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INDIANA GETS HIGHER S&P DEBT RATING: Indiana won higher ratings on $3.46 billion of municipal debt from Standard & Poor’s, citing improved management of state government that is expected to produce budget surpluses. A report by Bloomberg News says S&P raised $3 billion of debt subject to annual appropriation to AA+, its second-highest level, from AA and $460 million of moral obligation debt to AA, its third-highest level, from A+. The credit rating company also raised Indiana’s issuer credit rating to AAA from AA+, S&P said in a press release. Under state law, Indiana doesn’t issue general obligation debt. Bloomberg reports that the state has strengthened its management, altered its property tax system and realigned state and local spending while clarifying the state’s responsibilities, Perry said. Those actions combined with low debt and a stable economy are expected to generate budget surpluses, S&P said in its release.
INDIANA JOBLESS RATE SOARS TO 5.8%: Indiana’s jobless rate jumped a half percentage point in June — the biggest increase in the nation — as the state weathered layoffs in the auto and RV industries and a construction slowdown caused by heavy rain and flooding (Associated Press). .jpg)
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that Indiana’s June unemployment rate grew to 5.8 percent. The state’s 0.5 percentage point increase was trailed by Arizona and Illinois, which saw increases of 0.4 percent. Economist Michael Hicks, director of the Bureau of Business Research at Ball State University, said Indiana’s rising unemployment reflects a decreasing national demand for goods. Consumer spending also has declined as Americans struggle with $4-a-gallon gasoline. The rising unemployment also highlights the state’s continued dependence on manufacturing jobs and the auto industry, Hicks said. So far this year, the state has lost roughly 12,000 manufacturing jobs. Last month, General Motors announced that nearly 400 workers had accepted voluntary buyouts in Indianapolis and Bedford. More layoffs could be on the way as GM prepares to cut pickup truck production because of weakening demand. Diminishing RV sales prompted Monaco Coach Corp. last week to close three Northern Indiana plants, eliminating 1,400 jobs. The state’s jobless rate was further boosted by flooding on June 6 and 7 that temporarily closed businesses in Franklin, Martinsville, Columbus and elsewhere.
OBAMA IN BAGHDAD: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama began Monday his first on-the-ground inspection of Iraq since launching his bid for the White House, with U.S. commanders ready to brief him on progress in a war he long opposed and Iraqi leaders wanting more details of his proposals for troop withdrawals (Associated Press). His planned stops in Baghdad — and other areas of the country — marked the second major leg of a war zone tour that opened in Afghanistan. The contrasts in tone and message were distinct. Obama sees the battle against the resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan as America’s most crucial fight and supports expanding troop strength to counter a sharp rise in attacks. But Obama had stood against the Iraq invasion and now worries that an open-ended U.S. combat mission will sap military resources and focus — at a time when Iraq violence has dropped to its lowest level in four years. The Illinois senator — traveling in a congressional delegation with Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. — arrived in the country early Monday. Their first stop was Basra, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give details of the trip.
NO MORE VX GAS IN INDIANA: For more than 40 years, one of the last and deadliest remnants of the Cold War — 2.5-million pounds of VX — has been sitting quietly in carbon steel barrels in Vermillion County, part of a stockpile of chemical weapons the United States has been trying to dispose of for more than a decade (Terre Haute Tribune-Star). As of the end of this month, the last of that substance will be eliminated, as a three-year neutralization process comes to a close. The Newport Chemical Depot, where the deadly nerve agent VX was produced in the 1960s, has been disposing of the agent since May 2005. Currently, more than 97 percent of the stockpile has been neutralized. The completion of the project will mean different things to various people. For employees at the Depot, many of whom have spent the better part of their careers at the facility, the end is bittersweet. The citizens of west-central Indiana who have feared the worst in the event of a spill, leak or explosion are beginning to feel a sense of relief. For the facility itself, time will tell how the secure, 7,000-acre property will be used in the future.
TREACY TO REPLACE O’CONNOR: The deal is done. Mike O’Connor will make a formal announcement later today that he is through as Marion County Democratic Chairman (Shella, WISH-TV). Ed Treacy will return to the post and Terry Thurman (a previously aspiring county chair) will support him. A caucus to re-elect Treacy can take place as early as July 28th and Treacy and Thurman intend to make a show of unity the following weekend at the Indiana Democratic Editorial Association meeting in French Lick.
