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OBAMA PICKS UP HOOSIER ENDORSEMENTS: Supporters of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign filed signatures to qualify him for the May 6 Democratic primary and a number of Indiana legislators have endorsed his campaign, according to state campaign chairman Kip Tew (Howey Politics Indiana). .jpg)
A significant portion of the entire Lake County delegation - Reps. Chet Dobis, Charlie Brown, Linda Lawson, Mara Candeleria Reardon, Vernon Smith and Sen. Earline Rogers - have endorsed Obama. A number of Indianapolis legislators - Reps. John Day, John Bartlett, Vanessa Summers, Greg Porter, William Crawford, Jeb Bardon - are also on board. In southwestern Indiana, the list includes Sen. Lindel Hume and Reps. Dennis Avery, Phil Hoy and Dave Crooks. And in the South Bend area, those endorsing Obama include Rep. Ryan Dvorak and Sen. John Broden. The endorsement list indicates significant Obama support in the 1st (Northwest Indiana), 2nd (South Bend), 7th (Indianapolis) and 8th (Southwestern Indiana) Congressional districts. U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, who has endorsed Sen. Clinton, is girding for an intense Indiana Democratic presidential primary. "Given the nature of our rules, it’s going to be very difficult for either one of these candidates to get a very big lead," Bayh told reporters at an Andre Carson campaign event on Monday. "Which makes it very likely that Indiana will be important," Bayh said. Bayh said he will likely have a vigorous schedule on behalf of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton in late April and early May. Democratic sources are also telling Howey Politics Indiana that both Obama and Clinton are likely to be invited to the Indiana Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in late April. Others to endorse Clinton include House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, Democratic Chairman Dan Parker, former Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis, former First Lady Judy O’Bannon, Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson, and former House Speaker John Gregg, along with party chairs from the 2nd, 3rd and 8th Congressional Districts.
CARSON PASSES ON PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT: One Democrat not taking sides is Indianapolis Councilman Andre Carson, who is the Democratic nominee in the 7th CD. When HPI asked him if he was backing a presidential candidate, Carson responded, "No. That would be thinking about the wrong thing." Sen. Bayh added, "We’re thinking about the special election in Indianapolis." If Carson wins the March 11 special election, he will become a DNC super delegate.
CARSON MISSES FORUM: Democrat Andre Carson did not attend a forum Tuesday night that was to be the first joint appearance by all three candidates in next month’s special election for the 7th Congressional District seat (Indianapolis Star). Brad Klopfenstein, a former executive director of the state Libertarian Party, coordinated the event at Arlington Heights Baptist Church on the Eastside. Klopfenstein said Carson’s campaign agreed to appear several weeks ago but called about noon Tuesday to cancel because of a scheduling conflict. .jpg)
Carson’s campaign manager, Alex Zwerdling, said Klopfenstein’s characterization of Carson "pulling out" on the day of the event doesn’t give the full background. Zwerdling said Carson never agreed to a candidate forum, thinking the event was a neighborhood meeting where he could show up at any time. "The event was characterized as something different," Zwerd ling said late Tuesday. "We didn’t hear until (Tuesday) that it was a candidate forum and was being billed as a debate. Andre wasn’t going to barge in late" once he realized he had to be there at a certain time. Carson said he had agreed in December to attend another forum that focused on politics and the black community at The Way United Methodist Church. He spoke to 10 members of the small Northeastside church about leadership and Julia Carson, his grandmother, whom he is seeking to replace. She died in December. Carson finished speaking at the Methodist church about 10 minutes before the Arlington Heights forum began, about six miles away. He said he felt bad about the scheduling mix-up and that he had taken steps to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Zwerdling said there’s time for a debate or other forums. "There will be other opportunities," Zwerdling said. "We’re weighing the schedule right now with requests from media and other organizations."
