Kent Smith to Resign Council Seat

From the Council Office --

ADVISORY: KENT SMITH RESIGNS COUNCIL SEAT, PLANS PRESS CONFERENCE AT 2:15pm
Indianapolis - City-County Councillor At-Large Kent Smith submitted his resignation to Council President Ryan Vaughn and Marion County Republican Party Chairman Tom John on Tuesday, February 2.
Councillor Smith will be holding a press conference today in the 2nd floor lobby of the City-County Building at 2:15pm. Smith will deliver a short statement and take questions from members of the media.

edited to add:

Gary Welsh reports on his Advance Indiana blog, that Kent Smith is resigning due to "new Department of Defense rules on reservists' participation in political activities."

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2010/02/kent-smith-resigns-from-council.html

I'mmmm Baaaacccckkkk !!!!!

Hope the holiday season has been good to you and your family. My hiatus was much longer than I anticipated - but fun and refreshing.

I do have a couple of comments on items that caught my attention in the paper and elsewhere this past month. No links to IndyStar will be possible, as those articles are now in the archives.

First and foremost, I sit in admiration of Paul Ogden and his efforts to see that folks accused of a crime are treated properly in our jails and also the latest lawsuit he filed to challenge the traffic court's practice of threatening higher traffic ticket penalties if you want your case heard by the judge. Both of Paul's efforts have seen others, Democratic Party blog "Indianapolis Times" and the Indianapolis Star's editorial board, respectively, try to diminish him with snipes. Their pettiness has only diminished themselves, in my eyes.

The traffic court judge is acting like a Boss Hog - and he needs to either clean up his act or be gone. Traffic fines are already too high - approximating a week's worth of groceries. For the judge to threaten to up the already too high fine just because an American wants his or her due process is an abuse of his authority. I'm not a lawyer, and I hope the judge's actions are not in accordance with legal tenets. But, I am a citizen and when anyone diminishes the rights of others, they diminish my rights as well. Good luck Paul Ogden !!! Keep fighting the good fight.

Prop 418 went down along party lines in committee. 418 was the Council Resolution asking the State Legislature to give Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council the authority to review abatement decisions. Ours is the only County in Indiana where that authority does not reside with the Council. Mayor Ballard must have been throwing his weight around behind closed doors again. The Republican Councillors abandoned any commitment they have to being actual members of the Council and voted against strengthening the Council's position. Even Councillor Plowman - who championed the issue at the Legislature just last year - and Councillor Smith - who co-sponsored the Council Resolution - voted against the Proposal. Its a shame. I hope it is brought up again and again until the authority to review is granted our Council. Councillor Brian Mahern has shown himself to be an outstanding Councillor this year. We are all better off because he at least tried to make a real difference on the Council. My hat is off to him.

A huge victory was won, at least temporarily, by Charlie Goodman and Jerry Baker and others at the Indiana Tree Alliance. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has set aside a key operational rule regarding the authority IPL has to trim trees on private property. The final decision on the permanence of this rule awaits a final decision on IPL's tree trimming practices, due sometime in late spring, if I understand the timing correctly. Goodman and Baker are hoping that the State Legislature takes up the issue and returns property rights to property owners this session. For more information about the issues, to find out how you can help, and to get the Alliance's newsletter, visit their new website : www.indianatreealliance.com

Mayor Ballard's new Chief of Staff, Chris Cotterill, continues to impress me. After the new head of the Animal Care and Control Board pulled another Boss Hog move, barring Channel 16 from covering his Board meetings, Cotterill stated on behalf of the Mayor, that he'd bring a video camera to the meetings himself, if that is what it took to re-open them to the viewing public. I don't know who the new AC&C Board Chairman is, but his appointment should be reviewed. How out of touch can you be? To pull the Channel 16 access when AC&C has seen one upheaval after another? That agency needs to prove itself and the more citizens who can see for themselves, the better. Cotterill is making the 25th floor a much more interesting place.

And bringing things closer to up to date - let me just say that the Colts organization should refund the ticket price to everyone who paid their hard earned money for a seat to yesterday's game - with the exception of season ticket holders. Those tickets are not cheap and those folks deserved a real attempt to win. They got bupkiss.

Hope your family is healthy and close as we finish up the holiday season. 2010 is just around the corner now. Wow ! 2010 ! Just think, ten years ago we were worried about the end of civilization as we know it because computers only had two digits to denote the year ! Now we have YouTube and Twitter !!!! And I-phones !!!! Wow ! What an incredible time to be alive !

Notes From the Budget Hearing -- August 17

I'm only a little behind with my notes on things other than important issues arising from the budget hearings. (I'll speak to the important stuff in a later entry.)

Monday night was the Metropolitan Development Committee hearing night.

This committee was chaired by Kent Smith, one of the At-Large Councillors. Councillor Smith opened with a gracious welcome of the public to the budget process and mention of how valued public comment is with the committee and the Council in general.

First on the agenda was Prop. 323, which would sign the Council on as supporters of an abatement for Rexnord Industries. This proposal was introduced by Stephanie Quick of DMD and endorsed by Councillor Lutz, in whose District the project lies. Motion made. Second. Vote do-pass unanimously. Oops. Forgot to ask for that all important and valued public comment. Now, I found it humorous. My guess is that Councillor Smith is just new to chairing meetings and he usually doesn't have any public at any of his meetings. But, he did make a show of announcing the value the Council places on public input and then he didn't think twice about calling for it.

Moving on to the budget hearing for DMD. Maury Plambeck presenting, Councillors asking questions. Do I hear a motion to adjourn? Forgot to ask for that all important public comment yet again. Maybe next meeting Councillor Smith will remember.