Indiana

Consequences and Repercussions?

Posted on August 12, 2009
Now that the Indianapolis City-County Council has passed the one-percent hotel tax increase,  I’m in the process of gauging the fallout from the bi-partisan 15-14 vote.   And I can report so far my political geiger counter is not picking up very much...

CIB Countdown

Posted on August 10, 2009
There are two important events this afternoon with the Capital Improvement Board. First, the CIB meets this afternoon.  If my memory serves me correct they will go over their budget.  There has been some questions about how they have narrowed their funding gap down to $5 million...

Trading Places

Posted on August 10, 2009
The one percent increase in the city;s hotel tax made it through tonight’s city-county council with just enough support to make it bi-partisan. All but one Republican voted “yes” and all but one Democrat voted “no.” Republican Christine Scales voted against the proposal, Jackie Nytes voted in favor...

The Mayor and the Angry Voter

Posted on August 10, 2009
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard had a short presser tonight after his budget address.  An angry voter showed up and interrupted the event.   You can hear the whole thing here. Mayor and angry voter I can understand voter frustration, but listening to him reminds me how little people understand about how government is financed and how projects [...

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CIB Countdown II

Posted on August 10, 2009
The Capital Improvement Board approved a budget resolution today that eliminates most of its budget deficit, grant funding for Black Expo, the Arts and the Sports Corporation and includes no money for taking over the operation of Conseco Field House from the Indiana Pacers...

Ballard?s Balanced Budget, Part II

Posted on August 09, 2009
For the second year in a row, the Ballard administration says it will present the taxpayers with a budget Monday night that is balanced, increases funding for public safety, takes advantage of available federal stimulus dollars and leaves the city with a $50 million surplus in 2012...

Panhandling Problems

Posted on August 08, 2009
For the people in denial that panhandling is not a problem in Indianapolis, I may want to point you to some recent data I’ve come across. According to IMPD, there were a total of 139 panhandling arrests in Indianapolis in 2008.    So far, in 2009, that number is 124...

Friday Follies

Posted on August 07, 2009
I get to spend today working on wedding stuff (less than 30 days away) as well as try to grade 300 pages worth of MBA Business Law final exams so I bring you another day of tidbits for you to discuss. Big Ten After spending a week or so making calls and doing some checking I’ve concluded [...

Open Forum

Posted on August 06, 2009
I’m not really in a blogging mood today, but still feel a need to post.   So I’ll just open it up to you guys today to chat about whatever is on your minds; the President’s visit to Indiana, the upcoming Council vote on the CIB, the Wishard referendum, the city’s response to flooding, etc...

Dem Spin

Posted on August 05, 2009
Ever since being regulated to the minority, my Democratic friends on the City-County Council have been looking for an issue they think will resonate with voters and help put them back in the majority. One of those issues they’re latching onto is the Capital Improvement Board bailout...

Budget Preview

Posted on August 04, 2009
Although it won’t be made public until next Monday,  Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard says his administration expects to present a balanced budget. The city was facing a $20 million spending gap, which Ballard says his office has managed to close by doing “common sense business practices that should have been done a long time ago...

Sort of Black Like Me

Posted on August 03, 2009
Last week on my morning radio show I put an offer on the table that not a lot of listeners took me up on, so I decided to see if I would have better luck here. In the wake of the “Beer Summit” between the President, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge Police Sergeant James [...

Afternoon Update

Posted on August 03, 2009
Here are a few items of interest to tide you over this afternoon… If they’re going to be on the hook, some members of the City-County Council say they want more say in how the CIB negotiates its sports deals.  Although details are not available at the moment, plans are being drawn which would give the [...

Back To School

Posted on August 02, 2009
In my younger days, I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up.    I had excellent teachers in elementary and high school who were challenging and fun at the same time.  When I got to college with the idea of teaching high school math and science.   I had an aptitude for [...

Somebody Else Gets It

Posted on July 31, 2009
When it comes to the blogosphere there  are a lot of days when I think I’m the only person who can grasp the obvious.  Luckily, today is not one of them.   Former WXNT-AM producer and now current Indiana Libertarian Party Executive Director Chris Spangle  penned a blog post this week basically telling the Capitol [...

I Hate to Say I Told You So?

Posted on July 30, 2009
But I told you so.  32-year old Shanisha Davis was atacked at the I-69 and Keystone off  ramp by a panhandler while trying to give him some money.   According to police reports, the woman  saw the man with a sign that said will work for food, tried to give him $5, but but he [...