ELROD ‘DISAPPOINTED’: Republican Jon Elrod and Libertarian Sean Shepard answered prepared questions read by Klopfenstein, an association board member. They spoke about their priorities, with Elrod focused on fiscal reform and constituent services and Shepard on supporting a fair tax plan. Melina Kennedy, a former deputy mayor, spoke briefly for the Carson campaign and apologized that he couldn’t attend. Elrod said he was disappointed that Carson canceled, especially because there is little time before the special election March 11. "It’s frustrating," Elrod said (Indianapolis Star). "These should be the times we get interviewed by our constituents. The people deserve that full discussion, not 30-second commercials." Elrod, the self-pronounced underdog who has less funding, challenged Carson to three debates over the next three weeks.
2008 Election
REP. HOY TO RETIRE; RIECKEN FILES: Democrat Gail Riecken — a former parks director, City Council member and one-time congressional candidate — plans to run for the Indiana House (Evansville Courier & Press). Riecken said Tuesday she will file for the District 77 House seat held by Rep. Phil Hoy, who has decided not to run again. Hoy, also an Evansville Democrat, is finishing his second term. He said he originally had planned to retire from politics in 2003 after serving 12 years on the Vanderburgh County Council, but opted to run for the Legislature instead. Now he is looking forward to resuming retirement and spending time with his wife, Sandra, and grandchildren. Having served from 1990 to 1999 on the City Council, Riecken unsuccessfully challenged former 8th District Rep. John Hostettler in 1998 and ran unsuccessfully in the Evansville mayoral primary in 1999. She was parks director for Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel during his first term. Riecken said the mayor and others encouraged her to run for the District 77 seat. Riecken is concerned about Gov. Mitch Daniels’ legislation that would create property tax caps, which several mayors, including Weinzapfel, have warned could result in cuts to public safety and essential services. Riecken said she "absolutely" supports the Evansville-to-Indianapolis extension of Interstate 69, which is only partially funded.
PUCKETT DECLARES FOR 2ND CD: Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District could again be represented by a Republican Elkhart County businessman if Goshen resident Luke Puckett succeeds in his effort to take the seat away from Democrat Joe Donnelly in November (Michigan City News-Dispatch). On Monday, the 38-year-old Puckett came to La Porte County Republican Headquarters in La Porte to announce his candidacy. He said he’ll run his campaign on his Christian values as well as a need to secure the nation’s borders, improve its health care system and strengthen the economy. He lives in a portion of Elkhart County that is within the 2nd District. "I’ve chosen all my life to help people," Puckett said Monday after addressing a small crowd at the Jackson Street headquarters. "My core values are what will dictate the direction I go in. If I ever leave those core values, I’ll be directionless." Puckett said Monday he feels Indiana residents agree on the majority of the issues that affect the nation, and agreed that many issues need to be resolved. He added, however, that the district - and Washington, D.C. - need legislators who will listen to concerns about those issues. The current Congress, he said, isn’t listening. "When you take a step back and look at the big picture, the only piece of the puzzle missing is representation," he said. "We must have representation that will listen. We must have representation that will act on the core values that we care about as Hoosiers."
Congress
BAYH, LUGAR VOTE TO EXPAND SPYING: After more than a year of heated political wrangling, the Senate handed the White House a major victory Tuesday by voting to broaden the government’s spy powers after giving legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President Bush’s warrantless eavesdropping program (New York Times). The Senate rejected a series of amendments that would have restricted the government’s surveillance powers and eliminated immunity for the phone carriers, and it voted in convincing fashion — 69 to 29 — to end debate and bring the issue to a final vote. That vote on the overall bill was an almost identical 68 to 29. The House has already rejected the idea of immunity for the phone companies, and Democratic leaders reacted angrily to the Senate vote. But Congressional officials said it appeared that the House would ultimately be forced to accept some sort of legal protection for the phone carriers in negotiations between the two chambers this week. Sens. Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar voted for the measure.
ELLSWORTH TO CONDUCT LISTENING TOUR: Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., will appear at the Civic Center in Evansville on Feb. 19 as part of his second annual Open Door Listening Tour (Evansville Courier & Press). Ellsworth’s local appearance is set for 1 p.m. in Room 301 of the Civic Center. The first-term congressman’s office issued a statement today calling the tour "a series of events with constituents to learn about the issues that matter to them." The statement says the tour "will crisscross the 8th congressional district and will include stops in all 18 counties" beginning Monday.