Indiana Governor
DANIELS, THOMPSON TRADE JABS OVER JOBS: The slumping economy and high fuel prices have politicians on both sides of the aisle frustrated and sorting through a complicated bag of solutions (South Bend Tribune). Monaco Coach’s announcement that it is closing three plants in Elkhart County and laying off 1,400 workers is the latest sign of difficult times. "I’m heartsick about what’s happened at Monaco," said Gov. Mitch Daniels in a phone interview on Friday. He said the state is doing all it can to help workers with unemployment insurance benefits and job retraining. Daniels said unfortunately fewer people are buying recreational vehicles because of a stagnant economy and fuel prices. Daniels said the state is working on some "live prospects" to bring jobs specifically to Elkhart County but declined to elaborate on the type of business involved or when an announcement might come. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson blasted Daniels on Thursday, saying his lack of leadership has caused the state’s economic climate. "Because of his leadership, Indiana is a less attractive state to do business in compared to other states," she said. Daniels said Long Thompson is wrong and that the statistics tell a much different story. "Indiana has rocketed up the list in business attractiveness," he said. He said that in CNBC’s 2008 America’s Top States for Business Report, Indiana jumped 13 places to No. 13 and was the most improved state for business. The 2007 Forbes Best States for Business Index ranked Indiana first in the Midwest and fourth nationally for cost of doing business.
THOMPSON POUNCES ON JOBLESS RATE: Democratic leaders pounced on the state’s rising unemployment as a sign that Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ economic development policies are not working. "These figures are further proof that despite what Governor Daniels would have us believe, our economy has some serious challenges," said Jill Long Thompson, the Democratic candidate for governor. The Daniels administration was quick to argue that Indiana is faring better than neighboring states in a national economic slowdown. At 5.8 percent, Indiana’s June jobless rate was lower than that of Illinois (6.8 percent), Kentucky (6.3 percent), Michigan (8.5 percent) and Ohio (6.6 percent), "Every state is (losing jobs)," Daniels said Friday in a briefing with reporters. "You’ve got a national economic slowdown, and we are part of that economy."
DANIELS SAYS GAS TAXES UP TO LEGISLATURE: Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday the notion of suspending the sales tax on gasoline will have to be decided by the legislature, not him (Indianapolis Star). Daniels’ Democratic opponent for the governor’s office, former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson, on Thursday renewed her call for Daniels to use some of the state’s surplus to give motorists a break at the gas pump immediately. Long Thompson has proposed that the state stop charging the 7-cent sales tax on that portion of gasoline that costs more than $2.75 a gallon. Her campaign said the plan would save motorists about $1 on a 10-gallon fill-up at $4.14 a gallon. Asked about the idea by reporters, Daniels said Friday he was open to discussing the proposal with lawmakers. But he disagreed with Long Thompson’s assertion that a governor has the authority to suspend the tax without legislative approval. "It would have to be by legislative act, and we ought to discuss it, among other ways to help Hoosiers at a time when we all know many are struggling," he said. Daniels said the state needs to be cautious about anything that whittles down reserves, which are again healthy after being depleted in previous years — something he said began with a suspension of the sales tax on gasoline. Then-Gov. Frank O’Bannon suspended the tax in 2000, at a time when the state was flush with cash. "I’m a tax cutter," Daniels said. "And I think that idea (of suspending the sales tax on gasoline) is one that could be looked at for ways to leave more money with Hoosiers. But we’d better be careful. "As other states have found, it’s very easy to slip into the red."
BE WARY OF DRAINING SURPLUS: When Republican state Auditor Tim Berry announced the closeout of Indiana’s fiscal year finances last week, he began by ticking off the names of states that faced big money troubles (Smith, Associated Press). Indiana could be proud, he said, because it ended the fiscal year on June 30 with its third consecutive balanced budget and a surplus that had grown to $1.4 billion. Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels bragged about it, too, and even suggested the possibility of seeking tax cuts during the next legislative session if re-elected. But Daniels and his administration’s budget director, as well as Democratic House Speaker Patrick Bauer of South Bend, were also waving caution flags about any possible spending spree when lawmakers draft the next two-year budget in 2009. They have plenty of reasons to be wary. Take recent state history, for example. When the economy was humming in the mid to late 1990s, the state was flush with cash and lawmakers spent generously. That spending included hundreds of millions of dollars in permanent tax cuts. Why, Senate Republicans and House Democrats turned several sessions into tax-cutting contests - each side trying to score more political points with this proposal or that. The 1998 session was dominated by how to cut taxes and by how much. Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree that year, but in some years they did. But the economy went into a tailspin in late 2000, the revenue stream started drying up, and spending in the pipeline for tax cuts and other things drained Indiana’s record $2 billion surplus. Within a few years, the state had a $1 billion deficit and owed schools, universities and local governments more than $700 million in back payments - a bookkeeping trick lawmakers used to prop up deficit spending. When Daniels took office in early 2005, the state still had a $600 million deficit.
