I originally posted this on our sister site, IndyPolitics.org.

When it comes to the Indianapolis Colts I am fundamentally indifferent.  I grew up in Chicago, went to law school in St. Louis, and try to make it out to Seattle every other year for a few weeks. That means Bears, Sox, Blackhawks, Blues, Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks and Mariners tend to show up more on my radar screen.

With that said, I can appreciate fan loyalty to any team (even if they are 0-2) and my hope is always that the team reciprocates that appreciation.  However, with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning sidelined, one has to wonder what happens if he never plays again.  And what does that mean for the Colts, and more importantly, what does that mean for the relationship between the team and the City of Indianapolis.

If Manning goes, what does that mean for ticket sales?  We’ve already seen the impact start to show in some areas.  But what about the long-term?  Two games does not an end of the world make, but when the Colts deal struck their deal with the City of Indianapolis, there were a lot of assumptions made on revenue, including a $41 million in annual revenue guarantee.    If some of that cash doesn’t materialize will it drive the City and Capitol Improvement Board into a bigger hole or will the Colts actually have to bite the bullet?   And does that mean a bailout is down the road?  And what about the all but impending NBA lockout which will also have an impact on City/CIB coffers.  That could cost the city $55 million in sales tax revenue.

You might recall the Colts’ response to helping the City back in 2009 when there was a debate over whether they would help the City and CIB cover their estimate shortfall.  It was not very flattering.   I even recall State Senator Luke Kenley telling the colts that they won’t have Manning forever and one day they may come back to the city looking for help and he said he would remember that day.   If Manning is out for good, that day could already be here.

Some Previous Links From Indiana Barrister on the Indianapolis Colts

http://www.indianabarrister.com/archives/2009/04/pony_up_or_shut_up.html

http://www.indianabarrister.com/archives/2009/04/colts_fumble_getting_their_facts_straight.html

http://www.indianabarrister.com/archives/2009/04/irsay_colts_aint_givin_up_jack.html

http://www.indianabarrister.com/archives/2009/04/100_million_contribution_my_a.html

http://www.indianabarrister.com/archives/2009/04/does_bill_polian_get_it.html

In my perfect world, the government takes as little of your money as possible and the free market decides where it gets spent.  Of course, the free market also does a good job of self-policing so the government doesn’t have to step in and get involved.  Absent my perfect world, I generally believe tax cuts are a good idea.  Not just for the rich or the poor, but for everyone.  Taking less of everyone’s money tends to be something I can get behind.

Where I am slightly confused is a spat that has shown up on the radar screen here in Indianapolis regarding income tax credits for education based not-for-profits.  Mayor Greg Ballard has offered up the tax credits to not-for-profit organizations that are in the education innovation business as a way to turn the city into a national “education incubator”.  The tax credits are used for the organization’s employees and returned to the not-for-profit.   It’s part of the Mayor’s proposal to address the long-term educational needs of the city.

My Democratic friends are throwing cold water on the idea.  Democratic Mayoral challenger Melina Kennedy said the proposal might be illegal.  My good friend and blogger Jon Easter said the tax credit would take money from city coffers. The criticism is all fair game in politics, however, I had to ask my friends that if the Mayor’s plan is bad because it may be against the law or take money from the city, then what about City Council Proposal 242?

Proposal 242 would provide a tax rebate to downtown hotel workers that make between $10,000 and $25,000 a year.  The measure would rebate the worker’s portion of the county option income tax to the tune of up $200 for a worker making $25,000.  I don’t recall Kennedy saying the plan might be illegal, although I would argue it screws the people outside that income range.  And I must have missed it when Jon wrote about how much money the city would lose on that deal.

Now this the point where some of you say, “Abdul, didn’t you call that proposal election year pandering?”  Yes, I sure did.  Because it is.  It would have been one thing if proponents called for a rebate for all workers in the hospitality industry, regardless of income, whether they were hotel managers or janitors, but they didn’t because the last thing you need when engaging in class warfare is for everyone to be treated exactly the same.

As I said, I tend to favor taking less of people’s money, regardless of how much they earn.  However, if you’re going to push for tax cuts for one group, it would be nice if you did for everyone.  After all, it’s their money, not the government’s, right?

The latest edition of The Cheat Sheet is out.  It includes information on the following…

• The Latest polling in the Indianapolis Mayor’s race.
• Another potential political sex scandal here in Indianapolis.
• Richard Mourdock vs. Andre Carson.
• The latest from the races in the 5^th & 6^th Congressional Districts.
• The next Democratic nominee for Secretary of State

A subscription is only $20 and it lasts through the end of the year.  You get it e-mailed to you bi-weekly (or more so if the gossip warrants).  If you’re up for it, click here to subscribe.

