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Commentary: If Voting Were Only The Answer

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By Dan Carpenter
TheStatehouseFile.com

Two distressing news items out of state government this week speak volumes about how much – or how little – your vote matters.

First, from the secretary of state, we got the particulars on our modern-record-low turnout in the Nov. 4 election: Thirty percent of registered voters bothered to cast ballots, compared to 39 percent in 2002, the last election without gubernatorial or U.S. Senate races. Marion County posted 25 percent, about the same as the last two mayoral elections. (Greg Ballard – the 13-percent solution.)

Next, we learned courtesy of the resolute Tom LoBianco at the Associated Press that the state’s investigation of ousted state schools chief Tony Bennett turned up plenty of evidence to charge him with federal fraud for using his office as a weapon in his unsuccessful 2012 election campaign against Glenda Ritz.

The state Inspector General kept that information from the public; LoBianco ferreted it out. Moreover, the IG hadn’t investigated in the first place until LoBianco exposed Bennett’s sleazy tactics.

Having disposed of this inconvenient business by finding Bennett guilty of minor violations and levying a $5,000 fine, the IG has moved on. So have the rest of Bennett’s fellow Republicans in power; including his holdover State Board of Education and Gov. Mike Pence’s bogus education office, created to oppose the Department of Education which Ritz was overwhelmingly elected to lead. (Pence made the surprise announcement Thursday he plans to dissolve that agency because of the controversy surrounding it.)

So, what shall we conclude? That you missed an opportunity and skipped an obligation last month by not going to the polls and earning one of those “I Count, I Voted” stickers? Or that you did your duty in 2012 by handing Glenda Ritz one of the widest victory margins of any state office-holder, and the guys in the Statehouse decided your vote didn’t count after all?

Either way, the lesson is clear: Politicians are perfectly happy to claim a mandate when 85 percent of the voting public did not choose them, and politicians will do what their elite supporters dictate regardless of what the people “decide” at the polls.

Wendell Berry, the Kentucky agrarian writer and maverick social critic, put it timelessly in an essay published more than 40 years ago:

“The time is past when it was enough merely to elect our officials. We will have to elect them and then go and watch them and keep our hands on them, the way the coal companies do.”

Coal companies haven’t gotten any less hands-on. The notorious Koch brothers owe their fortune to the problematic fossil fuel, and that industry’s hold on Indiana politicians is reflected in Pence’s adamantine opposition to the federal government’s latest effort to alleviate the poisonous impact of coal burning on our air, water, soil, children and fetuses.

So citizens, like the coal companies and the anti-Ritz forces that wish to privatize our schools for profit, must lobby. And picket. And write letters to the editor. And raise hell. And perhaps vote.

I say perhaps because some of the most politically engaged people in America see no point in choosing between establishment alternatives, and instead work to bring pressure on whoever winds up in office. When fellow progressives lecture them about shirking their responsibility, they can point to the travails of a history-making president and a triumphant Indiana schoolteacher and reply that citizenship is a much bigger job than merely voting.

Dan Carpenter is a freelance writer, a contributor to The Indianapolis Business Journal and Sky Blue Window and the author “Indiana Out Loud.”

EDITIORAL: The Vanderburgh County Democratic Party Last Stand

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The City-County Observer believes that Evansville is the last bastion of governmental checks and balances in Indiana.  On the state level, the Republicans control the Governor’s office and enjoy a super-majority in both houses of the legislature. Vanderburgh County has a majority Republican County Council and County Commission members.  Evansville has a Republican Mayor and a democratically dominated City Council.

This makeup forces open dialogue in the decision making process in Evansville. In fact, this political friction has proven to be a good thing.  It seemingly forces needed checks and balances. We believe that having two viable political parties is necessary to effective government and good public policy.  In the past few days, we have seen three Republicans Ms. Ann Hargis,  Jack Schriber and Justin Elpers entering the race for City Council in 2015.  All have publicly pledged allegiance to the Winnecke administration and are seemingly committed to advancing his political agenda.  At the same time the very effective 3rd Ward Democratic City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley announced that she will not seek re-election.  No one can fault her decision to put her family ahead of public service.

We believe that well-informed voters see the value of the adversarial relationship that now exists between our free-spending Mayor and the slip-shod accounting practices he and his strong supporters appear totally happy with.  We strongly feel that single party rule leads to political corruption that accompanies patronage, nepotism, and cronyism.

