Whenever I am on the lecture circuit giving a speech to local organization about city and state politics, I always start off with the joke that when I first came to Indy eight years ago, nobody knew who I was and nobody would talk with me.  Eight years later, everyone in the political class knows who I am and they still won’t talk to me.

All kidding aside, getting people to talk really isn’t a problem.  Some do it very publicly, others for fear of repercussions do it privately, thus The Cheat Sheet.  Regardless,  today officially marks eight years since I left WMAY-AM in Springfield, IL to come to do radio here in Indianapolis.   And although the radio station and I parted ways last August,  I still use the day after Labor Day as a very important marker.   It marked the day I gave up a very comfortable existence to take a chance and see what would happen.

You may not know this but my original game plan was to spend a few years doing talk radio, practice law on the side, probably marry the girl I was dating and then getting to run for public office in Springfield.   As you all know things turned out a little differently.  Actually, I could argue they almost turned out the same.  Doing a little bit of law on the side is one of my 8 million jobs.  I did marry the lovely girl I was dating three years ago.   I’m working on a statewide public affairs radio program which we hope to launch soon.  And as far as public office goes, well, we’ll see.  I do know that I could put a political infrastructure in place in 10 minutes, so that part I don’t worry about.

Nonetheless, Indianapolis has been very good to me during my time here and I really do love this city.   I have great friends.  The eyes and ears of the political movers and shakers who matter.  And I even have a few haters who just can’t stand the fact I get more ink and airtime than they ever will.  (That part actually is fun).  With that said, I have no idea what the next eight years will hold or for that matter whether I will do them here or head back across the border and help lead a revolution in 2014 or someplace even bigger.  Regardless, I plan to have fun and stay in the public eye while doing it.   I hope you’ll continue to watch, read, compliment or complain.

Life is too short to sit quietly and watch it go by.

This weekend marks the third anniversary of  my marriage to the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz.   She continues to be the luckiest woman in the world!   But you already knew that! :-)

As we get ready to hit the Labor Day mark of the 2012 gubernatorial race, I’ve been watching the candidates a lot more closely than I usually do.  I’ve been closely watching their speeches, reviewing their policy positions and vigorously monitoring the Internet to keep track of their comings and goings.

One thing I’ve noticed in this entire process, is how frequently one candidate keeps bringing up social issues.

No, it’s not Republican Mike Pence, but Democrat John Gregg.

In a speech in northwest Indiana, Gregg mentioned the term “social issues” three to four times when referring to Mike Pence. He told the group of small businessmen that this election was about jobs and not social issues.

In his latest commercial, Gregg talks about how voters like those in his hometown don’t want to hear about social issues, but jobs.  And in a recent gubernatorial forum at IUPUI, Gregg used his standard social issues line as well.

As much as some of you think that I might be getting ready to take a swipe at Gregg, I am not.  He is not totally wrong.  Pence has been talking about social issues this entire campaign.

I am not referring to the line he used at Marian University in Indianapolis, where he said he would sign pro-life legislation if the Legislature sent it to him.   I am not sure I would have said that, but every proposal Pence has unveiled to date is a giant social issue.

Let me do a quick recap:

• Increasing vocational and career opportunities for high school students.
• Reducing the red tape that Indiana businesses have to go through.
• Improving the quality of life for veterans by creating more job opportunities for them.
• A 10 percent across the board income tax cut for Hoosier taxpayers.
• Revamping the tax structure for Indiana’s agricultural industry.
• Better measuring the impact of federal regulations on Indiana.
• More partnerships with Indiana’s colleges and universities with the private sector to promote innovation and job creation.
• Making college more affordable and getting students through quicker with incentives to finish early.

If you put all the policy initiatives together, they mean more jobs and economic stability in Indiana, which at the end of the day is at the heart of all social issues.  More jobs and economic opportunities mean more stable families and fewer people on the government dole.  More educational opportunities mean fewer dropouts and more students get a post-secondary education, which means fewer people trying to break into my house and get my stuff.

So I guess, if you think about it, Pence really has been talking about social issues. He’s just been masking the discussion in the form of creating more economic opportunities, improving education, keeping more money in Hoosiers’ pockets, reducing the regulatory burden on small business and implementing policies that help grow strong and stable families and not the government.

If these are “social issues” then sign me up for more of the discussion.

I am the first one to criticize Indianapolis City-Council Democrats when they drop the ball, so in fairness allow me to be the first one to offer them praise when they get it right.

The Council’s  Indianapolis Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee voted 5-1 Monday night to move forward with two stalled Tax Increment Finance projects.   The committee voted to amend the original TIF proposal to include funds for small business loans, worker retraining and citywide redevelopment.  This happened at the end of the meeting.

Although Committee Chairman Steve Talley had said the meeting  was adjourned, there was no second and no vote, so there is no question about the legality of the proposal.

The proposal expands the downtown TIF district to include the Mass Ave area as well as 16 Tech.  A TIF District uses property taxes to fund redevelopment by capturing increases in property tax dollars to pay for redevelopment.  The city has argued the TIFs are needed to create jobs and bring economic development to the city.  Opponents say the TIF take badly needed property tax revenue from schools and local governments.

I have to give credit to Vop Osili, Zach Adamson, Mary Moriarty Adams and even Joe Simpson, who was not on the committee, but expressed his support for it and worked to reach a compromise, even though he said in the past he would never vote for a TIF District. By using funds from the TIF for small business loans as well as as workforce training and redevelopment it shows not only creative thinking, but also getting even more bang for the buck.

