One member of Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson’s Blue Ribbon Panel on crime was once included in a grand jury investigation regarding a scam involving local bingo parlors. According to public records, local authorities investigated a number of questionable connections between three not-for-profit groups and their gaming operators, which according the October 12, 2001 edition of the Indianapolis Star grossed millions of dollars, but yielded slim rewards for the actual charities.

One of the charities involved was Forest Manor Multi-Service Center, whose Executive Director is Regina Marsh also serves on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Crime Panel. According the Star, investigators said the bingo operations were illegally run by a third party instead of the charity, volunteers were illegally paid, records were fudged and financial records were hidden or destroyed, while most of the money went to benefit a few.

Although charges were filed in the case, none were filed against Marsh, however public records show that in 2000-01, the bingo operation associated with her charity took in more than $3.4 million and had profits of only $26,774. Such actions even led local African-American commentator Amos Brown to call for Marsh to be fired or resign from her post.

Although this story is nearly six years old, the fact the Marsh is on a panel whose job it is to fight crime and help the less fortunate is something that should have been taken into account and her never having been put on the panel in the first place. In addition, Marsh is also reportedly the Democrats’ pick as a primary challenger to Council Member, and occasional maverick, Sherron Franklin.

The Mayor says the panel will make its recommendations next week. It would be a shame that the committee’s hard work would be tainted by the past history of one member.

Today I attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The ceremony itself was fairly routine, how the circumstances surrounding it were not. The merger of the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department has, in the words of fellow pundit Matthew Tully of Indianapolis Star, been a marriage the parents wanted, but kids did not. I’ll take it one step further, it was a marriage that was necessary, but ain’t over yet.

It’s no big secret the rank and file of both departments are not big fans of the merger. A handful of them protested today. And one of them was in a chicken suit. The officers are going to have to come to realization that this merger is not going to change and they are in it for the long-haul.

At the same time, the top management is going to have to take some steps to improve officer moral. Whether it’s more money, or something, you can’t expect someone to do a good job when they feel like an 8-year old who just left the Never Land Ranch to spend the night at former Congressman Mark Foley.

There were about 50 officers at the ceremony, mostly command rank and about 25 protestors outside. That’s not a good start for the new consolidated police department. However, I hope both sides take this as a new opportunity, for a new start for the new department.

I’m getting ready to head out of town and do a comedy gig for a charity back in Springfield. I’ve done this for the last several years on New Year’s Eve, so I’ll be sober this evening. But before I left town, I wanted to share my New Year’s Resolutions for my favorite public officials. Here they are…

Gov. Mitch Daniels
Keep the big ideas and big agendas coming, but don’t forget they also require the big sell.

Mayor Bart Peterson
You’re going into 2007 with the 3rd worst homicide rate in the city’s history. Get crime under control.

Sheriff Frank Anderson
You have a lot of angry cops under your command now. Use the same charm you have with the public on them.

Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer
You guys are great at playing the loyal opposition. But soon you’re going to have to offer big ideas.

Senate Pro Tempore David Long
Good luck at herding the cats that are your caucus.

City-County Council
Please re-elect Monroe Gray Council President. He is the gift that keeps on giving.

Carl Brizzi
After this last election in Marion County, you should seriously think about going on survivor.

Marion County Democrats
Congrats on the big wins in the last election. I’m looking forward to writing about the infighting I hear is taking place.

Marion County Republicans
My condolences on the losses in the last election. But like the Democrats, I’m looking forward to writing about the infighting I hear is taking place.

Carmel
Keep being Carmel.

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
You can’t improve on perfection so just relax in 2007.

HAPPY 2007!!!

Saddam Hussein is dead. No one will miss him, but I just have to think that maybe if we did a better of job of picking who we get in bed with in regards to our foreign policy that maybe things like this won’t be necessary in the future. Hopefully, Iraqis will take this opportunity to unite and get over themselves, but somehow, I don’t think so.

If you get a chance today, check out NUVO. I’ve got a year in review piece on Gov. Mitch Daniels. I think you’ll find it interesting.

My sources tell me a class action suit could be filed this week that could throw a major monkey wrench into Mayor Bart Peterson’s plan to consolidate the IPD and the Sheriff’s Department. They also say the class action suit will center around social security. Several officers will file suit to stop the city letting sheriff’s deputies opt out of Social Security, saying the withdrawl would lead to pay disparities between officers. The city recently received word from the federal government they did not have to force IPD and new officers into social security, saving $4 million.

A tentative deal has been reached between the city of Indianapolis and the Fraternal Order of Police over stalled contract talks. The two sides have been at odds over retro pay, causing officers to picket city hall and Monday Night Football. Under the terms of the tentative agreement, the issue of retro pay will be addressed in 2007 talks in the new Metropolitan Police Department. The officers will get pay parity on January 1, 2007. They will work a six-day work week, with three days off and will get to decide how they want their shifts structured.

Merry Chirstmas folks! I hope you have a great holiday season. Be back in a few days.

Jeff Bennet was certified tonight as the winner in the Warren Township Trustee’s race. Following a recount, the Democrat took a seven-vote deficit and turned it into an 11-vote win over Republican Tom Marendt. The vote total was 10,592 to 10,581. This is good news for Mayor Bart Peterson, since Bennet supports consolidation. This is a big loss for Republicans as Marnedt was the best spokesman they had opposing the Mayor’s consolidation plan.

The City-County Council made its biggest mistake Monday night. It introduced a measure that would give Councilors a 75-percent pay raise. That’s right, 75-percent. The proposal would raise council pay from just over $11,000 to nearly $20,000. I wrote about this back in November, but there’s nothing like actually seeing the measure on a sheet of paper.

One of the justifications for the raise is that councilors haven’t had an increase in pay since 2000. Well if that’s the case, then the pay should be adjusted for inflation and increased to about $13,000. That number is less egregious than 75-percent. And to add insult to injury, the measure was introduced not only on the day that more than 200 police officers and their families showed up to protest over a 5-percent pay raise that was taken off the table, but the Council had to table a measure that would have given the Sheriff a $52,000 raise and a three-percent salary increase to all other countywide elected offices.

Ironically, I do believe public officials should be paid better because fundamentally, you get what you pay for. However, in tough budget times, the last people to get a raise should be the elected office holders. Someone back at City Hall isn’t thinking. And last night, it showed more than it usually does.