I saw this blog post put up last week from Democratic businessman Jeb Banner.  It’s interesting because he is a Democrat who supports Melina Kennedy for Mayor, but seriously appears to be thinking about voting for Republican Greg Ballard.

Since this is not something we see publicly very often, I thought it might be worth linking here.

Here’s the link.

Reconsidering Mayor Ballard

I was having a discussion last night with some fellow political types about the conviction of former City-County Councilman Lincoln Plowman.  The consensus was that Plowman could have probably been found not guilty if he had not testified at his trial.  By testifying, he was basically trying to counter the prosecutor’s best witness, himself.

The audio and video recordings of Plowman’s activities didn’t put him in the best of light, however, a jury apparently believed more of what he said on tape, rather than what he said live.

Ironically, there are a couple things that did take place behind the scenes that are worth mentioning.  First, the government offered Plomwan a deal about a year and a half ago.  They offered him two years and he would have been out in 18 months, but Plowman turned them down.  Secondly, Plowman’s major mistake was that he was the one that took bait.  Since the trial I’ve had conversations with quite a few folks from around town who were approached about “offers they couldn’t refuse” via acquaintances who had connections to out-of-town developers and businessmen.  None of them took the bait, Plowman did.

The signs that this was a set up were as clear as day.  The informant he used to catch other criminals was the main contact person.   There was the fact that the developer never had any real listings anywhere.  And most importantly,  no one does business in a hotel room at night and gives you cash.  If you can’t do business in an office in the middle of the day with attorneys and paperwork, then something is wrong.

Anyone paying attention would have seen this coming a mile away.  Plowman wasn’t paying attention and now he’s going to prison.

Today could be the last day that Indianapolis Public Schools is the largest school district in the State.   Friday is the official enrollment count day for schools. And due to competition and years of declining enrollment, this school year could be the tipping point where IPS is replaced by Ft. Wayne schools as the largest district in the state.

On average the district has lost about 1,000 students each year for the last six years.  However in the 2008-2009 school year the district lost 547 students. In 2004 enrollment was 39,113 students.  This year that number is expected to be about 32,000 students, prior to the voucher program kicking in.  According to some new state figures, IPS is losing nearly 700 students this year to the state of Indiana’s new school voucher program which allows public school students to attend private schools, providing they meet certain income criteria.

According to Ft. Wayne Community Schools’ website last year’s enrollment was 31,568, down from a 2004 enrollment of 31,896.  Ft. Wayne expects to lose about 320 students this year to the voucher program.   If IPS loses another 1,000 students on top the 700 that are taking advantage of vouchers that would bring its enrollment down near the 30,000 mark.  So Ft. Wayne schools would have to lose at least 1,500 students this year in order for IPS to stay number one in the state; something history shows is unlikely to happen.  And when you throw in the fact that several schools are being taken over by the state, IPS’ enrollment will drop even further.

More devastating than loss of rank is that the loss of students also means a more immediate loss of dollars. Under new Indiana law, not only does the money follow the student, but the old “deghoster” funding formula is gone. Under the “deghoster” a school district that loss students would not see an immediate decrease in funding, instead that money would be phased out over time.   In the past that number has gone from five to three years; the most recent change in state law under the education reform measures passed by the Indiana General Assembly make that loss of funding immediate.   Proponents of the “deghoster” argued that schools should not be penalized immediately for losing students; however opponents argued the “deghoster” meant taxpayers were footing the bill for the equivalent of more than 13,000 students that didn’t exist to the tune of $94 million.

What is really sad in all this is that instead of working to mitigate these losses, IPS’ leadership has been more like the band that played on Titanic while the ship sank slowly into the water and the passengers who were able jumped into the lifeboats.

If  Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Eugene White wasn’t already having a bad month, the latest news from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office can’t be helping matters much.

You might recall earlier this year Dr. White threatened to ban students who left IPS for charter schools of ever returning to the district.  White had been told numerous times that such a policy was illegal because students who live in the IPS District are entitled to attend IPS schools.

The Attorney General’s Office sent out a legal advisory to the district basically saying that exact same thing.   I’ve embedded a copy of the letter below.

To address the issue of enrollment, Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett has proposed multiple count days to determine a school district’s population so schools are not penalized if a student transfers and then returns to the district later in the year.

