I am told Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson met with seven of the nine Marion County township trustees recently to work out some sort of compromise on his Indy Works, part deux proposal. The Mayor tried to sell taking over the township fire departments, but giving the townships a role in a new board to craft countywide fire policy. I was told by a key aide to Mayor, “The trustees weren’t having any of it!”
Marion County Democrats met Saturday morning at the State Fairgrounds to nominate their candidates for the 2006 elections. They were mostly uncontested and will present some pretty interesting races in the Fall. Melina Kennedy, the very sharp candidate for County Prosecutor, told the audience the other party will say and do anything to get elected and in her words, “bring it on!” While I respect Melina quite a bit, I’m still somewhat confused at her campaign strategy. During her speech she held up a sheet of paper calling on Carl Brizzi to pledge he would not run for Mayor in 2007. I’ve always thought political pledge sheets were silly campaign tactics (mainly when it came to taxes) and in this case I do not think Brizzi could run for mayor in 2007 if he wanted to. Imagine, an elected official, just coming off a campaign only immediately start up a race for another office? They would be crucified in the media, and rightly so. I hear Mayor Bart Peterson has told the Governor that he doesn’t plan to run for the office in 2008, but I don’t think Bart has signed a pledge. Brizzi does have some vulnerabilities which I will expand on in a later posting. But after speaking to him this weekend, his answer is similar to that of the Peterson’s, he says he has no plans to run for Mayor but will not rule it out completely saying no one knows what could happen in the future.
In some of the other races, Beth White who is running for County Clerk is stressing voter rights and access while Greg Bose, who is running for County Assessor, will stress professionalism and consolidation in his campaign.
What is most interesting about the Democratic Convention, as well as the Republican convention is that both parties had record turnout at their slating conventions, both hovering near 1000 attendees. Both crowds were energized and both determined. This shows me that both parties realize just how high the stakes are in this race and that they are going to fight tooth and nail for every vote. This is going to be ugly. This is going to be intense. This is going to be a blast.
Felix and Oscar, Whitney and Bobby, Mitch and Bart, which is the odder couple? The Governor of Indiana and Mayor of Indianapolis held a joint news conference this week calling on the legislature to pass Hometown Matters, a plan that would give local governments more taxing options in exchange for lower property taxes. The two men promoted the plan Tuesday and I noticed some striking similarities.
Both want to change how things are being done in Indiana. Both have run into opposition from the other’s party. Both may be each other’s saving grace. Although on opposite sides of the political fence, Daniels and Peterson have similar backgrounds. They were both businessmen and both key aids to major Indiana political figures Daniels was an aid to Dick Lugar and Peterson worked for Evan Bayh. And I believe they both went to the same high school, but I’ll have to double-check that.
I asked the Mayor and Governor if they ever called each to ask for help with each other’s parties. They politely smiled at me and told me they are always looking for assistance to move things forward. I honestly think if done right, Daniels and Peterson would make a great team. All they need is a little understanding. Daniels could help Peterson with Indy Works, part deux that he says he encourages his fellow Republicans to endorse government reform. And Peterson could do some arm-twisting on local Democrats and tell them to get with the program on Major Moves.
Of course there is the background issue of whether Peterson will run for Governor, but let’s leave that out of the picture for now. Both the Mayor and Governor face a greater opponent than each other, it’s the status quo and bi-partisan obstructionism to change. It’s that type of bureaucratic entrenchment that will impede Indiana’s progress toward the 21st Century. So who knows?! Can two political figures work together and share an agenda without driving each other crazy? (Start music here!)
I spent yesterday covering two major political events here in town. The Indiana House of Representatives vote on Major Moves and the announcement by former Deputy Mayor Melina Kennedy that she will challenge Carl Brizzi for Marion County Prosecutor. In both cases I found myself somewhat confused at what I was seeing.
On the House side, Democrats voted as a block against Major Moves; Governor Mitch Daniels’ plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road for nearly $4 billion to pay for state road projects. The final vote was 52-47; one member abstained because of a conflict of interest. Democrats argued it was a bad deal because the state was leasing its roads to a foreign company and sending money away from Indiana.
That strategy confused me because there are a number of foreign companies that operate in Indiana and no one complains about them (Toyota, Rolls Royce, the British Company that runs the airport and the French company that runs the water company in Indianapolis.) There was no reason for a lawmaker in Central Indiana to vote against Major Moves. And trust me this will be a campaign issue. I can see the signs right now “This new road was not brought to you by Rep. (fill in the blank here) because he/she did not support Major Moves.”
I honestly think a better strategy would have been to accept the plan and offer and amendment creating a special panel that would make sure the money raised from Major Moves went exactly where taxpayers were told it was going. Democrats could have scored major points this way by telling voters, “Mitch brought you $4 billion, we made sure you received it.” There would have been no issue and Dems could have shared the credit with the Governor.
