AFSCME Unions Endorse Ballard over Kennedy

Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Greg Ballard was endorsed by all four local AFSCME unions.  These four unions represent all non-uniform city union employees.  Union leaders say this is the first time that all the local unions have endorsed one candidate for Mayor.

A few of the local union presidents were on Abdul’s radio show this morning and they said it boils down to Mayor Greg Ballard, the things he has done for employees and the way he has approached them.  Ballard gave them a seat at the table when making decisions about equipment upgrades like the new snow plows and both sides have worked together to address issues.

This is a blow to the Kennedy campaign and we cannot imagine they were expecting it.  As much as it is expected for Melina Kennedy to get an endorsement from EMILY’s List, it is also expected that the Democrat nominee will receive the AFSCME endorsement or at least have enough pull to keep an endorsement from happening before the Democratic primary is even over.

Over at Indy Democrat, Jon Easter was unclear on how Ballard could have all the local union endorsements when Melina Kennedy has posted on her website and in a release that she received the endorsement of  AFSCME Local 1887 which represented the Parks employees.  

Kennedy received that endorsement in November of 2009.  AFSCME Local 1887 has since been rolled into another AFSCME local union.  This leads us to ask two questions.  First, why would a union endorse a candidate a full two years before their election?  We’re going to guess it is because the union president knew they were being combined with the another union that would not be supporting Kennedy. 

And the second question is why does Melina Kennedy have the endorsement of union that does not exist on her website still?

Statehouse Wars: No House Session but Plenty of Protests

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the Indiana House has entered week three of the standoff that has halted any legislative progress made this session.  Things are at a standstill but there still seem to be plenty of folks willing to protest.

Last weekend, teachers protested outside the Statehouse.  Today, pro-life and pro-choice advocates are at the Statehouse debating funding for Planned Parenthood. 

We hear the unions will hold a large rally where they plan to bus in thousands this Thursday.  We’ve also heard there will be a rally against the immigration bill next week. 

Call us crazy, but it seems like there is an awful lot of rallying and not a lot of legislating.  At what point are we going to get sick of the legislature not doing what it was elected to do and have a rally about that?

Secretary of State Charlie White Indicted for Voter Fraud

The Indy Star’s Mary Beth Schneider reported on twitter that Charlie White has been indicted with seven felony counts including voter fraud, perjury and theft.  You can read the Star’s full article here.

In case you do not know the background, here it is from the Star:

White has admitted to voting in a district where he no longer lived. The registered address was a home he had shared on and off with his now ex-wife until 2009.

White, who served on the Fishers Town Council at the time, updated his voter registration after moving into an apartment in the same precinct, following his 2007 divorce. Around February 2009, he moved back into his ex-wife’s home, and in November of that year began splitting time between his ex-wife’s home and a newly purchased condo outside the precinct.

In February last year, White changed his voter registration back to his ex-wife’s address, claiming he was unsure when he would close on his new home. White blamed a whirlwind schedule for his failure to change his voter registration later to reflect his new condo’s address.

This is not good news for Charlie White.  If he is convicted, he will have to resign from his position as Secretary of State but we are guessing that he will be STRONGLY encouraged to end this fiasco as quietly as possible.  That would include resigning his position and dealing with the legal issues once out of office.   Abdul tweeted that his sources indicated White will fight the case as recently as a week ago.

We’ll see what Governor Mitch Daniels and Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb have to say about that.

Melina Gets Rocked on Rocky Ripple

You may have heard last week that several citizens in the Rocky Ripple and Butler-Tarkington areas were less than thrilled with the floor protection plan proposed by the U.S. Army Corps.  The plan calls for a floodwall along the Central Canal which residents argue the 6 foot floodwall would cut off their view of the canal and are understandably upset. 

Melina Kennedy decided this could be a good opportunity for her campaign and got Democratic At Large City-County Council candidate John Barth (who is also a former president of the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association) to stage a little press conference calling on the Mayor to work with the feds to put the plan on hold.  Unfortunately, she made a mistake and did not read up on the history of the issue. 

The Marion County Republican Party sent out the following e-mail yesterday:

Dear Marion County Republicans,

As I’ve mentioned to you before, there are sure to be many instances of the Democrats looking to score political points by revising history.  A blatant attempt at this occurred late last week with one of the Democrat Mayoral candidates, Melina Kennedy.  She held a press conference on Friday taking issue with Mayor Greg Ballard for a plan by the City of Indianapolis and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to construct a flood wall along the White River; a plan that was developed while Melina Kennedy was Deputy Mayor for Bart Peterson.  

It’s interesting that Melina Kennedy is jumping in front of cameras now when she did nothing to help those residents when she was in an influential position in the Peterson administration.  The history of the Rocky Ripple situation dates back to the 1990’s when the town opted out of the flood wall plan.  Years later, during the Peterson-Kennedy administration, Rocky Ripple asked to be included back in. 

