At-Larges Back On the Chopping Block -- the Beat Goes On

This is what you get when parties are more important than honest government set up for the benefit of the people.  In this case, it is the Republican version of how that party would like to operate government - by itself.

The Indiana Legislature is overwhelmingly Republican at this point.  During much of recent history they have been mostly Republican in the Senate and see sawing with Democrats for the majority in the House.

What happens when you want Republican control ensconced in Uni-Gov?  You create 4 At-Large positions to ensure that Republicans will enjoy the majority in the Council.  The County wide elections for all other offices ensure Rs will control all divisions of Indianapolis for generations.

What happens when a Republican Mayor of Indianapolis simply doesn't pay into the police and fire pensions that are still the City's obligation?  Nothing.

Then what happens when a Democrat Mayor of Indianapolis faces having to pay the promised retirement money due to actual retirees, and the money is not there in the pension fund?  Nothing.  At first.  Then, the Legislature tells him he can raise taxes.

When raising taxes sinks that Democrat Mayor and he is followed by the accidental and now ceremonial Republican Mayor who bumbles in his testimony before the Legislature, what happens?  The Legislature take the pension obligation off his hands and let him keep the tax increase anyway.

What happens when a lawyer turned Councillor turned lobbyist finally morphs into Chief of staff/non-ceremonial Mayor?  That's when all the mean spirited, mud wallowing, take no prisoners stuff hits the fan.  That's when the budgets of duly elected Democrat officeholders are slashed in a blackmail bid.  That's when passing two tax increases must include 8 Democrat Councillors, and not just enough to gain a majority on top of all Republicans voting in favor.  That's when 'cooperation' turns into capitulation.

The Democrats on the Council (with a couple of exceptions) have done little except capitulate.  They and their Republican brethren have not been very interested in securing and protecting the role of the Council as a body independent of the Mayor's office.

So, now we see the logical extension of a power grab that has been operating for some time.  Get rid of the 4 Council At-Large positions, now likely to remain Democrat, and hope you can still manage to get a slight majority of Republicans to again win the 25 District seats come 2015.  Get rid of the County Commissioners', now likely to remain Democrat, appointments to the MDC and hand them to the Mayor.  'Allow' the Council to consolidate the Sheriff's Department, now likely to remain in Democrat hands, with IMPD and put it under the Mayor.  If revenues dip, allow the Controller, under the Mayor, to cut any budget he likes in order to match revenues with expenses - without going back through the Council, which heretofore was the fiscal body of the City.

The bill, SB 621, passed both chambers and now is in Conference Committee to work out differences in the versions passed.  IndyStar Legislative beat reporter, Mary Beth Schneider, tells us how things went in that Committee.

When the bill was heard earlier in the session, lawmakers heard from dozens of people opposing the bill, including one GOP councilwoman, Christine Scales. Only two people spoke in favor of it: Joe Loftus, the lobbyist for Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, and Rep. Mike Speedy, an Indianapolis Republican who formerly served on the City-County Council.

Republicans used a joint House-Senate conference committee to try to erase any impression that there is little support for the plan. In a hearing that lasted six hours, other Republican members of the council, including Janice McHenry and Will Gooden, indicated at-large council members are anonymous at best and meddlesome at worst.

They brought in the star-studded duo of Republican Councillors Holden and McHenry (Gooden appointed to replace Ryan Vaughn on the Council a year ago, and McHenry who always sides with the Republican party) to testify against the At-Large positions.  Councillor Shreve would be the only Republican Councillor they could choose who might have less gravitas than these two.  No doubt Gooden and McHenry's oratory and logic were stunning, because the At-Larges are back on the chopping block.  Personally, I suspect it has less to do with purported anonymity and meddlesomeness, than simply because those offices are held by Democrats and that is inconvenient to the Republican Party.

The two Democrats on the Conference Committee say they will not vote in favor of this version of SB 621.  Interestingly, in a game of chess way, Conference Committees have no majority party.  Two Senators, one of each party, and two Representatives, one of each party, compose these committees.  Obstinate appointees can be replaced.  In this case, obstinate Ds can be replaced by cooperative Rs, who are in abundance in both chambers.  No telling if swaps will be made.  And, there is no telling if the revised version that comes out of the Conference Committee will pass both chambers in that new form.

This Legislative session is drawing to a close; with April 29 being the last day it can adjourn.  So the current heavy handed Republican reach into Indy's governance will soon end.  But, do not expect this to be the last chapter; it wasn't the first, second, third or fourth chapter.

Ballard Pushes New TIFs Forward - Attempts To Complete Before Term Of Office Up

With a schedule that appears to be reverse engineered to beat the expiry date of Ballard's _____ (first, last) term, the Mayor is pushing 4 new TIF districts forward (see earlier blog entry, "Going For Broke - The Ballard Paradigm?").  While the schedule is known, the target projects and their beneficiaries are not publicly disclosed.