The other issue that had me raise an eyebrow occurred during former Deputy Mayor Melina Kennedy’s announcement for County Prosecutor. (Full disclosure moment, Carl Brizzi is a friend of mine as we are both attorneys) During her speech Kennedy focused on the increase in crime in Marion County and how leadership was needed to tackle the problem of “weak pleas and free passes”. What surprised me about this is why would Kennedy, a sharp lawyer, talk about the increase in crime and the allude to the failure of the current Brizzi administration in dealing with the problem when standing right behind her were the Sheriff and Mayor who are responsible for law enforcement and housing criminals.
Also by drawing attention to the rising crime problem in Marion County, the Kennedy camp may unwillingly be raising the issue of prosecutorial experience. If crime is on the rise, violent crime in particular the public may not be willing to turn over the helm of the largest prosecutor’s office in the state to someone who has never tried a criminal case. It seems to me to be an odd campaign strategy when the Brizzi folks will definitely hit Kennedy on her lack of criminal experience. As I stated earlier, Kennedy is a smart lawyer so this strategy puzzles me somewhat. But at the very least, it will be an interesting campaign.
The Evansville Courier and Press‘s headline article today reads, “Ellsworth to test Hostettler: Sheriff joins race for 8th District congressman.” Indiana’s 8th Congressional district, typically one of the most competitive in the country, will once again see a “bloody” battle between two formidable contenders. The young, attractive Brad Ellsworth has as good of a shot as anyone to unseat John Hostettler, the district’s strong social conservative.
But if Ellsworth’s coming out party is any indication of his campaign to follow, Hostettler may hold on to his job for at least two more years. The C&P reports Ellsworth “did not mention Hostettler by name but repeatedly hammered home the message that lobbyists and special interests have co-opted Congress and that he will fight them if elected.” Ellsworth’s message then is the one chartered by the national Democratic party – influence peddling in Congress must stop. “We can pass all the new laws we want, but until we replace the people committed to breaking them, we’ll never have real reform,” he said.
But in Hostettler’s district such charges should ring hollow. Hostettler doesn’t accept political action committee money and doesn’t play the fundraising game like others. Indeed, Hostettler is often out spent and underfunded, yet always comes out on top. Ellsworth’s inplicit attacks just don’t stick. As Indiana political guru and ITA friend Brian Howey noted, “Hostettler, who has not been linked to Abramoff, may have the only kind of political organization that can withstand a Democratic tide – issues-oriented true believers who will work tirelessly for their candidate and who will mount a sophisticated get-out-the-vote campaign.”
Without ethics charges what will Ellsworth rely on? His website trumpets a call for tougher immigration reform, an issue Hostettler has already championed. Ultimately Ellsworth will have to rely on his strongest assets – an attractive face, a fresh perspective, and a controversy-free tenure. Hostettler has won the battle of issues in Indiana’s 8th and firmly stands in the winning corner. For Ellsworth to win he will need to appear sane, sensible, and dashingly fresh, all while making sure his smiling face is seen by every woman voter.
If the folks who oversee the Central Library Renovation Project are expecting an increase in taxes to pay for the project they may want to spend the next couple months trying toconvince at least two Republicans to vote “yes.”
Library officials Monday went before the City-County Council Municipal Corporations Committee (which oversees their budget) to lay the groundwork for a $45 million bond authorization to pay for overdue construction costs.
While Council members like Chairman Ron Gibson said the project has to be finished and bonds need to be sold, Democrat Sharon Franklin was very skeptical, saying the Library has asked the taxpayers for enough money. Franklin tells me she has no intention of voting to authorize the bond sale for the project, which officials say would
only amount to a $3 increase in the property tax bill on a $100,000 home.
Franklin says council members would not vote for a tax increase for public safety (to keep police and fire) but they are willing to raise taxes for a library. She said the city has to prioritize and the costs associated with sewer repair, child protection services, and the juvenile detention facility has already taken enough from the taxpayers.
Franklin says she has no intention of voting for a tax increase, which means the Library board and its supporters will have to find at least two Republicans to vote “yes” for the bond authorization. At this point in time, that is very unlikely.
It also doesn’t help that the Library would not guarantee that proceeds from pending litigation involving the renovation project would be used to retire the new library debt. Library Board President Lou Mahern told council members that money recaptured from any lawsuit could be used to retire existing debt that has a higher interest rate.
So as of now, by my count, if there were a full council vote to authorize the bonds for the library renovation it would fail 14-14, for lack of a majority.
Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. The point of that old saying is that sometimes getting what you have always wanted can turn out to be more hassle than it’s worth. Just look at any Twilight Zone episode. The Indiana General Assembly is on the verge of getting something it might not want.