FAMILY COUNCIL RATES ELLSWORTH HIGH: Every year Family Research Council (FRC) Action issues a report card detailing how our elected officials in Congress vote on pro-family issues (National Ledger). Defense/foreign-policy conservatives have had ratings for quite some time, as have economic conservatives. Only recently has there been a ratings-system for family issues. Its most recent scorecard details the first session of the 110th Congress. Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana had the highest Democratic score, at 81%.
BUYER PUSHES EAST-WEST CORRIDOR: As more housing developments and shopping centers continue to sprout outside the metro area, the pressure is on to build more routes to access these growing areas (WTHR-TV). Indiana Congressman Steve Buyer met with city and county leaders Tuesday to discuss the latest plan to capitalize on this growth and connect these counties 40 years down the road. To keep up with growth, there is a new vision to build a square around the Circle City - a set of corridors to connect the outlying state roads to the interstates and the counties in between. The plans would include Boone, Shelby and Johnson Counties. County and town leaders are all taking a close look at the idea. "You can’t hold back progress you have to manage progress," said Rep. Buyer (R-District 4). "We need something like that but to get it done is another thing," said Emery Miller, Greenwood resident. Gov. Mitch Daniels halted his idea for an outer-belt toll road a year ago after negative reaction from the public. Interchanges like the one at I-65 and Main Street in Greenwood prompted the initial conversation. City leaders say it’s constantly overloaded with traffic and the idea for the corridor is to relieve some of this congestion. Now the question is what shape the corridor will take. "Yes, you want four lanes, but what do you want it to be?" said Buyer.
SUSAN BAYH NAMED TO BOARD: Drug delivery specialist Nastech this week named the members of the strategic advisory board for its wholly-owned subsidiary, MDRNA . The seven-member board has been set up to provide scientific, financial and corporate governance expertise as Nastech moves to establish MDRNA as an independent company. Four of the newly appointed members (Susan Bayh, Alexander Cross, Steven Quay and Bruce Thaw) have been involved with the company for a number of years, as directors and members of company boards.
Indiana General Assembly
DANIELS TO SIGN GREAT LAKES COMPACT: A bill that would put Indiana at the forefront of an effort to protect the Great Lakes has become one of the first bills to reach Gov. Mitch Daniels’ desk this legislative session. The Indiana House voted 91-8 Tuesday to approve Senate Bill 45 without changes, sending the legislation straight to Daniels, who is expected to sign it into law (Indianapolis Star). The legislation implements the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The pact requires the governors of all the Great Lakes states to approve any effort to divert water from the lakes to other regions of the country. Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, sponsored the legislation in the House and said Indiana had become the first state to adopt it. Other states considering the agreement are Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. "This prevents diversion of water from the Great Lakes," Pelath said. "It allows the Great Lakes states to use their sovereignty together to make sure we preserve a very vital natural resource for future generations."
FARM BUREAU LOBBIES AGAINST PERMANENT CAPS: the Indiana Farm Bureau Property Task Force urged legislators to abandon a constitutional amendment that would permanently establish the caps, at least until the impact on local governments and schools is known, said Paul Wiwi, Union County Farm Bureau president and task force member (Richmond Palladium-Item). While it doesn’t want a constitutional amendment, IFB still wants a law capping all property taxes at 1 percent of assessed valuation because the differing caps discriminate among taxpayers, Wiwi said. "We’re still trying to get 1 percent across the board. We should treat everybody equally," Wiwi said. Union County homeowner Dennis King disagrees, saying taxes on personal residences should be capped at a lower percentage than business property. "Rentals and commercial (properties) are income-based. None of the homeowner’s property is income-producing," King said. "I don’t know whether it should be 1, 2 and 3, but there should be an advantage for the homeowner." Union County farmer Ed Swafford said farmers complained for years about property taxes, but nothing was done until they became a problem in Indianapolis. "We’re still beating the same old horse of property taxes. I’d like to do away with property taxes, but they’re a more reliable income. In a downturn, like we’re in now, you might not get enough income or sales taxes to replace it," Swafford said.