Melina Kennedy often portrays her role with Mayor Peterson as a neighborhood advocate, but last week she said we “just recently learned that a major flood wall will be constructed…” and “there was very little understanding and notice provided to the neighborhoods to share their input about this concern.”  Wasn’t she fighting for neighborhoods when she was Deputy Mayor? 

The vast majority of the planning and decisions on the project were made during the Peterson-Kennedy administration.  And it was in 2004 when the Town of Rocky Ripple’s request for inclusion on the flood wall was denied.  You can click here to view the City correspondence from 2004 when the Peterson-Kennedy administration denied Rocky Ripple’s request. 

Last week, I released the following statement to the media regarding Kennedy’s comments, “This is a desperate attempt by Melina Kennedy to revise history and pander for votes. The fact is Melina Kennedy was the Deputy Mayor during the time the flood wall plan was developed and she did nothing about it.” 

Mayor Ballard’s administration is currently reviewing this project, and has made a plea to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to extend the deadline for public comment on behalf of Rocky Ripple and surrounding neighborhoods. 

I wanted you to be armed with this information so you can help us set the record straight.

Sincerely,

Kyle Walker
Chairman
Marion County Republican Party

Ouch.  As it turns out , the City is working with the community to see what can be done about the situation though cautioning that they will have to consider the amount of time a change of plan will set the project back and that it will also likely increase the cost.

Interestingly enough, there was a community meeting with over 300 people in attendance and staff from Department of Public Works to discuss the plan and the options last night at the Riviera Club.  We’re told Melina Kennedy did not attend but did send a staffer to the meeting who was promptly booed for being political. 

Guess Melina figured out it is only fun to be in front of the cameras before everyone figures out you might have something to do with the problem.

Melina Kennedy’s Jobs Plan

Last week, Mayor Greg Ballard gave his State of the City address.  If you missed it, you can watch the speech here.  You can also read the live coverage of the speech  and get the political highlights and debates from the following twitter accounts: the Ballard Campaign, Kyle Walker (GOP Chair), Adam Kirsch (Executive Director)/Marion County Democrats and Melina Kennedy’s campaign account. You’ll notice that Kennedy’s campaign seemed to let the Marion County Democrats handle response on Twitter.

After the speech, Melina Kennedy released a counter video. You can watch it here.  The video starts out with the type of rhetoric you would expect to hear.  The speech was out of touch, we need to do more–the typical Kennedy talking points to this point.  Then, in a move that frankly surprised us, she launched into her jobs plan. We did not expect this since it is a bit early in the season to start throwing plans around and jobs should be one of the key issues of the campaign.  Once she went through her points, it was pretty clear to us that the Kennedy crew should have waited until they had a better formulated plan and message.  Here is what Kennedy suggested in her plan:

1. Center job creation on the areas of our economy with the most potential for growth: local small businesses.
2. Get government out-of-the-way by cutting bureaucracy and red tape.
3. Link our small businesses with the engines of innovation:  local colleges and universities.

That is essentially the bullet points of Melina Kennedy’s jobs plan. We cannot say we are surprised that the Ballard administration created more jobs job commitments in 2010 than in the years Kennedy was Deputy Mayor and Director of Economic Director if this is the type of plan she was able to muster.  The first point really has no action attached to it.  What is going to be done to focus job creation on small business?  And how does that not conflict with the second point of getting government out-of-the-way if part of your plan is to have government focus on job creation?  That said, normally we would have just let it go if the rest of the plan was solid.

The second point was really Kennedy’s attempt to hit Ballard on fee increases.  First off, we would say that this is the pot calling the kettle black. The Peterson administration raised taxes 19 times and borrowed $100 million to supplement budget shortfalls.  Like kids in a candy store, they spent the $100 million in three years and now taxpayers will be paying it off for the next 20 years. The fees Kennedy references had not been increased in Indianapolis since 1979.  From 1979 to 2010, the cumulative inflation is 222.43%.  It seems as though some fee levels would need to increase eventually to keep up with costs. The shortfalls from these fees that had not been increased are a part of the budget deficits the City was facing.  

So what exactly does Kennedy think should be done differently?  Does she think the City should continue to take on the extra costs that the fee levels do not support?  Should the City continue to borrow money and pass on the budget shortfalls to future generations?  Does she think that Mayor Ballard should have just followed the path of political expediency and not increased any fees so we could go 40 years instead of 30 years without increasing fees?  Melina Kennedy loves to tout that she is a small business owner.  Would she go 30 years without increasing prices in her business?  We think not. 