DRAMATIC TURNAROUND FOR BMV: The Bureau of Motor Vehicles used to be the butt of jokes when it came to Indiana government agencies, with a reputation for low morale, long waits and scandal (Smith, Associated Press). Even efforts to improve things drew scathing criticism. Thousands of people were outraged when more than 20 license branches were closed in 2005. A conversion to a new computer system in 2006 resulted in weeks of problems and hours-long waits at some branch offices. State officials now say the agency has turned a corner. The average wait time at the state’s 140 branches has declined from 28 minutes in 2006 to less than nine minutes now. And through thousands of surveys of BMV customers, about 97 percent so far this year have rated their experience at a BMV branch as either excellent, above average or satisfactory. BMV officials say that’s partly due to new options for motorists, including appointments available at many branches, enhanced online services and 176 non-branch locations where at least some services are offered. "I just don’t know of a place anywhere in this government, or frankly in any state, which has effected so dramatic a turnaround," Gov. Mitch Daniels told about 300 BMV employees at a recent town hall-style meeting. "Indiana BMV — turnaround of the century!"
NEW JLT SPOKESMAN: Jill Long Thompson continues to add campaign staff as Jason Tomcsi comes over from the Statehouse (Shella, WISH-TV). Tomsci will be the new spokesman for the Democratic candidate for governor. Jeff Harris stays as communications director. Tomsci is at least the third staffer from the Senate Democratic Caucus to join the Long Thompson campaign.
Presidential
OBAMA VEEP CHOICE IN NEXT 2 WEEKS: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd believes Barack Obama will make his vice presidential selection sometime in the next two weeks. "This is not going to be done right before convention and not during Olympics," Todd said on NBC’s Meet the Press. "The minute he gets back from his trip, they’ll be in veep mode. This is going to happen a lot quicker than most people think." Meet the Press featured photos of Obama with Evan Bayh and Sam Nunn at Purdue, with Sens. Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel in Afghanistan last weekend. Todd added that both Obama and John McCain "are creatues of comfort. They want to be with people they are comfortable with."
LATEST CILLIZZA VEEP RATING HAS BAYH NO. 1: Here’s the latest veepstakes rating from the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: 2. Tim Kaine: The governor of Virginia drops from the pole position he held last week simply because our sense of the Obama team’s mindset is that they are leaning toward experience over change in their veep calculus. That could, of course, change. And, if it does, Kaine is in the strongest position to be the pick — from his deep roots in the faith community to his popularity in an emerging battleground state to his close personal relationship with Obama. (Previous ranking: 1) 1. Evan Bayh: The Indiana Senator sits atop of the Line this week because he represents the best combination of traits that Obama is looking for in a vice president. Bayh has rich experience both domestically and internationally, having served as two term governor in Indiana and now as a senator from the Hoosier State. But, picking Bayh also allows Obama to re-affirm the generational change argument; Bayh, at 52, would make the ticket look a lot like Clinton-Gore back in 1992. (Previous ranking: 2)
MALIKI BACKS OBAMA WITHDRAWAL PLAN: In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Barack Obama’s 16 month timeframe for a withdrawal from Iraq is the right one. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months. When asked in and interview with SPIEGEL when he thinks US troops should leave Iraq, Maliki responded "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He then continued: "US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
OBAMA CAMPAIGN TALKS INDIANA ECONOMY: The senior economic adviser for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign, Dan Turullo, held a conference call with reporters in Indiana on Friday to talk about the state’s unemployment rate and the national economy (South Bend Tribune). Turullo said the loss of more jobs across the country is a result of the failed policies of the Bush administration. Obama’s energy policy includes elements such as a venture capital fund for alternative clean technologies, investing $150 billion in clean energy over the next 10 years and increasing fuel economy standards. Congressional Democrats, including Obama, have proposed a second $50 billion economic stimulus package in September to jump-start the economy, which Turullo said includes energy rebates to help families deal with rising gas prices. "Under that plan, Indiana’s economy would receive more than $1 billion in immediate assistance," he said. Turullo said John McCain is opposed to the stimulus plan and hasn’t offered any short-term relief plans. But Leah Yoon, regional communications director for the McCain campaign, said McCain hasn’t ruled out supporting a second stimulus package. "Sen. McCain feels strong immediate relief is in the best interest of American families," she said.
