Indiana

HE SAID, HE SAID

Posted on January 31, 2008
Indiana House Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other over the death of a bill that would have codified Governor Mitch Daniels? property tax assessment caps into the state Constitution. House Joint Resolution 1 would have capped resident property tax assessments at 1 percent of a home?s value, 2 percent for rental property and 3 [...

LET?S MAKE A DEAL

Posted on January 31, 2008
And they did.  Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson announced a deal this afternoon over the future of the Metropolitan Police Department.   Under the agreement, Ballard will get operational control of IMPD.  However, in exchange for the department, Ballard agrees to consult with Anderson on several matters, including the selection of [...

YOU CALL THIS AN ARGUMENT?

Posted on January 31, 2008
Tonight is the City-County Council?s Public Safety Committee?s hearing on an ordinance that will transfer control of the Metropolitan Police Department from Sheriff Frank Anderson to Mayor Greg Ballard. Opponents plan to show up and make the following four arguments...

IS THIS WHY PEOPLE HATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS?

Posted on January 30, 2008
In the property tax debate, I argue the schools have been the worst offenders. They are anywhere from 40-80 percent of the property tax problem. They complained about caps on assessments. They also fought against referendums on school projects in order to keep costs under control...

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WHAT GOVERNMENT REFORM?

Posted on January 29, 2008
I knew it was too good to be true. There it was, a property tax crisis of near Biblical proportion. Citizens were mad; politicians were scared, real change was a possibility.  And then, my world of reform started to turn into dust. Over in the Indiana State Senate, the new policy has become protecting fellow elected [...

NEWS FROM AROUND TOWN

Posted on January 28, 2008
There were quite a few things happening around town this afternoon.  Here they are… The Concerned Clergy, a small group of Black pastors, plan to protest Thursday’s Public Safety Committee meeting over handing control of the police department from Sheriff Frank Anderson to Mayor Greg Ballard...

WARTS AND ALL

Posted on January 28, 2008
Indiana State Senator Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) says he’s pleased Indiana House members passed out Governor Daniels property tax reform plan, but he says there are “a lot of warts” on the bill that the Senate is going to have to clean up...

ANOTHER TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Posted on January 28, 2008
I told you how I spent part of my weekend going through a box of old papers concerning the 2005 police merger of the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department.  Well I found something else in that batch of paper that might help some folks understand that a referedum on consolidation would [...

I WONDER WHAT THIS WAS ALL ABOUT?

Posted on January 27, 2008
My sources around town tell me there was a big caucus meeting this weekend between Marion County House, Senate and City-County Council Democrats to talk about government consolidation. I’m sure they talked about what a great idea it is and how they will be on board and support it...

TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Posted on January 27, 2008
Believe it or not I actually had some time this weekend to get a few things in order around the house. While doing so I came across some 2005 articles and clippings regarding police consolidation. Some of you might recall those days when former Mayor Bart Peterson told citizens if he didn’t get police consolidation he [...

AM I MISSING SOMETHING?

Posted on January 26, 2008
With all the news on property taxes at the legislature and the upcoming transfer of power from Frank Anderson to Greg Ballard regarding IMPD as well as all the other things going on around town and trying to balance a very active personal life, I’ve been pretty busy as of late...

BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME OR $1.64?

Posted on January 25, 2008
It looks like Congress and the White House have worked out a deal to help stimulate the economy by being considerate enough to give you back your hard-earned money.  But before you get too excited over this economic “stimulus” package you should realize that it isn’t all that much...

MR. MAYOR, WATCH YOUR BACK

Posted on January 24, 2008
For the past few weeks Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson and Mayor Greg Ballard have been in ?talks? over who should control the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. A hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday on an ordinance that transfers control...

CON LAW 101

Posted on January 23, 2008
My anti-property tax friends are on the warpath these days over a lack of a repeal of property taxes.  They’ve listed a litany of complaints about the current system, but one minor point of constitutional law I submit to you they are somewhat misguided...

CAPITOL NOTES

Posted on January 23, 2008
Indiana lawmakers spent a lot of time dealing with property taxes on Tuesday. In the House, lawmakers dealt with dozens of amendments to Governor Mitch Daniels? plan for tax relief. The Governor has always said he?s accept amendments as long as they achieve his goals of short-term relief, long-term reform, changing the assessment [...