The existence of at least two strong political parties with opposing philosophies is what strengthens America.  We feel next year’s city election could be “The Vanderburgh County Democratic Party Last Stand” for keeping any real checks and balances alive in local government. It is clear that the very well-financed Republican party sees the Mayor as invincible and believes the city election is a “slam-dunk” to take control of the Evansville City Council. We see a ray of hope for the continued existence of Evansville and the Democratic party in the openness of our readers to seek competent candidates, regardless of gender.  We saw that in our recent non-scientific, but trend-reflecting “Readers Poll”. When we asked if our readers would vote for a female for mayor, 95% responded that they would.  While we realize that is not a radically futuristic response, we doubt that would have been the case a decade ago in this area.

It is obvious that the local Democratic party is in deep trouble.  If it is to survive, it must be led by a strong, forceful and creative Chairman.  Recent dismal party fundraising events and results of the last General election proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the current Democratic Party Chairman is not up to the task of leading the party to victory in the upcoming city election.  In order to salvage the local Democratic party they must field a strong ticket of adequately financed and qualified candidates.  We have strong reservations that current Chairmen can do that.  While we like Mr. Faulkner as a person its time for the Democrats to consider replacing him before the next election cycle. Bottom line, the local Democratic party is in a deep political crisis and it is up to the past and present party leaders to salvage it.  The loss of two-party rule will place Evansville in deeper political crisis than it has now, and we do not want to see the City floating belly-up in its own inadequate sewer system.

Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Christmas Traditions

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Holidays, especially Christmas, are about traditions and spending time with friends and family. Few can deny the warmth in their heart that comes from snow-covered landscapes, the smell of freshly-baked cookies and a household lit by a vibrant, glowing Christmas tree. Like many of you, each year, my wife and I host Christmas Day at our house. Our two daughters and their families always come over for dinner and a gift exchange.

One tradition that is unique to my family, is that each year, we put up a Christmas tree in every room of the house, and each tree is themed depending on what room it is in. For example, the tree in my office is decorated with things from the past and accomplishments from my career, while the tree in the kitchen is adorned with decorations from wineries that my wife and I enjoy visiting.

While families share their own traditions, the same can be said for communities, and in our corner of the state, there is so much to do during the Christmas season. One storied tradition is the Boonville Christmas Parade, which is the longest, continually running Christmas parade in Indiana. Although the parade has been postponed from time to time, primarily due to inclement weather, since its inception, it has never been cancelled. This has been one of my favorite community traditions for quite some time. In fact, for nearly 30 years I served as the parade chairman. To this day, I still enjoy helping with this fun event, but now the best part is sharing it with my grandkids.

We are also fortunate to live just a short drive away from Santa Claus, Ind., which is the only post office in the world to have the Santa Claus name! Every year, visitors from near and far flock to Spencer County to have their letters stamped with the famous Santa Claus postmark. Many children also mail letters there in hopes that Santa will read them. Starting in 1914, the postmaster took it upon himself to answer the children’s letters, and to this day, approximately 13,000 letters are answered each year.

Another short drive away will find you in Petersburg, Ind., where each year, Hornady Park is decorated with over 100 lighted displays. Beginning the day after Thanksgiving and running through Christmas, visitors are able to drive through each night, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and get a glimpse of the holiday décor.

Christmas is about traditions, and whether your Christmas tradition is something as conventional as a big home-cooked meal, or as unique as a small dinner out on the town, one thing that is similar about nearly every tradition is that they are all about bringing people together. That is because what makes any holiday truly special is being able to spend it with those we love. This is one of my favorite times of year, and I hope that you too will find yourself overflowing with the joy of the Christmas season.

As the holiday season quickly approaches, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

IS IT TRUE December 8, 2014

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IS IT TRUE with the cat out of the bag about the Evansville Police Department being in such a dire financial condition that oil changes for police cruisers are officially deferred until they are affordable, can we please put a freeze on all capital projects and bonding until routine vehicle maintenance can be reinstated?…it is hard to even take a City to pursue $90 Million in immediate capital spending while place a necessary moratorium on routine vehicle maintenance for police cars as even remotely close to being serious people?…anyone who would prioritize a $20 Million gift to a hotel developer, another $57 Million handout to a medical school, $13 Million for bike lanes, dog parks, skateboard palaces, and other fun and games projects over oil changes for police cars needs to schedule some time with a psychiatrist?…maybe the best thing that this administration could invest in is a weekend retreat for the Mayor, his staff, and the City Council with Dave Ramsey?…this convoluted web of spending desires coupled with deferred maintenance on every thing from the sewers to oil changes is fodder for late night comedy?