September 7 - MDC to vote on the establishment of economic redevelopment areas

September 19 - Introduction to City-County Council

Some time in September and/or October, committee to which proposal is assigned (likely Metropolitan Development committee, chaired by Janice (Shhh!) McHenry) will consider and may take public comment

Depending on committee pace, the full Council would vote on the matter some time in October or November

November or December - if passed by the full Council, the MDC will hold its public hearing followed by its final vote

The past practice of this administration has been to withhold any information which it is not explicitly asked about.  Expect the continuing rhetoric to be that they MIGHT invoke a TIF district, right now they just want the flexibility to do so some time in the future and want to be able to lend assistance from other sources when it is appropriate.  It sure would be nice if they just came out and said "if passed, they will be TIF districts, just like we always planned", for then the public could comment on reality, not a supposed hypothetical.

Public Input Sacrificed For Convenience Of Elected Officials

Last night, the Elected Councillors serving on the Metropolitan Development committee of the City-County Council, in effect, told the public that their opinions on who the Council appoints to important boards and commissions, is none of the public's business.  The particular focal point of the public gag order was the committee's discussion of the appointment of one Richard Kraft to a vacancy on the Board of Zoning Appeals 3.  The particular fall guy for the gag order was one Clarke Kahlo, who seeks to improve our community, in part, by improving the decisions of boards like the BZA.

Fellow bloggers Gary Welsh (Advance Indiana - "GOP Council Committee Refuses To Hear Public Comment") and Paul Ogden (Ogden On Politics - "Republican Councillors Refuse To Allow Public Testimony On Controversial Appointment To Zoning Board") covered this earlier.

I think Gary and Paul did a great job.  I would just have to say, that Democrat Councillors were present in the room and did not protest the gag ruling.

I know nothing of Mr. Kraft, and this blog entry is solely about public policy.

The Councillors knew two years ago, that the appointment hearings of some individuals could embarrass the appointee and those Councillors who picked them.  Democrat and Republican alike had two years to find a way for public input into these important matters.  At best they fumbled the ball that only they get to carry.  At worst they put on their best Boss Hog attitudes and told the public to take a hike, that the public's opinion meant nothing to them.

The work of the BZAs and the Metropolitan Development Commission causes good and evil to fall upon our community.  These very important panels are commonly populated by political-party-approved folks, and do not fairly represent the broad community.  At every turn the Councillors complain about how hard it is to get folks to serve.  Yet, every year the Council fails to even experiment with having just one of the three BZAs work evening hours.  This would immediately provide a whole host of individuals who would be willing to serve, but could not contemplate getting one afternoon a month off from work.  An additional bonus falling out of an evening BZA meeting is that more neighbors could come and speak their mind about petitions that will affect them.  But, working stiffs who have no flexibility cannot be a Board member under current conditions, nor are they able to often speak at hearings on zoning and variance matters that affect their quality of life and property values.  And, make no mistake, that's exactly the way some people in high places want it.

It is paramount that the Council find a way to let the public speak on the wisdom or insanity of the Council's picks to all of the boards and commissions.  You simply cannot pretend to value public input, then tell members of the public to shut up, move along, their opinions do not matter.  That applies to the Republicans who hold the majority on the Committee and the Council, and it applies to the Democrats who hold their tongues.

Councillors in attendance at last night's meeting were:
Janice McHenry (Chair), Paul Bateman, Jeff Cardwell, Jenny Cain, Brian Mahern, Dane Mahern, Jack Sandlin, and Angel Rivera.

The 'End Times for Downtown' Ad Campaign Scores

It was nip and tuck last night, but in the end, the 'End Times for Downtown' campaign waged by Mayor Greg Ballard, CIB President Bob Grand, and Council President Bob Cockrum, won 15-14.

Voting aye on Prop. 285 to raise the hotel tax, increase the Professional Sports Development Area, and accept a $27 M loan from the State with no plan on how to repay same, were:

Jackie Nytes -- D
Virginia Cain -- R
Jeff Cardwell -- R
Bob Cockrum -- R
Susie Day -- R
Ben Hunter -- R
Bob Lutz -- R
Barbara Malone -- R
Janice McHenry -- R
Mike McQuillen -- R
Marilyn Pfisterer -- R
Lincoln Plowman -- R
Kent Smith -- R
Mike Speedy -- R
Ryan Vaughn -- R

In an ungainly hand-off to the next sitting Council and the next sitting Mayor, this Council action will necessitate the 2013 increase in two less popular taxes; car rental and admissions taxes.

Meanwhile, Councillor Nytes' Prop. 331, which creates a 5-member panel to promote even more money for the CIB bailout to come from the donut Counties, passed unanimously. Nytes said the aim was to find a permanent solution, even though there will be no study of what the real problems with the CIB have been. This was no game changer.

Councillor Lutz began a front court press for more money to go to the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, even though that was supposedly taken off the table as part of the game plan.

The Public continues to pay the price of admission, only to be relegated to the cheap seats.

All sports dynasties come to an end. But, the one led by the CIB gains more and more tax money every year and has receives no critical review for job performance. When it fails, the claim is made that it is only because the taxpayers were not generous enough, not because the whole thing is a Ponzi scheme that has gotten out of hand. The action last night was as shameless as the Pacers charging the stands to beat up a spectator a few years ago.

Bad sports metaphors aside, the citizens of Indianapolis deserve a plan to make downtown self sufficient and to reset priorities that make downtown work for the whole County, not continue the practice of the whole County working for downtown.