Wednesday Wire

Posted on July 29, 2009
A few items of note to start out your morning.   Take them for what they are worth and feel free to discuss any of them. Indiana Congressman Dan Burton has his name attached to two pieces of legislation regarding the President and that silly birth certificate issue...

Referendum Madness

Posted on July 28, 2009
Another day, another Indiana School District referendum.   This time it’s the Hamilton Southeastern School District.  The HSE Board voted Monday night to ask the taxpayers for a $5.5 million tax increase to make up for a funding shortfall. In Marion County,  Franklin and Perry Townships as well as Beech Grove are asking for more cash [...

Council Committee Holds Nose and Votes for Hotel Tax Increase

Posted on July 28, 2009
It was a vote nobody wanted, but by 5-1, the City-County Council Rules and Policy Committee moved forward tonight with a plan that would increase the local hotel tax by one percent to help bail out the Capitol Improvement Board. Republicans dominated the committee but each one said they were not crazy about raising the [...

Some Parents Just Don?t Understand

Posted on July 27, 2009
File this one under some people just don’t get it.  An Indianapolis woman is upset that flyers have gone up in her neighborhood labelling her 17-year old son “dangerous.” Now at first glance you might think the woman had a point until you realize her sone has been arrested 22 times over the last three years [...

CCC May Delay CIB Vote

Posted on July 27, 2009
Tomorrow’s scheduled committee vote on a hotel tax as part of the state-city plan to address the the Capitol Improvement Board $47 million deficit may not take place until next Tuesday. The measure is slated for a hearing by the Rules & Policy Committee, however Chairman Bob Lutz says some committee members may need more time [...

Talk is Cheap and Political Talk is Worthless

Posted on July 26, 2009
When I twittered Friday night that two GOP Ward Chairman had been fired as Ward chairman (Liz Karlson and Chris Smith) I figured it would cause a tempest in a teacup type stir in the blogosphere even though most people in real life would care less because of the total inside baseball nature of the [...

Budgets & Birth Certificates

Posted on July 23, 2009
A couple items popped up on my radar screen Wednesday that probably didn’t get much attention in the local media, so here they are now. Marion County Sheriff  Frank Anderson is reportedly rebuilding his office’s gang unit and traffic branch...

Birth Pains

Posted on July 23, 2009
I went to the post office today to pick up passport applications for my fiance and me; we honeymoon in St. Martin later this year.  While there,  I was reading through some paperwork and noticed something all the people who keep harping on this Barack Obama birth certificate nonsense, might want to check...

Schneider House Rules

Posted on July 22, 2009
Okay, time for the analysis and breakdown of the Scott Schneider victory.  There were a number of factors in play in addition to hard work and communicating with PCs.  Here’s my interpretation of them. Time!   Normally candidates have about 30 days to get organized...

SD 30 Rock

Posted on July 21, 2009
Precint committeemen in  Indiana State Senate District 30 will gather tonight to select a replacement for former State Senator Teresa Lubbers who went to chair the state’s higher Education Commission. The nominees for her spot are current City-County Councilor Ryan Vaughn, former City-County Councilor Scott Schneider, former State Representative John Ruckleshaus and attorney Chris Douglas...

Good-Bye, Newman!

Posted on July 21, 2009
Public Safety Director Scott Newman officially resigned this afternoon. Mark Renner, Deputy Public Safety Director, will fill in the interim. Newman will head up a search committee to find his replacement. You can hear the audio below. mayor-ballard-newman

State Senator Schneider

Posted on July 21, 2009
Scott Schneider is now the new State Senator for District 30.  He won 61-38. Schneider

Jesus, Christ-Garcia

Posted on July 20, 2009
I have to admit I was a bit surprised at the verdict Friday in the Doris Minton-McNeil trial.  While I wasn’t sure if she would be convicted up felony battery, I thought she might get convicted on misdemeanor resisting arrest.   But as you know all four charges were dismissed...

Cityscape

Posted on July 20, 2009
Quite a few items from city hall tonight.  Here they are… Public Safety Director Scott Newman reportedly is stepping down later this week.  Sources say the reasons are health-related.  Newman has Parkinson’s Disease. A measure that would have banned panhandling at city intersections will have to wait for another meeting to pass...

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