IS IT TRUE we have been advised now by several members of the MOLE NATION including one in the Civic Center that Vectren will be the next downtown property to appeal their assessment?…there will be many more to follow as it appears that most recent market based sales downtown have been for prices per square foot more associated with tents and moving boxes than with office buildings?…Mayor Winnecke is on record as stating that the hotel and the medical school will certainly bring in enough business to cover their notes and raise the TIF collections?…he says that in the same disclosure that the hotel will only raise $600,000 per year which will not even pay for half of its own bond debt?…these positions are not only inconsistent they are incompatible with having an understanding of elementary school arithmetic?…it is time to stop the madness and cancel the hotel and the medical school project?…Evansville’s spending binge on the Ford Center and Johnson Controls have put this city into a position that police cars are deferring oil changes and the monkeys running this zoo can’t even grasp the gravity of the situation?…if the City of Evansville went on Shark Tank for an investment all five sharks would laugh and say “I’m out?”

IS IT TRUE the IU Medical School had other options and it is time for the Downtown proposal to be withdrawn?…the economic impact on SW Indiana by the med school with be the same whether it is downtown, at USI, on the Eastside, or in Warrick County?…it is time to let one of the other less expensive proposals have the medical school because Evansville can afford oil changes?…in the long run that is the best solution?…we must remember that if we had not rushed into the Ford Center project with fantasy land financial projections and visions of sugar plum downtown development magically appearing, we could have had the medical school downtown?…we could have even afforded the hotel but the projections do not support the need for it?…former Mayor Weinzapfel and his minions put Evansville ALL IN on the Ford Center and it just isn’t performing as it was sold to us that it would?…if the Ford Center numbers had been right, the other projects would have been affordable, but alas it did not and it will not?

IS IT TRUE perhaps it is possible and less risky to move forward with the analysis to see if IU Medical School downtown without a hotel is something that the City of Evansville can actually handle?…the reality is the hotel will not perform well because conventions are going the way of the buggy whip, and because downtown Evansville is not and will not be (Tropicana being the exception) tourist destination?…it is time for that part of the fantasy to be put to rest?..the lot at the corner of MLK & Walnut can serve as an inexpensive park where medical students can sit on park benches and read?…the best maker of recycled park benches in the United States is Evansville’s own Green Tree Plastics that would love an order for their products from the old hometown?

IS IT TRUEit is time for a dose of reality and an ounce of courage in city government?…such things have been missing for 60 years and it shows?…when one wonders why Old National would choose to appeal their assessment at this time after having lived with it since the building was opened, the obvious answer is that the tax abatement period has played itself out and it is just now profitable to appeal the assessment?…it makes no difference if a property is over assessed if the taxes are abated?

Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BREAKING NEWS: CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT JOHN FRIEND EXPOSES 2014 BUDGET DEFICIENCIES

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EDITORS NOTE:  THIS LETTER BY MR. FRIEND IS EXTREMELY TECHNICAL. IN NATURE.   HOWEVER WE URGE YOU TO READ THE LAST COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO GET THE REAL  JEST OF MR. FRIENDS  BUDGET CONCERNS.

Dear Colleagues

Per the email sent to City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr.  stateing that the Evansville City Council needs some additional information concerning the 2014 Budget Fund deficiencies.  Today Russ sent me vie e-mail of the 2014 budget fund breakdown.  Attached below is a link of the Budget Fund balance changes sent to me by Mr. Lloyd.

Originally,  I included the General, Parks & Recreation, LIT, Hospitalization, Workmen’s Comp,Liability, Unemployment, Golf Non-reverting, and Hwy Vehicle into the operational category. I took Russ’ opinion and now included funds, 202,231,251,253,270,406,407,408, and 806, the yellow marking indicators represent the operational side of the budget.

Please notice line 98 Col I, the total operational deficiency is $9.4 million for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014. go to col R to see that the deficiency is $9.6 million for the prior fiscal year…this is where the 2% improvement over the same period one year ago was derived. Now, the administration is saying this is after the summer and the funds are lower. My analysis isn’t analyzing a point in time (Sept 30, 2014) but changes in points in time which includes all of the high points and low points, between two points. So, do NOT be confused.