And then we come to the third point from Kennedy:  have small businesses work with local colleges and universities.  Sounds great.  Are they not already?  If not, how are you going to make that happen?  Is this part of government staying out-of-the-way again?  But what really got us was the complete fluff that accompanied this part of the video.  Kennedy says,

Our local colleges and universities are doing amazing research that will one day crack cancer’s tragic code or cure Alzheimer’s. Reasearch that will one day make our homes and cars more sustainable or make gas and electricity more affordable. And when those days come, and they will, I want to make sure our local businesses have partnered with our universities and are ready to take these ideas to the world market.

Wow.  Call us crazy but we think Lilly is probably doing their best to “crack cancer’s tragic code or cure Alzheimer’s” but this goes back to our earlier point that this is not a plan to actually create jobs.  This is political fluff that is put out by a campaign to sound like they have ideas. 

If this is the best Kennedy could come up with on what is supposed to be her strongest issue then she should re-think putting out plans at all.

You Asked, We Answer: What does the Dem walkout mean to local 2011 elections?

We have had a few comments asking our opinion on what the effect the Democrat walkouts over at the Statehouse will have on local races here in Marion County. 

At Ogden on Politics, Paul says, “You betcha.”  He argues that these issues will motivate the Democrat base and predicts Mayor Greg Ballard will lose by more than ten percent.  To that, we ask if he is a part of the marijuana legalization study the State Senate just passed.  We’re not saying it is crazy to predict a victory by either candidate–everyone has the right to their opinion.  We’re saying a ten percent victory for either side is a bit over the top.  As an aside, Paul said, “Opinion polls do not measure the intensity of one’s views.”  That is incorrect.  Nearly every poll we’ve ever seen has an intensity question.  Not all do but most that are done by reputable pollsters include an intensity question.

Over at Indy Democrat, Jon Easter says yes. He makes a valid argument that some of the controversial issues being brought up over at the Statehouse could put local officials in a tough spot.  Honestly, we think that it is all a matter of how the issues are addressed.  That said, those issues are not what the walkout is centered on.  We believe the walkout is going to overshadow a lot of those issues at this point and become the issue.   And we believe the House Democrats overplayed their hand. We said it yesterday but Capitol & Washington referenced a poll saying that 67% of Americans disapprove of the walkouts like in Wisconsin.  That isn’t an Indiana only poll but it shows a general trend.

Our view is that they overplayed their hand and it will end up being a negative for Democrats in the Statehouse.  We really aren’t sure that it is going to have any effect on local candidates.  We did read on IBJ reporter Francesca Jarosz’s twitter that Democrats plan to skip the State of the City address as a show of opposition.  If local Democrats start taking their cues from the Statehouse then this trend could definitely have an effect on the upcoming elections.  Voters typically expect legislators to show up and vote.  They do not always have to agree with the vote but just not voting doesn’t seem to be acceptable.  And there is always a danger for any candidate to get on the wrong side of an issue and have a problem–but that is something a candidate can control or at least minimize the damage.  

But to say you know definitely how any of this will actually play out and affect elections while we are still in the middle of it is a bit of a stretch.  As Michael Douglas says in The American President, ” I drop five points when Wisconsin doesn’t make the Rose Bowl.”  Our point?  Voters are unpredictable and this situation is volatile.  Who knows what is going to happen.

Friday Wrap-Up: Kennedy-Daley Fundraiser, Mourdock County Chair Count and Indiana Union Fights

Here are a few interesting tidbits as you move into the weekend.  It is beautiful outside and we don’t plan to be blogging much.  Go outside and play.  We’ll see you on Monday.

Kennedy to Hold Chicago Fundraiser Hosted by Mayor Daley

Over on Capitol Watchblog, our friend Abdul mentioned he has heard Melina Kennedy will be holding a fundraiser in Chicago soon with outgoing Chicago Mayor Daley hosting the event. Is she serious?  Mayor Daley represents years of political corruption and so do his dollars.  We are frankly surprised by this move.  She should know better than this and should not accept these tainted political contributions.

Current Mourdock County Chair Count

Word on the street is that Mourdock’s County Chair endorsement list is now over 70 county chairmen.  The true test of the rumors will be the announcement on Tuesday morning.  The real question is what counties are supporting Mourdock.  We’ll be watching closely to see where the larger counties land.  

Obama and Parker Weigh In on Collective Bargaining

Governor Mitch Daniels and the Indiana Legislature have caught the attention of President Obama and his political action committee, Organizing for America.  They sent out a call to action to their Indiana email list urging their supporters to contact legislators and advocate against the bill.  A few hours later, we got an email from Indiana Democratic Chair Dan Parker that echoed the themes of the earlier email–including a link to contribute to the State Democrat Party.

Jim Wallace’s Letter to Republican Party Officers

We were able to track down a copy of Jim Wallace’s letter to Party leaders announcing his intention explore running for Governor.  Enjoy!