Lawmakers are currently debating several measures that would restrict abortion rights. One bill passed out of the House would force doctors to tell a woman that life begins at conception. Please note, when this measure was debated in the House Public Policy and Veterans Affairs Committee there were no medical experts who testified. I don’t see why this measure wouldn’t pass in the State Senate, so let’s for sake of argument this measure passes and becomes law. Get your wading boots on because I am about to open the floodgates.
You see, if it is the official policy of the State of Indiana that life begins at conception then logic would dictate that your date of birth would not be the day you were born, but the day you were conceived. Why are you looking at me like that? It makes perfect sense. Boy meets girl in January 1986. Boy buys girl a few drinks. Boy and girl have sex in odd place. Girl gets pregnant. Baby is conceived. Life has begun. Nine months later baby is born. Twenty years later baby (now a young man) is ticketed for underage drinking. He goes to court. Evidence is presented. The Court asks him for his defense. He tells them he was not drinking underage because he actually 21. The Court says no you are not! You are 20, because you were born in September 1986. The defendant says “No, your honor. Under Indiana law, life begins at conception. So following that logic I was ‘born’ the day I was conceived which was January 1986, not September.” Defendant goes home with a big smile on his face. And his lawyer, me, gets a big check.
By making it state policy that life begins at conception, Indiana is potentially sitting on a big can of worms. For example, the age of consent for minors to marry is 17. Now it’s 16. Laws prohibiting sex with minors have been pushed back nine months. And 17-year olds can now buy cigarettes and pornography without fear of reprisal and 16-year olds can catch the latest R-rated movies and hold their heads up high and look forward to the day where they can drink at 20. Oh, don’t forget at age 17 they’ll be able to sign contracts and get credit cards. That may be a little difficult for the ones who dropped out of school at 15. Do you feel yourself knee-deep in water yet?
The point of this is simple. In the zeal to clamp down on abortion, lawmakers continue to act first and think later. A reasonable approach would be to provide women with more alternatives to abortion, i.e. make adoption easier, offer more pre-natal care, do a better job of forcing the fathers of these women to pay child support and live up to their responsibilities. There are a lot of things lawmakers can do. But silly posturing should not be one of them, especially people of their ages; which by the way by their definition is nine months older than is listed on their birth certificates.
The Indianapolis Star reports today the expansion of the Central Library is overdue and over budget. Brendan O’Shaughnessy writes the library is more than two years behind schedule and now the board wants $45 million in additional money to finish it. The library project has been plagued with cost overruns and project delays. My solution, privatize it. The entire system. Do for libraries what we’ve done with trash pick up and some prisons. Contract with a private company and let them run the system.
Sound awkward, not necessarily. In 2000, the American Library Association did a study on the impact of outsourcing and privatizing library services and management. The study found there was no evidence that outsourcing had an overall negative impact on library services and management. In fact, when used carefully the study found that outsourcing had been an effective management tool that resulted in enhanced services and improved management.
Any problems that came from outsourcing were usually the result of inadequate planning, poor contracting processes and ineffective management of contracts. These are issues that could easily be resolved with due diligence and officials not falling asleep at the wheel.
Marion County leaders should definitely look at privatizing the library system. Call Barnes and Noble or Borders and have them run the whole operation. They can contract with Starbucks for coffee while they are at it. It can’t possibly any be any worse.
Is there a deal between the NK Hurst Bean Company and the Stadium Building Authority? I think I can say “yes” with a caveat. There is a deal, but it’s in principle only right now and the lawyers have not been involved. The NK Hurst boys and the Stadium folks have been very tight-lipped, but my political instincts tell me there is something on deck, they’re just waiting to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s.” In addition, State Rep. Dave Wolkins said he will remove the retroactive language from his eminent domain bill. He says he’s encourgaed by the progress made by the two parties in the negotiations, but he’s still keeping the retroactive language on his holster if things get silly.
Speaking of which, if you live in Marion County you need to go out and spend more on food and drink. Budget Director Chuck Schalliol says revenues from the Marion County portion of the food and beverage tax have fallen under projections. Shalliol says Marion County revenues have fallen $800,000 short of their expected goals, and if trends continue the project will fall short by more than $2 million. Shalliol says they don’t worry about the shortfall for now, but they are keeping an eye on the trend.
Governor Mitch Daniels might get “Major Moves” but not without some major headaches first. The massive transportation bill passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, but faces an uncertain future in the full chamber. Currently there are not enough Republican votes to pass Major Moves in the House; so to get it out of the chamber the Governor will need Democratic support. You can see Democratic Leader Pat Bauer salivating. To date, no one in the Democratic caucus is willing to break ranks, despite the potential of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in their local districts. I don’t see Bauer derailing Major Moves because there would be too much hell to pay, but I do see him sticking his thumb in the Governor’s political eye and embarrassing him by letting his members vote their conscious and saving Major Moves since their currently aren’t the GOP votes there. Stay tuned…