COUNTY OFFICIALS SOUND WARNINGS: Tuesday’s testimony by county council members, sheriffs and commissioners before the House Ways and Means Committee continued the drumbeat of opposition from local government about the impact of the proposed property tax caps (Indianapolis Star). On Monday, the committee heard similar concerns from mayors and other city officials, while school superintendents voiced their criticisms last week. Responding to howls of protest from homeowners who last year saw their property taxes soar, Gov. Mitch Daniels has proposed limiting homeowners’ property tax bills to 1 percent of their home’s assessed valuation, with rental property capped at 2 percent and business property capped at 3 percent. A recent analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency showed that under the current provisions of the property tax package being debated by the legislature, the caps would mean $635 million less out of taxpayers’ pockets. That, however, is $635 million less to pay for local government services such as education, police and fire protection, snow plowing, pothole filling and bridge repairs. Tuesday, representatives from St. Joseph County warned of layoffs of sheriff’s deputies and deputy prosecutors, the closure of parks and elimination of bus routes. Johnson County officials warned of jail overcrowding and program cuts. Howard County officials warned of the elimination of road patrols. But the committee also heard from one county official who said homeowners need help more than governments need money. Bob Harper, president of the Porter County Commissioners, told the legislators that though they’d heard from dozens of local government officials and lobbyists griping about the cuts, "you could fill this room 50 or 100 times over with taxpayers." "I’m tellin’ ya," Harper said. "We need a break."
ALLEN COUNTY COUNCIL PRESIDENT DISAGREES: Allen County Council President Paul Moss said people were overtaxed and the caps would force local governments to focus on finding efficiencies and savings. His only suggestion to the committee was doing a better job at managing health insurance for employees (Louisville Courier-Journal). Moss said after his testimony that it was frustrating to hear so many local officials trying to protect their budgets, instead of "tightening their belts" to provide relief to property-tax payers. "Isn’t that the whole point of this?" he said. "But everybody trots out the mayors and the commissioners and says, ‘Oh, we’re going to have to cut public safety and all these services.’ I’m pretty confident that the vast majority of taxing entities will provide the same level of services that they are now at the end of the day."
TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE PLEADS: Muncie’s Center Township Trustee Marilyn Walker pleaded with state lawmakers Tuesday to not cut spending for the people who need it the most — the homeless, the hungry and the ill (Muncie Star Press). "Our main function is administrering poor relief, and we are the last line of defense," Walker said to members of the House Ways and Means Committee, including Reps. Dennis Tyler, D-Muncie and Bill Davis, R-Portland. Tuesday was the second day of testimony the House committee heard on how the caps would save property taxpayers $635 million in 2010, meaning that less money for local government and schools. The committee will vote later this week on passing the permanent caps — 1 percent for homeowners; 2 percent for rental properties and 3 percent for businesses — by amending the state Constitution. Walker, along with other local officials — Nikki Johnson, trustee-assessor in Monroe Township; Ralph Flowers, trustee in Hamilton Township, and Denise Thornburg, trustee-assessor of Delaware Township — were at the Statehouse Tuesday trying to encourage lawmakers to preserve funding for much-needed poor relief, fire protection and other services provided by township government. The financial impact to Delaware County of the tax caps would be $18.9-million less to local government and schools in 2010, according to a Legislative Services Agency report issued last week. Delaware County is the third county in the state, next to Lake and St. Joseph counties, in losing 17.2-percent of its tax levy, mainly from fewer properties to tax and increased spending by government and schools. That would mean a 13-percent reduction in the Center Township trustee’s budget that had 1,021 more poor relief requests than the year before. No matter how much spending is cut, Walker said she was still obligated help the poor and disabled. Muncie Mayor Sharon McShurley is bracing for a nearly $7 million loss of funding to the city’s $30 million yearly budget. That will mean layoffs of police officers and firefighters, McShurley said Tuesday, unless other funding sources are found. Walker, along with other township and local government officials, told how capping property taxes in House Bill 1001 and making them permanent in Senate Joint Resolution 1 would impact local government and the services they provide.