JIM WALLACE ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING

2012 REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR

FISHERS, IN – Jim Wallace, Indianapolis businessman, sent the following letter today to state, district, and county Republican Party officers and leaders regarding his intention to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2012:

Republican Friends and Colleagues:

As a leader of the Indiana Republican Party, I know you’re aware of the great changes in the political landscape the past several years.  With the election of a GOP majority in Congress and both houses of the State Legislature, the next election will be critical in carrying through the fiscal conservatism that swept the new majorities into office.

Essential to this task is electing a governor that understands the work and business challenges in Indiana, and can lead the effort to build Indiana’s economy and quality of life.  Understanding the challenges and requirements is not enough—possessing the track record of successful business and executive leadership is fundamental to delivering on the promise for Indiana citizens.  Such experience is essential to being an effective ambassador for Indiana workers and businesses, and bringing high-quality, high-paying jobs to Hoosier families.

I am that leader.  From attending West Point and flying combat helicopters in the Army to graduating from Harvard Business School and working with companies around the country to create jobs, my background has trained me for the challenges of leading Indiana in the next decade.

Closer to home, my experiences as head of strategy at Anthem/Wellpoint, chief of staff of Conseco Health, and founding and building my own company, TWG Capital, from zero to $350 million in assets in ten years, uniquely position me for the economic challenges that lay ahead.

Most importantly, having worked with former mayor Steve Goldsmith and Governor Mitch Daniels on the Indianapolis SELTIC Commission, as well as having served on both the Fishers and Hamilton County Councils, give me the valuable perspective of being a true citizen-servant, as originally conceived by our Founding Fathers and embodied in our own Legislature.

With that in mind, I am exploring the opportunity to be your Republican nominee for governor in 2012.  With the support of a number of business and community leaders, I am embarking on a series of meetings to understand exactly what Indiana families, businesses, and communities need in the coming years, and how I might be uniquely suited to help.

I will be contacting you in the next few weeks to schedule a time to meet and get your perspective, and I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Thank you for your dedication and service to Indiana and the Republican Party.

Sincerely,

Jim Wallace

Fishers, Indiana

Our View on the Arizona Shootings

Unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard about the terrible events that unfolded Saturday in Tucson, Arizona.  Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was holding a “Congress on Your Corner” event when a gunman shot her in the head and went on a shooting spree killing 6 people and wounding another 14.  The Congresswoman is still in critical condition after surgery.   Like most everyone else, we were glued to the television and trying to make sense of what had happened.

As we were watching, we found ourselves thinking about how heated politics has become and how uncomfortable some of the rhetoric we’ve heard in the past suddenly made us.  And we were definitely uncomfortable when everyone began jumping to conclusions and blaming everyone from Sarah Palin to Glenn Beck.

The tragic events of this weekend should make everyone think twice about what they say.  It is really sad to see that it seems to have had the opposite effect.  As it turned out, the gunman did have some extreme political views though they don’t seem to be motivated by any of the folks who were mentioned.  It sounds as though he likely has some mental illness and that probably played a bigger role than the political rhetoric of late.  

It was wrong for anyone, wherever they fell on the political spectrum, to turn the tragic events into a political debate.  It wasn’t the time or place especially without any information on the gunman’s motives. That said, we really do hope that everyone on all sides of the aisle will be a little more careful about what they say and how they say it. We all are passionate about the issues but we should be able to discuss them in a respectful and appropriate way. We don’t all always agree on how to solve the problems but we do all have the common goal of solving them.  Let’s see if we can’t dial it back a bit and respect one another for caring enough to be involved in politics in the first place.

Monday Morning Wrap-Up

Sorry folks, we’re back! We had a few busy days and didn’t have time to blog.  Now we’re back to our regularly scheduled blogging.  What happened while we were otherwise engaged?

• The FOP voted to keep paying for Bisard’s legal defense.  We think it is a mistake and were pretty disappointed. We heard the crowd was convinced that the FOP bylaws did not give them an option to deny funding the defense.  But, as FOP President Bill Owensby said, “If that’s what we want to spend our money on, that’s what we want to spend our money on.” In other words, it’s their union and they’ll do what they want.
• Jose Evans dropped his bid for Mayor and endorsed Melina Kennedy.  Ron Gibson is still in the race.   Does he plan to stick around the race?  We’re not sure but it will be interesting to watch it play out.
• Mary Milz did a piece on Robert Vane, former Communications Director for Mayor Ballard, and a contract he received to do some communications work for the CIB.  First, Milz’s article started saying, “Some people are raising questions about the Capital Improvement Board’s latest hire.”  By some people, we think she must mean the Marion County Democrat Party.  Vane’s contract with the CIB is in no way a violation of the City ethics policies which, by the way, Mayor Ballard has strengthened.