know.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says if he gets his way, many changes are coming to Indiana’s property tax structure. Speaking this weekend at a convention of Young Republicans in Indianapolis, Daniels said he would seek major and permanent changes to the property tax problem which could include a “constitutional element.”

At the request of the Governor, former Governor Joe Kernan and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Randall Shepard are heading up a task force to reform government in the state.

Daniels also criticized the number of boards in Indiana whose members are unelected but still have the ability to raise taxes. He said “no one is in charge” and “they [local governments] match your pocket book to their spending, and it should be the other way around,” pointing to the fact that local governments set their budgets, which later become the levies which are paid for through property taxes.

“This is high stakes stuff”, Daniels noted, “and we must get it right.”

WXNT Producer Chris Spangle contributed to this report.

U.S. Senator Evan Bayh is expected to endorse Hilary Clinton for President later today. Apart from political junkies like myself, endorsements really don’t mean anything. Indiana hasn’t gone Democratic since 1964 so Bayh wouldn’t bring anything to the table. Just because most Hoosiers like Bayh, that affection doesn’t translate into coattails.

And if Clinton was going to pick a Vice-President, it makes more sense to choose someone like Bill Richardson, the Governor of New Mexico. He’s from the West, which is trending more Democratic, he’s also a Governor and was also a former Ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of Energy. He’s also Hispanic which doesn’t hurt either.

So you might say Bayh’s endorsement is like a nice endpiece on a coffee table. It may look nice, but really doesn’t do much in the grand scheme of things.

I attended the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce’s Hob Nob yesterday. It is one of the premiere political events in the city. There is something about everyone who is running for office all in the same room that just makes my day. It is a room of good will and good spirits. And so in that vain, I offer up my thoughts on the candidates.

Bart Peterson – The incumbent Mayor was his charming self as always. He saw me holding a “Bart Peterson for Mayor” bumper sticker and jokingly asked me if it was an endorsement? Then he looked at the beer I was holding and said “that explains it.”

Greg Ballard – The challenger played it pretty straight, it wasn’t a grand slam, but it wasn’t a strike out.

Fred Peterson – He’s the Libertarian candidate for Mayor. He chatted. People listended.

Democrats – They were in good spirits, but some of the more experienced candidates had their own plans to campaign at a distance from some of their more “controversial” members.

Republicans – They were enthusiastic, more about getting the council than the Mayor’s office, but enthusiastic nonetheless.

The Chamber – A great event as always.

My colleague Gary Welsh at Advance Indiana has an interesting post about a fundraising letter sent out by former Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Robin Winston soliciting money for Democratic City-County Council Members, In so many words, Winton says if Democrats lose control of the Council, Blacks and other minorities will suffer setbacks under Republican rule.

Let me translate what that means in English, “if Republicans win the Council we’re going to lose out on a lot of sweetheart deals and there will continue to be no accountability.” I don’t mind people using the system to get their hands on a piece of the pie, but when you start engaging in some of the most disingenuous race-baiting, I have no use for you. But then again, what do I know? Enough to see through nonsense like this.

I’m spending the day at the Putnamville Correctional Facility in Greencastle. No prison jokes, please. I’ll have the full scoop of my prison stay tomorrow. Meanwhile there are a few things going on you need to know.

1. Marion County Coroner Ken Ackles is being sued for racial discrimination.

2. The townships are all going broke and are seriously taking a second look at consolidation, i.e. Perry Township.

3. A prominent Marion County Democrat recently sent out a fund raising letter saying if Republicans take over the City-County Council it will be bad for Black businesses.

4. In a public forum in Pike Township last night the Mayor put the property tax debacle mainly on the shoulders of the Township Assessors. Speaking of property taxes both Republican State Senator Luke Kenley and Democratic State Representative Bill Crawford are cautiously optimistic that Indiana’s property tax crisis will be solved by next year.

I’m scheduled to be back in town this afternoon. However, after reading all of the above, prison doesn’t seem all that bad.

The Indianapolis City-County Council Monday night passed a more than billion dollar budget. It included money for all the usual stuff, police, fire, streets, sewer, etc. In fact, it included $2 million more than last year’s budget. What’s interesting though is how the budget was paid for. The city replaced a lot of one time revenues with a permanent source of cash, yours.

There were budget “cuts” but not the way you think. For example, the Mayor’s office “cut” 10 percent but it was in the form of not filling two vacant positions, the positions weren’t eliminated, they just didn’t fund them. In addition, the Department of Public Works didn’t really cut, but delayed purchases until next year.

Some other ways the city “cut” the budget was to eliminate interagency billing of services. And that $50 million dollar cut in property taxes? Well, $43 million of it was going to happen anyway because the city has paid off its child welfare debt and reached a tax settlement with United Airlines.

Smoke and mirrors? Not quite but more like fog and reflective surfaces. The only thing that was sure about this budget was that it spends more and takes more of your money. And when you ask the Council about the budget, they will tell you “it was the best they could do.”

I’m sure it was.

Republican Mayoral candidate Greg Ballard has finally hit the airwaves with commercials. Well, it’s not exactly the airwaves but Ballard has two ads on the Internet. I found them both on You Tube. One ad focuses on crime and police consolidation while the other focuses on the budget. Whether the rest of the public will see the ad remains to be seen, but it’s a start. I’ll be interested in what you think of them.

UPDATE: Marion County Republicans say the ads done on Youtube are not theirs, but a private company so they are taking no ownership, however the publicity sure can’t hurt.

Every once in a while I get up early on Saturday and visit with the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis. They are a group of predominately African-American pastors who meet and try to solve issues in the Black community. What made this week interesting was a conversation about jobs. The pastors are preparing a plan to create summer jobs for youth and will go to the candidates in this year’s local municipal elections and ask them for support.

As the conversations were occurring I couldn’t help but think how over the past year local incumbents have dropped the ball on so many opportunities crucial to their base. The pastors were very upset over what the city has failed to do help ex-offenders get jobs and not return to a life of crime. Although former U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales was in Indianapolis earlier this year with grant money which could be used in part for an ex-offender program, when outgoing Councilor Ike Randolph had an ordinance which would have incentivized hiring ex-offenders the incumbent party shot the measure down. In addition, when the Black pastors went to the Mayor’s office last year seeking help in raising money for summer programs for youth, there were all but asked to leave.

To most of the pastors they find it reprehensible that a city that can come together and raise $25 million in private money for a Super Bowl bid can’t do the same thing to create a foundation for youth. They are also offended at a city that gives out millions in tax abatements and incentives for businesses and developers will not tie any of those dollars to helping youth or ex-offenders.

As upset as the pastors are, I really wonder how much of this anger will carry forward to election day or will they simply turn the other cheek?

Normally I rarely use this space to promote something other than myself (ha!), but this is something worthwhile. If you have sometime on Thursday, you should attend the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce’s Hob Nob. It’s on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. at the Indiana State Museum.

It’s a chance for you to meet with all the candidates for local office face-to-face and size them up for yourself. With all the issues facing Marion County, taxes, crime, quality of life, this is the most important local election in a very long time. You really should take the opportunity to get informed and get involved. You won’t get this chance again.