LUGAR, OBAMA CONNECTION CRITICIZED: Obama claims he and Lugar kept Russian nuclear weapons out of the wrong hands. But beyond getting a tour of a junkyard for old warheads in Russia in 2005, and supporting Lugar-sponsored missile legislation, it’s actually unclear what Obama did (Investors Business Daily). Lugar is a poor choice of Republican for Obama to pair up with in feigning foreign policy credibility. The last thing Lugar did of any note was deliver an interminable speech on the Senate floor a year ago. In those remarks, he complained that ‘our continuing absorption with military activities in Iraq is limiting our diplomatic assertiveness there and elsewhere in the world.’ He called for ‘a multifaceted diplomatic offensive’ instead of President Bush’s military surge. Lugar’s betrayal was described as historic by the Senate’s top Democrat, Harry Reid. Portrayed in much of the media as a foreign-policy wise man, Lugar and his advice proved dead wrong. Had his counsel been followed last year, a chaotic Iraq would be dominated today by al-Qaida and Iran. Now Lugar is actually being mentioned as a possible cross-party running mate for Obama. The Hoosier claims no interest, but back at the 1980 Republican convention in Detroit the then-little-known senator was almost begging publicly to be placed on the ticket with Ronald Reagan …. Lugar later sowed distrust with Republicans when he suggested selling out Nicaragua’s Contra freedom fighters in the 1980s in exchange for a communist Sandinista version of ‘free elections.’ Now, in an election year, Lugar describes the assertions in Obama’s commercial as ‘accurate’ — rather than taking the opportunity to blast Obama’s naive foreign-policy radicalism."
Congress
CAMPO WINS 7TH CD NOD: Gabrielle Campo was chosen Friday night in a party caucus to run for the 7th Congressional District seat in November, the county Republican Party said (Indianapolis Star). Campo, an Indianapolis social worker, will replace state Rep. Jon Elrod on the ballot. Elrod dropped out in June to focus on retaining his Statehouse seat. Campo will face Democratic incumbent Andre Carson in the fall. Carson beat Elrod and Libertarian Sean Shepard in the March 11 special election to fill the seat once held by his grandmother, Julia Carson. "Gabrielle is young, energetic and capable of waging a spirited challenge against Andre Carson," district Republican Chairman John Hammond said in a statement.
Indiana General Assembly
CUFFIA TO SEEK HD19 GOP NOD: A Crown Point man who withdrew in February from the Republican primary race in Indiana House District 19 will have a second chance at getting on the ballot, though he doesn’t call it that (Times of Northwest Indiana). "It’s not a second chance. It’s just an opportunity and a need," said Jim Cuffia, 44. The Crown Point civil engineer has been the only person so far to announce he would like to fill the vacancy left last week after Republican primary election winner Andrew Webster withdrew from the ballot. If Cuffia is selected by the GOP caucus set to pick Webster’s replacement, it will mark his fourth run for elected office. "I’m like everybody else. I’d love to play golf and go home and eat dinner with my wife, but right now this is a calling," Cuffia said. Cuffia ran against Laura Sauerman last year for the Crown Point City Council’s 4th District seat. In 2004, he ran as an independent against state Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, for the District 19 seat. And in 2003, Cuffia ran as a write-in candidate for an at-large City Council seat.
SEN. BUCK WILL OFFER ANNEXATION BILL: State Sen. Jim Buck’s house might not be annexed under Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight’s ambitious plan, but the veteran state lawmaker is far from finished with the issue (Kokomo Tribune). Buck, a longtime proponent of property rights, said last week he will author legislation to weaken cities’ ability to annex during the next session of the Indiana General Assembly. While Buck, who was picked this summer to fill out former State Sen. Jeff Drozda’s term, hasn’t yet decided the exact wording of his planned bill, he’s made it clear it would basically end involuntary annexation in the state. Under Buck’s planned legislation, Indiana would become the 16th state to require a simple majority vote from those being annexed before any annexation could move forward. “A 51 percent majority, to me, ought to be a pretty clear indication if the community wants it,” Buck said Thursday. “The primary purpose of annexation is to accommodate growth,” Buck told an audience of annexation remonstrators during a meeting at Chapel Hill Christian Church last week. “But it has gotten to the point where it’s being done not to accommodate growth, but to accommodate debt.”