LAWS & SAUSAGES

Posted on January 22, 2008
There’s an old saying that two things you don’t want to see made are laws and sausage.  Today the Indiana House of Representatives are going to meet as a “committee of the whole” (that means all 100 members will be in the same room)  and offer up amendments to Governor Mitch Daniels’ property tax reform [...

SOME THOUGHTS ON MLK DAY

Posted on January 21, 2008
(I originally wrote this piece 12 years ago. I always feel a need to reprint it as we mark Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Thanks for indulging me.) Recently I had a conversation with a black friend of mine and she told me something I found was a bit disturbing...

R.I.P. SJR-8

Posted on January 20, 2008
For my friends who were hoping Senate Joint Resolution 8 would be their last best hope for the repeal of property taxes, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, it ain’t gonna happen. The Senate Republican Caucus voted 2-to-1 Thursday against moving SJR-8 to the floor for a full vote...

GROWN FOLKS ARE TALKING

Posted on January 19, 2008
For those of you who may not be familiar with the above title, it is likely because you are low on melanin. “Grown folks are talking” is a euphemism from the Black lexicon usually directed at small children who try to butt into adult conversations and the parents have to tell them to go [...

CAN YOU LEND AN INVISIBLE HAND?

Posted on January 18, 2008
The President is going to speak at about noon today on the state of the economy.   He’ll likely call for tax cuts and an economic stimulus package to help the faltering economy avoid recession.  I honestly don’t think recessions and slowdowns are all that bad...

A FATHER?S OWN WORDS

Posted on January 17, 2008
I interviewed Jerry Hunt this morning.  He was the father of Gina Hunt and grandfather of Jordan Hunt,  two of the four victims of Indianapolis’ latest homicides in the 3200 block of North Hovey. There is speculation the house Gina lived in was a drug house and the killings might have been drug-related...

WANT TO HELP?

Posted on January 17, 2008
If you are like a lot of people in this town who are still outraged over the Hovey Street murders, here’s one way that you can help. You can make a donation to the following… The Gina & Jordan Hunt Memorial Account Indiana Member Credit Union Box 24489 Indianapolis, IN 46224 The parents of Gina Hunt tell me they are [...

PROGRAMMING NOTE

Posted on January 16, 2008
Please join me tomorrow on Newstalk 1430, WXNT-AM for an interview with Jerry Hunt. He is the father of Hovey street murder victim Gina Hunt and the grandfather of 23-month old Jordan Hunt who was also killed. The interview will take place in the 8 o’clock hour...

DOES DANIELS HAVE THE WAYS AND MEANS?

Posted on January 16, 2008
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is going to testify before lawmakers at the House Ways and Means Committee this morning about his property tax reform plan.  Daniels is expected to reinforce a number of themes laid out in his state of the state address...

WHAT IS FRANK ANDERSON THINKING?

Posted on January 16, 2008
If you haven’t seen the video clip of Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson talking about the Hovey Street murders, I suggest you take a look at the clip.  Four people were murdered, including two babies, in what is looking more like a drug-related incident...

STATE OF THE STATE REACT

Posted on January 15, 2008
As expected, reaction to the Governor’s State of the State depended on your political persuasion… House Speaker Pat Bauer - ?Now that the governor and his Republican colleagues in the Indiana House have seen the error of their ways and decided that they need to cut property taxes rather than increase them, [...

WILL THE FOURTH TIME BE A CHARM?

Posted on January 15, 2008
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels delivered his fourth, and what could be his final, State of the State address tonight. In the nearly half-hour long address, the Governor reiterated his property tax reform plan to lawmakers and told them not to make any plans for Spring Break if the job wasn?t done...

HE?S IN THE JAILHOUSE NOW

Posted on January 15, 2008
Have you seen the story of the inmate who was left unattended in a Marion County Jail holding cell for two days with no food?  James Logan was put in the holding cell after being sentenced on drug charges.  He was left there until Sunday afternoon when a deputy noticed him...

HOW TO STEAL AN ELECTION

Posted on January 14, 2008
Now this is ironic.  Instead of taking the voting machines back downtown to the election board after Saturday’s Democratic caucus,  some party insiders went to lunch at Binkley’s on College Avenue.  While staffers were having lunch, someone was breaking into one of the vehicles...

STATE OF THE STATE

Posted on January 14, 2008
Don?t expect Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to stray too much from the subject of property taxes when he gives his state of the state address on Tuesday. Lt. Governor Becky Skillman says the speech has been written since Thanksgiving and will likely be the shortest of his four State of the State speeches...

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