REP. TYLER LIKELY TO SUPPORT CAPS: Rep. Dennis Tyler said he would likely support making the property tax caps permanent to keep the bill moving (Muncie Star Press). However, the Democratic lawmaker remained concerned that property tax relief in the bills could have a negative impact on local government services "With the downturn in the Muncie economy, that does not really surprise me," Tyler added, about the increase in local poor-relief requests. Davis said lawmakers had to protect taxpayers who were losing their homes because of record property tax increases that averaged 24 percent last year. Sen. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, said some things in the tax-cap legislation had to be fixed, like the shortfall in funding to local schools. She also believes the sales tax is regressive, especially for moderate and low income residents.
CRAWFORD WANTS TO HEAR MORE TESTIMONY: Ways & Means Chairman Bill Crawford said he had planned on taking action on the proposed amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 1, today. Instead, he has decided to hear more testimony today about the caps’ impact on social services and will put off committee action on the amendment until next week (Indianapolis Star).
SOUTH SHORE BILL GETS FROSTY RECEPTION: A plan to change where South Shore railroad trains enter South Bend Regional Airport received a lukewarm reception before the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee Tuesday (Ronco, South Bend Tribune). Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said some local communities haven’t put forth extra money other than what they already give to the local Regional Development Authority. "You’re just coming in here and asking for money," Kenley said. "I’d do the same thing in your shoes, but I have a little different responsibility." The bill was held in committee so further discussion could take place, likely next week.
2007 Election
SUPREME COURT DENIES BURKE MOTION: Indiana Supreme Court justices unanimously have denied a request to hear the case challenging Mayor Duke Bennett’s eligibility for candidacy in last year’s mayoral election (Terre Haute Tribune-Star). In a judicial order sent to the involved parties Tuesday, the Supreme Court denied the bypass from the Indiana Court of Appeals, which currently has jurisdiction of the case. Former Mayor Kevin Burke is appealing the Dec. 21 decision of Vigo County Judge David Bolk, who ruled that, while Bennett was subject to a federal law that limits political activity, state law did not prevent him from taking office as Burke contended. “It’s hard to read the tea leaves,” Bennett attorney Bryan Babb said, “but I think it’s fair to say that if they felt that Judge Bolk had got it wrong and that Mayor Bennett does not belong in office, then they would have accelerated this process and heard the case as soon as possible.” Burke attorney Ed DeLaney said he was not surprised at the ruling, but said that anybody who thinks that the decision indicates the high court did not see a need to change the local court’s decision doesn’t know much about the Supreme Court. “This is a perfectly normal reaction on their part,” DeLaney said, “and so I don’t read any special meaning into this.” Burke plans on moving forward with the case. Burke said Tuesday afternoon that he had not yet spoken to his attorneys. He said that his attorneys are awaiting a copy of the court transcript of the hearing that took place in Vigo County Superior Court Division 3.
McKILLIP PAYS FINE: Former Kokomo Mayor Matt McKillip has paid a $200 fine and $503 in legal fees to the Howard County Election Board (Kokomo Tribune). McKillip paid the $200 fine for filing two defective campaign finance reports and $503 in legal fees spent by the county for representation during several 2007 hearings. The election board has canceled a hearing set for Feb. 19.