State
GOVERNOR BEEFS UP EDUCATION RESERVES: Gov. Mitch Daniels has ordered more money transferred into a savings account for schools because of the sagging economy. The General Assembly passed legislation this year that directed a $50 million transfer from the state’s main checking account to a school rainy day fund by December 2010. Daniels has ordered that transfer to be made now and has added about $33 million more to the school reserve account. That means there’s now $400 million that could be tapped to help fund public schools. Daniels says it’s an important step at a time when the nation is nearing a recession and state revenue growth has been slowing. He says he wants to avoid what many states with huge budget deficits are doing - cutting funding to education.
SCHOOL LUNCH PRICES RISING: As Kokomo-area residents pay more for the gas in their cars and the food they feed their families this fall, parents will have to dig deeper in their pockets to pay for school lunches as well (Kokomo Tribune). All Howard County public schools raised meal prices for the 2008-09 school year, and several in Miami County also increased their prices, as they pay more for the milk, bakery products and other food items, as well as the fuel to deliver them to the schools. Only parents in Tipton County are being spared a price increase.
ELECTION BOARD IN CROSSHAIRS OF CLARK BALLOT CASE: A squabble over who should be on the ballot in the race for Clark Circuit Court judge has presented a new test for a state election agency that critics say is set up to fail because of its partisan makeup (Louisville Courier-Journal). But supporters say the Indiana Election Division maintains fairness between the political parties. The division — part of the Secretary of State’s office but not answerable to its elected head — is both partisan and bipartisan in its structure. It has two employees at every position — one Republican and one Democrat — including co-directors, attorneys and even receptionists. And the Indiana Election Commission that the agency staffs is split with two members from each of the major parties. It’s a system that can result in conflicting advice for candidates and deadlocked votes on issues, leaving key campaign questions and problems to be resolved in court. "It’s a completely dysfunctional body," said Julia Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause Indiana. "I don’t think it’s accidental. Politicians aren’t well served by a well functioning regulatory body." But those who work within the system say they strive for cooperation and fairness as they interpret and enforce the sometimes confusing laws that govern campaigns and elections. Republican Thomas Wheeler of Indianapolis, the commission chairman, said members have a good relationship and try to work in a nonpartisan way. He said few of the commission’s votes result in the 2-2 tie that can lead to inaction. "It’s set up to fail if everybody gets real partisan," Wheeler said. "It forces us to get along with each other." Such cooperation will likely be put to the test as commission members and officials at the election division wrestle with the Clark County case. The division’s co-directors are considering whether either or both of the candidates for Clark Circuit judge — Democrat Dan Moore and Republican Abe Navarro — should be on the ballot. Each party maintains the other side turned in paperwork late, and there seems to be no agreement at the election division about who is right. The division’s Republican attorney, Dale Simmons, accepted the paperwork for Navarro’s candidacy. The Democratic attorney, Leslie Barnes, accepted the filing of Moore. Now, the co-directors must decide — and must agree — on whether the names should be certified to put on the ballot. If they can’t agree, a judge will likely step in, said Republican co-director Brad King. "That’s a remedy when there’s a dispute," King said.
LINCOLN ARTIFACTS COULD STAY IN STATE: A group that wants to keep the collection of a recently closed Abraham Lincoln museum in Indiana is among the finalists to take over the artifacts, a member of the group said (Associated Press). The Allen County Public Library and the Indiana State Museum have submitted a proposal to share the collection owned by the Lincoln Financial Foundation. The coalition learned Wednesday that it was a finalist to receive the collection, said Cheryl Ferverda, of the Allen County Public Library. The foundation, citing poor attendance, closed its 77-year-old museum in Fort Wayne last month and decided to give away the collection. The museum’s artifacts and documents on the 16th president included a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln family belongings, manuscripts, photographs and period items. The collection is valued at $20 million. A group from Washington, D.C., which includes the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Library of Congress, also submitted a proposal seeking the collection. Annette Moser, a spokeswoman for the Lincoln Financial Foundation, would not say how many proposals it received or how many were being considered finalists.
ACTIVISTS ACCUSE IDEM OF AIDING BP: When the Indiana Department of Environmental Management allowed BP Whiting to increase its discharges into Lake Michigan last summer, the agency should have made BP implement, or pay for, a water quality improvement project to ensure that water quality in the lake won’t worsen, activists say. Legislators approved a law eight years ago that requires such a project. But IDEM can’t enforce the statute until the details have been fleshed out and approved in rules. After eight years, that still hasn’t happened. As a result, Hoosiers are missing out on better water quality or as much as $500,000 in fees, environmentalists say (Post-Tribune). "They’re waiving hundreds of thousands of dollars they should have collected under Indiana law," said Albert Ettinger, a senior staff attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center about IDEM. "What we have is a statute on the books that told us they were supposed to establish the rules and they haven’t gotten around to do that yet." As a result, IDEM can’t collect the money, Ettinger said. The rules were in the works in 2003, but never implemented because stakeholders couldn’t agree, IDEM said.