I hate to tell Dr. White I told you so, but Eugene, I told you so!

I’ve got some work to do this morning so I am going to direct you my guest column in today’s Indianapolis Star.  I write about Melina Kennedy’s plan to take $150 million from the Citizens deal and spend it elsewhere.

Of  course I don’t think it’s a good idea, big shocker there.  But my argument is that it would be one thing if she were creating a fund for future road projects and maintenance, which would make sense. Her plan, while probably well-intended, only creates more problems than it solves.

You can read it here.

Growing up in Chicago you learn a few things, particularly the art of the con game.  Whenever the con man tells you to look at one hand, it’s the other hand you should be paying attention to.   It would behoove a lot of people to keep that in mind when dealing with Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Eugene White.

White made headlines this week by making two announcements; first, he is dropping his plans to sue the state of Indiana to avoid the takeover of several failing schools.  Secondly, he is taking extra-curricular programs out of the schools which are being taken over.  A big headline of course, but this is where the sleight of hand comes in.

White is also planning to change the structure of several schools in an effort to “restart the clock” on possible future takeovers.  In an e-mail dated August 31, White unveiled plans to break up the district are remaining community and magnet schools.  The text from the e-mail is below…

I have directed Rocky to prepare papers to have our Community and Magnet High Schools separated from their Middle Schools.  We will have the 7 and 8 grades or 6, 7, and 8 grades become Junior High Schools.  The following schools will result from this change:

• · Broad Ripple Magnet High School
• · Broad Ripple Magnet Junior High School
• · Crispus Attucks Magnet High School
• · Crispus Attucks Magnet Junior High School
• · Shortridge Magnet High School
• · Shortridge Magnet Junior High School
• · John Marshall Community High School
• · John Marshall Community Junior High School
• · Northwest Community High School
• · Northwest Community Junior High School
• · George Washington Community High School
• · George Washington Community Junior High School

Each school will have its own State School Identification Number.  Each school will still remain in the same building.  We will still receive the benefits of the current community high school or magnet high school without fighting the State over counting the “whole” school.  Now there will be two whole schools.

Arsenal Tech’s status will remain as it currently exists and so will Harshman Middle School.

The point of this is pretty simple, by changing the way the schools operate and giving them new identities, critics argue White is trying to circumvent the next possible round of takeovers.   When I asked an official at the Indiana Department of Education for their reaction, they said “the show just never stops.”

You can say that again.

We all know what happened at today’s Marion County Election Board meeting. A measure that would have allowed for satellite voting this November failed because it did not get an unanimous vote.  What also didn’t happen was a packed house of Democrats, as called for Friday by Party Chairman Ed Treacy.

Dear Friends:

A few weeks ago, Mayor Ballard released a television ad that began with him saying, “We all know…politics really isn’t my thing.” Now, with the Mayor’s laughable rhetoric being put to the test, he has a chance to prove it. My message for the Mayor is simple: if you’re not a politician, then let Marion County residents vote.

Earlier today, Marion County Clerk Beth White announced that the United Auto Workers Region 3 is providing a donation of $50,000 to pay for satellite voting in Marion County. The plan, developed with bipartisan support from Southport Mayor Rob Thoman (R) and Washington Township Trustee Frank Short (D), would allow for two satellite sites during the 2011 Municipal Election.

Mayor Ballard and his Republican Party have spent a lot of time arguing about the cost of satellite voting centers, but now, thanks to the generosity of the UAW, those arguments are over. I call on Mayor Ballard to put aside his political fears and do the right thing for Marion County voters: accept the donation and instruct the Republican appointee to vote in favor of satellite voting.

The Marion County Election Board is scheduled to vote on the issue Monday, September 12, 10 A.M. at the City-County Building Room 220. Please help us pack the room and show Mayor Ballard’s Republican Party that we want safe, secure, and accessible voting options in 2011.

Democratically yours,

Ed Treacy

I counted a couple dozen people at the meeting at best.  Most were media, government employees and a few politicos.

I honestly think had Democrats come with a donor other than the UAW, the GOP would have approved satellite voting because they would not have a choice. By picking the UAW, which has given money to Melina Kennedy, the Democrats gave Republicans the perfect cover to say no.

And on a side note, for all the people yelling and screaming about voter disenfranchisement and the City-County building isn’t safe and construction keeps people away, where were you in May 2007 when the polls didn’t open and more than 3300 people were denied their ability to vote?  I’m just asking.