Economy
GM BUYOUTS TO HAMMER INDIANA: GM’s decision Tuesday to offer early retirements to thousands of hourly workers and replace them with lower-paid ones deals yet another blow to Indiana’s blue-collar middle class, already clobbered by numerous layoffs. It also underscores the continuing transition of Indiana’s economy, which is watching its traditional manufacturing work force slip, replaced by jobs in technology, health care, service and other sectors (Indianapolis Star). Some say the state is ill-prepared for that transition. Tuesday, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce released a report that said nearly 24 percent of all working-age adults in Indiana lack either enough education or training to succeed in the work force. Experts say the state is shifting from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy, and the new jobs that accompany that change require at least a post-secondary degree. GM’s offer is sure to entice hundreds of senior workers at GM plants in Indiana to consider retiring a few years early, local union officials said. GM made the early-retirement offer Tuesday to all 74,000 of its U.S. hourly workers who are represented by the United Auto Workers. “I wouldn’t be surprised if 150 of our members took this offer,” said Darnell Dawson, president of UAW Local 23, which represents about 980 workers at GM’s massive Indianapolis stamping plant. Less than two years ago, about 650 workers, or almost 40 percent of the plant’s work force, took an earlier round of early-retirement incentives.
State
OBAMA WANTS BP PERMIT INVESTIGATED: Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama called Tuesday for a comprehensive review of BP Whiting’s proposed air and construction permits (Post-Tribune). The Illinois Democrat is concerned about whether the permits meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act and questions whether the Indiana Department of Environmental Management is rushing. Obama and fellow Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Rahm Emanuel sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Mary Gade on Tuesday to ask for a review and reassurance. "It appears that IDEM has set an aggressive time line to issue a final permit. While it is certainly possible to make determinations on the impact of significant plant modifications to regulated air quality standards and to do so in a compressed time frame, a thorough EPA review of IDEM’s decisions is clearly merited," the senators wrote. "We look forward to EPA’s assurances that both permits meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act and are consistent with the goal of reducing air pollution as far as technologically possible," the senators wrote. The air permit is up for public comment until March 21. An informational meeting and hearing on it will be held March 14 in Hammond.
CARTER TAKES AIM AT TEEN SUICIDES: Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said Tuesday that a new state program can help reduce teen suicide (Indianapolis Star). Speaking at Avon High School, Carter announced the Indiana Safe Students Initiative to educate students, parents and teachers about dangerous behaviors. Besides suicide, topics include Internet safety, teen dating violence, and drinking and driving. "Youth suicide is far too prevalent an issue in our society," he said. "Youth suicide impacts not only that person but their family and community." Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 24 and the fourth-leading cause for those ages 10 to 14.
RDA APPROVES LITTLE CALUMET FUNDS: The Regional Development Authority approved $6 million for the Little Calumet River flood control project, though it’s unlikely it will be enough to complete the final phase of the estimated $215 million project (Post-Tribune). The Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission asked the General Assembly in 2007 for $8 million to finish the project. The state gave them $2 million, leaving them $6 million short. The RDA, with the promise of Gov. Mitch Daniels and U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, was to make up the remaining portion, to be reimbursed from future state budgets.
MARION TEACHERS PICKET COURTHOUSE: A group of about 35 Marion Community Schools teachers continued picketing Tuesday, and numerous cars honked in support (Marion Chronicle-Tribune). The picketing came just days after Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold called on the community not to encourage division within the school system, and asked all parties involved and the community to come together to improve the schools. “I’ll let the mayor do his job, and I’ll do my job,” said Jim Henderson, Marion Teachers Association president, while standing in front of the Grant County Courthouse, 101 E. Fourth St., where the teachers picketed.
Cities
FORT WAYNE COUNCIL KILLS SMOKING BILL: The Fort Wayne City Council killed a bill Tuesday to allow smoking in bars and taverns before it could even be discussed (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). Councilman Marty Bender, R-at-large, proposed the ordinance to rescind the city’s restrictive smoking ban approved last year. The existing ban, which passed 7-1-1 in January 2007, prohibits smoking in almost all businesses, including bars and restaurants. Bender’s proposal would have permitted smoking in bowling alleys from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., pool halls, bingo halls, private clubs, military service clubs, fraternal clubs, bars and casinos or off-track betting parlors. Council failed to garner the five votes needed to introduce the bill and send to a committee for a hearing.