Now, I direct your attention to line 103, col K, this is the deficiencies of ALL THE FUNDS excluding our agency funds (Funds of which we have no title) which displays deficiencies of $9,069,000. Please notice line 104, col K, deficiencies of $6,278,000 which is the changes in fund balances for the same period one year ago. This is a 44% decline in CASH or simply put $2,791,000 more in deficit spending.

Now, let’s examine line 11 Col. G, and Line 12, Col G, representing our Police and Firefighters pension money. I direct you Col. H which is the amount of those pension funds that are invested. The total pensions equal $11,786,000 which you would expect would be totally invested, but, look at Col H, the actual amount invested equaling $8,350,000. so where is the difference? Well, it is in the same checking account that the general fund, parks, in other words, all of the operational totaling $3,436,000. Now direct your eyes to lines 5,6,7, & 66, these funds are negative by a total of $13,258,000 and must I remind everyone that we are three months from receipt of the final property tax installment as of September 30th, 2014.

Please do not overlook lines 44, Col G & I because this is the Master TIF Fund that includes our downtown TIF Fund which has declined by 51% or $2,796,000. I have been on Evansville City Council for seven years and have NEVER seen our hospitalization fund this upside down. Our hospitalization is negative by $2,791,000 and places our employees health needs in the balance. Please notice the change is a mere $3,294,000 or a decline of 654.87%.  Can you imagine when the Affordable Care Act kicks in what the negative decline shall be?

What seems to be apparent is that this City Council has voted on very important budget issues without full disclosure. The Administration knew or should have known that Old National Bank would be carving out $1.9 million from the Downtown TIF before we voted on the IU Medical School. This $1.9 million dollars property tax reduction for Old National Bank  represents approximately $30 million dollars of future bonding capacity. I’m not sure about others, but, this would have influenced my decision. The same goes for the Johnson Controls “Smart Water Meters” project.  Either the administration knew or should have known about the budget contingencies deficiencies placing our citizens in potentially financial peril.

According to the email I received from City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr that Old National Bank property tax reduction in the downtown TIF was $1.9 million dollars instead of $1 million dollars. We were told (at least I was) that the downtown TIF property tax reduction was $1million dollars.

The TIF budget for 2014 was $6.6 million dollars. When the TIF was reduced by $1.9 million dollars the value of this TIF would be $4.7 million dollars. The administration budget number was $5.8 million dollars.

Its now reasonable to assume that the downtown TIF will go from $4.7 million to $5.8 million, or greater than a 23% increase? I would expect no more than a 4% increase or $200,000 making the difference declining bonding capacity by $9 million dollars off the budget.

If anyone has any questions, please let me know.

John Friend-CPA
President of Evansville City Council

POSTED BELOW IS THE LINK TO THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE FUND BALANCE CHANGES

Evansville – Fiscal Sept 30, 2014 Fund Balance Changes

This e-mail is posted by the City County observer without opinion or bias.

Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Vanderburgh Count Recent Booking Records

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http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/recent-booking-records.aspx

EPD Activity Report December 7, 2014

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DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

EPD Activity Report

Rep. Bacon Ready to Begin Committee Work

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STATEHOUSE — House Speaker Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis) announced standing committee assignments for the 119th General Assembly. Standing committee assignments are made biennially after each election.

State Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) was appointed to serve on three committees:

· Family, Children and Human Affairs
· Public Health
· Select Committee on Government Reduction

During the interim, Rep. Bacon was also appointed to the Medicaid Advisory Committee. For further details on this committee, please visit http://bit.ly/1zqrpey.

“As a grandfather, I am particularly humbled to serve on the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee and be a voice for Indiana’s most vulnerable,” said Rep. Bacon. “Our children are the future leaders of this state, so I look forward to working in these important committees to help shape the conversation and make decisions that ensure safer, stronger communities for Hoosier families.”

Standing committees are an integral part of the legislative process. Committees with specific expertise receive public testimony and work out the details of proposed legislation before it is heard on the House floor.

“I am confident in the abilities of each of these leaders, and I know they are all eager to begin their work,” said Speaker Bosma.

The 2015 legislative session begins on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 1:30pm.

To view the committee assignments, please visit: http://www.in.gov/legislative/house_republicans/newsroom/2015/2015committeeassignments.pdf

Commentary: What Hoosiers think, what Hoosiers want

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By Cam Savage
TheStatehouseFile.com

We like Mike Pence. We want to be able to buy cold beer on Sundays. We want education policy authority split between the state board and state superintendent. And when it comes to what to do with the state budget surplus, more of us would prefer to hold on to it than spend it or use it to cut business taxes.