As I have written before,  Indianapolis needs more taxpayers, not taxes, per se as the answer to its long-term financial needs.  Going down this road to help small businesses and get people back on their feet and in workforce is the smart thing to do.  They deserve a major thumbs up for this one.  Hopefully, they can keep this momentum moving.

My colleague Matt opined this morning about the city’s budget shortfall, and why a tax increase should be an option to help close it.  I respectfully disagree with my long-time friend.

As the Indianapolis City-County Council gets ready to take up Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s budget and possibly come up with an alternative plan to close a $35 million – $65 million budget hole, I think it probably wouldn’t hurt to take a few minutes and talk about the real root cause of Indianapolis’ money problems.  As much as some individuals would like to blame the shortfall on property tax caps, in fact, Indianapolis’ problem is that the city does not have enough taxpayers.

Allow me to explain. Opponents of property tax caps say that because they exist, local governments have been robbed of badly needed revenue, never mind the fact that people were losing their homes because of skyrocketing assessments, but that’s beside the point. Under the tax caps, Indianapolis went from collecting close to $450 million in 2007 to slightly more than $300 million in 2013. However, the big drop off in property taxes took place from 2008 to 2009, when it dropped from about $400 million to about $275 million.  Since then they have stayed relatively stable at the $300 million mark.

Income taxes are a bit of a different story. First of all, you have to know how local government finance works. When the state collects income taxes it doesn’t immediately disburse them to local governments. It actually takes anywhere from 18-24 months for the money to get to the local level. So the income taxes the city is receiving today was actually collected back in 2010 ­— during the worst economy since the Great Depression. Back in 2010 the city was getting disbursements based on 2008-2009 income tax collections. Today state revenue collections are up, which bodes well for the city’s income receipts a couple years down the road.

Still, the only long-term solution to the city’s revenue crunch is to create more taxpayers, which in turn will translate into more taxes. This is why things like TIF Districts are important. They create jobs and economic development in areas where there are none.  And this is why we also need to continue to improve the quality of education in the city. Good schools mean an educated workforce and that makes it easier to attract quality employers. This is also why the city’s AAA bond rating is so important. The bond rating is important because it shows the city is stable and businesses can come and set up shop here.  Even things like hosting a Super Bowl help because it puts the city on the radar screen of potential employers looking to escape cities with high taxes and crumbling infrastructure.  And every job announcement should make residents feel better.

The only real solution to the city’s financial problems is long-term economic growth, which comes from making more taxpayers and creating more jobs.

My political gossip column, The Cheat Sheet is one-year old this weekend!  However, instead of getting presents, we’re giving you the gift of gossip, rumor and blatant innuendo!  Here’s what we have…

• Some scoop on John Gregg’s internal poll #s
• Republicans Reaching Out to Joe Donnelly
• SUPER PAC Attacks
• Indy CAN Get on your nerves
• Marion County Democrats Give More Bad Advice
• And a little more…

If you’re a subscriber, check your e-mail.  If not, click here.  And remember to support our friends like Maple Creek Golf & Country Club and The Devil at Our Doorstep for all their support.

And not only do we want to thank you for reading, but all the people who do the stuff that makes our Cheat Sheet possible.  If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have a new flat screen TV in our living room right now, so keep doing what you’re doing!

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s office says they did not make an error when they say they more than funded Marion County Sheriff John Layton’s budget request, despite allegations by Council Democrats to the contrary.

In their news conference responding to Mayor’s budget Democrats say the Mayor erred when he said the said the Sheriff’s budget was fully funded.  The Mayor said the Sheriff requested $108 million and actually received more than $109 million.

However Democrats say the Sheriff needed $120 million and that the Mayor’s office got the figure incorrect. In a letter to the Mayor, Layton said that two versions of his budget were submitted.  One version was for $101 million.  He says that was submitted by the Office of Financial Management and was not correct.

However, the second version of his budget was for $108 million, which is what was in the Mayor’s budget.  Layton’s says that amount was properly funded and put together under his direction.  He also noted his 2013 budget is several million less than 2012 which he attributes to a hiring freeze, redeployment of deputies and reduction of staff.

I’ve embedded a copy of Layton’s letter below.  You can read it for yourself.

Okay, it’s time for an intervention.  When I saw John Gregg’s first TV ad, I scratched my head trying to figure out what was going on.  Now I definitely think we have a problem.

I ran this ad by my wife, the most apolitical person in the universe.  She has voted for Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians.  She thought it was cute, but was wondering what was the point and when were you going to talk about jobs and the economy.  I directed her to your website, however, her underlying point still sticks.  These ads don’t work and she is the kind of moderate independent voter you need to reach.

I figured that if you were going to use your hometown as the backdrop for your ads, you’d have your friends and neighbors talking about what good guy you are and how you care about Indiana.  And with the Indiana’s chamber poll saying you’re trailing  50-32 and you only have 41% name ID and pence has 80% and there are about 70 days to go before Election Day, you can’t afford to do these kind of misfires.

You know we have different politics, but we’ve known each other for years and  I like you so this is why I’m giving you the free advice that the people you are paying should be.

And by the way.  The only people talking about Planned Parenthood and Equal Pay are Democrats, so maybe your mom is tired of hearing from members of your party.

I’m looking forward to the next ad.