NEW ALBANY DEPUTY MAYOR STEPS DOWN: New Albany Mayor Doug England on Tuesday confirmed that Deputy Mayor and Director of Operations John Wilcox has stepped down from his position with the city (News & Tribune). Wilcox began serving with England earlier this year after heading the mayor’s campaign efforts during the last election, when he defeated incumbent James Garner in the primary and former Sheriff Randy Hubbard in the general election. England said Wilcox resigned after deciding he did not want the responsibilities associated with a 40-hour-per-week job. “He was doing an excellent job — I just don’t think he wanted to work full-time,” England said. “He has talents that I want, but I understand.”
EX-NEW ALBANY MAYORAL CANDIDATED BUSTED: A former political candidate in New Albany and her husband are charged with dealing in marijuana and possessing more than 10 pounds of it, both felonies (Louisville Courier-Journal). Yvonne R. Kersey, 53, and Frank C. Lucchese, 59, were arrested Monday, police said yesterday. The couple also were charged with maintaining a common nuisance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police said that they found "an indoor marijuana growing operation" in the basement of the couple’s home and that officers recovered more than 35 pounds of marijuana. Kersey, who was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for New Albany mayor in 2003, posted a $2,500 cash bond and had been released from the Floyd County Jail by yesterday afternoon. Jail officials said Lucchese was still being held on an identical bond.
MAJESTIC STAR SUES GARY: The Majestic Star Casino has filed a lawsuit against the city of Gary, charging that the city has failed to live up to an agreement to build an a highway interchange and access road to the casino (Associated Press). The casino threatens to withhold tax payments to the city. According to the suit, Majestic Star Casinos has paid the city more than $285 million in taxes to Gary since 1999 when the agreement was first reached.
ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR SULLIVAN OFFICIAL: A Sullivan city official faces an additional charge with the drunken-driving allegation involving a police car earlier this month, and he said Tuesday he’s willing to accept full responsibility (Terre Haute Tribune-Star). Clint D. Lamb, Sullivan City Council member, officially tendered his resignation as president of that body last week, along with an apology for his behavior Feb. 5. Lamb is accused of driving while intoxicated a city police car and getting it stuck in the yard of a Shelburn residence around 1 a.m. that morning. He faces one charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and Monday the Sullivan County Prosecutor’s office added a charge of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.
Counties
CPA TO PROBE SCOTT TREASURER: The special prosecutor appointed last month to investigate alleged criminal violations by Scott County Treasurer Bonnie Comer may bring in a certified public accountant to examine her office’s accounts (Louisville Courier-Journal). Delving more deeply into the treasurer’s books could help determine whether Comer committed any "intentional acts of malfeasance," said Ron Simpson, the former Harrison County prosecutor who is handling the investigation.
Presidential
OBAMA SURGES INTO ‘NEW AMERICAN MAJORITY’: Barack Obama, already claiming a "new American majority," is focusing more and more on the likely Republican candidate in the November presidential election as he continues to rack up big victories over Hillary Rodham Clinton in their race for the Democratic nomination (Associated Press). Obama surged to the fore in the delegate race for the party prize with resounding primary victories Tuesday in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. On the GOP side, John McCain took another step in shoring up his credentials as the runaway Republican front-runner despite lukewarm support from the party’s conservative base. Clinton, considered the overwhelming Democratic favorite just a few weeks, was left to turn her attention to Texas and Ohio in an attempt to pump new life into her suddenly stumbling campaign. "There’s a great saying in Texas, all hat and no cattle," she told a boisterous crowd of about 12,000 at a college basketball arena in El Paso Tuesday evening as the shape of the latest Obama ballot victories were unfolding. "Well, after seven years of George Bush, we need a lot less hat and lot more cattle." Before flying into Texas, she told a Cincinnati television station that "Ohio is really going to count in determining who our Democratic nominee is going to be." She also declared herself the "underdog candidate" in the Wisconsin primary next Tuesday, the same day Obama’s birthplace Hawaii holds its primary. In was at the University of Wisconsin where Obama characterized his surging campaign to a crowd of 17,000. "This is what change looks like when it happens from the bottom up," he said. "This is the new American majority."
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