These are the findings, among others, of the 2014 Hoosier Survey from WISH TV and Ball State University that annually measures Hoosier opinions on a broad range of policy topics.

The full survey and results are available on the website of Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs.

This survey is important because it is conducted annually and therefore gives us the ability to monitor changes in Hoosier opinion over time.

For example, in last year’s Hoosier survey Gov. Mike Pence approval among respondents stood at 55 percent. This year, that approval rating is up to 62 percent. That’s a strong approval number and should give any Democrat considering challenging him in 2016 pause. Again, this is a snapshot and 2016 is a long way off, but Pence isn’t showing the signs of weakness potential challengers hope to see in their opponents.

One big topic of discussion you are likely to hear more about is whether or not Indiana should join 48 other states in allowing supermarkets and convenience stores to sell alcohol on Sundays. At present, Hoosiers can only get a drink on Sundays if they are in a restaurant or bar.

But 52 percent of Hoosiers favor Sunday sales, while 45 percent who oppose them. It’s interesting to see an issue so evenly divided and on which so many people have an opinion. Only two percent of Hoosier respondents say they don’t know or don’t care.

The question for the Indiana Generally Assembly, which seems likely to take up this important question in 2015, might be, “how much do Hoosiers care?” By that I mean, should the legislature decide to allow for Sunday sales of alcohol, will the 45 percent of Hoosiers who oppose Sunday sales make much of a fuss or are they just satisfied with the current arrangement? I suspect your local legislator is trying to parse that question right now.

Here’s one that might surprise you if you’ve been following State Board of Education meetings for the last few years. When asked who should have “the final say on education policy in the state,” the State Board of Education or the state superintendent, 15 percent said the state board, just 10 percent said the state superintendent and a whopping 71 percent said “they should share the authority equally.”

I suspect this is evidence that not many Hoosiers are paying close attention to those State Board of Education meetings, because the alternative – that they are paying close attention to the meetings and like what they are seeing – seems unbelievable.

Now, on to that question about the state budget surplus. Here’s a question that I propose tells us quite a bit about who we are as Hoosiers.

When asked what they would rather see the state do with its $2 billion reserve and “annual budget surplus of $100 million,” the biggest chunk of respondents (39.1 percent) opted to “hold onto the surplus in case of another economic downturn,” while 31 percent want to “spend more on programs that have faced cuts in recent years,” and 21 percent want to “cut business taxes.”

So we’ve got almost 4 in 10 Hoosiers saying we ought to be prudent and hang on to those reserves for the inevitable rainy day. That feels “pretty Hoosier.” Hoosiers, we know, are a prudent and generally conservative bunch.

One in five respondents wants to cut business taxes, presumably to encourage economic growth, or perhaps their own bottom line.

About one-third of Hoosiers want to see the state spend some of or all the surplus. I suppose their question to legislators might be, why collect it if not to spend it?

How much is enough? This is the central question of governing bodies, summarized by the oft-quoted political scientist Harold Lasswell who said the study of politics was the study of “who gets what, when and how.” And that, as always, is the question members of the Indiana General Assembly will ponder when they convene in January, with a little guidance from the Hoosier Survey.

Cam Savage is a principal at Limestone Strategies and a veteran of numerous Republican campaigns and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He is a graduate of Franklin College. He can be reached at Cam@limestone-strategies.com.

State November revenues up from last year, but below projections

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By Hannah Troyer

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS- Revenue figures for November released Friday show that Indiana’s general fund brought in slightly more than $1 billion in November.

Big as that number sounds, it was 4.5 percent below projections. But, the revenue total was nearly 13 percent more than what the state collected in November 2013.

Individual income tax collections totaled $386.5 million for the month – falling roughly 10 percent below the projected total from the December 2013 forecast.

One revenue category did exceed the projection. Sales tax collections totaled $582.9 million – which is just 1 percent over the estimate. The amount was also $37 million higher than the sales tax collections in November of last year.

Brian E. Bailey, director of the State Budget Agency, attributes the difference in sales tax collections to the fact that there were five Fridays this past November compared to the four in 2013.

November reflects a trend for state tax collections.

While the total state general fund revenues are 1.5 percent below projections, the $85.1 million is 3.6 percent above the general fund total during the same five month period last year.

Hannah Troyer is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

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