ATTERBURY TORNADO DAMAGE $50M: The cost to repair tornado and flood damage to Camp Atterbury is $49 million and rising (Columbus Republic). The estimate covers only damage to buildings, roads, bridges, a rail spur, ranges and drainage structures, caused by a tornado June 3 and flooding June 7, said Maj. Kenneth Potchen, deputy director for Directorate of Public Works at Atterbury. It excludes costs to replace items such as vehicles, computers, tools and furniture.
Cities
HAMMOND BUS SERVICE MAY END: If city officials prevail and the state doesn’t step to the plate, the Hammond Transit System will reach the end of the line this December when it is expected to lose the municipal portion of its funding (Times of Northwest Indiana). "That’s absolutely a possibility," City Council President Dan Repay said last week. "At the end of the day, we still need to reduce our budget by $1.3 million." Hammond Transit Department figures reflect less, but city officials estimate the bus service’s cost to the city at about $1 million. Also at issue, however, has been the transit’s ridership with critics saying they often see only one person to a bus. Yet for the year ending in 2007, transit officials showed ridership at more than 400,000, which is defined as the number of one-way fares. The bus service is not free as in East Chicago. The fare structure starts at a base of $1.25 for adults and lower fares for children, seniors and the disabled. The service also offers a variety of passes.
FORECLOSURES WEIGHING ON CITIES: In addition to costing people their homes, foreclosures carry a price tag for municipalities, officials say (Times of Northwest Indiana). Lansing increased its budget for mowing lawns on vacant properties to $20,000 this year, Lansing Village President Dan Podgorski said. The village tries to find out who owns the property and bill them or place a lien on the home, but the costs of employee time tracking homes and legal expenses add up, he said. "It’s hard to measure the costs, but it certainly exceeds the maintenance of cutting a lawn," Podgorski said. Problems from foreclosures are being felt in municipalities throughout the region, said Ed Paesel, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors & Managers Association. "The worst part is folks losing homes," Paesel said. "But beyond that, once they’ve left the home, villages are left with abandoned properties. Sometimes, they have a hard time finding out whose property it is, weeds go up and vandalism and those kinds of issues, and of course, there’s the loss of the tax base." Last year, Lansing had 201 foreclosure filings, according to the Woodstock Institute. Podgorski said he didn’t have exact numbers for this year, but foreclosures have definitely grown. "We are seeing the same thing everybody else is seeing, an increase in the number of foreclosures and houses that are vacant in our village, and we are trying to get a handle on the number of houses and locations as much as we can," he said. The challenge is tracking the homes and making sure they don’t become eyesores and obvious targets with junk mail piling up on the front porch and tall grass outside, he said. Calumet City also spends a lot on boarding up homes and lawn service, Calumet City Communications Director Eric Schneider said. The city has about 560 foreclosed properties out of about 17,000 residential and commercial addresses, he said. "It definitely weighs on the city," Schneider said.
BALLARD LEADERSHIP STYLE DEBATED: Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard was speaking with the command and confidence of an expert (O’Shaughnessy, Indianapolis Star). His topic: management. His audience: a receptive group of about 80 police sergeants at the department’s academy. Ballard’s supporters say the event shows his commitment to reducing crime, one of his priorities. More broadly, they say, it demonstrates the kind of hands-on, roll-up-the-sleeves leadership that’s needed. Barely six months into his first term, Ballard’s approach, including a tendency to sometimes say what’s on his mind without considering the political risk, is perceived by some as refreshing. The Republican mayor’s critics view it differently, questioning whether leading a four-hour course on leadership — based on his own book — is really the best use of time. They argue it illustrates one of the mayor’s failings: an inability to communicate a broad vision on issues of importance. Some of the more partisan critics go so far as to say his approach is "unmayorlike." They say that while he has fulfilled some of his key campaign promises, Ballard acts more like a city manager who keeps the machinery of government running than the mayor of the nation’s 13th largest city. "The mayor (should be) the community cheerleader, the clearinghouse when there is a crisis, the only person who can build consensus," said Mike O’Connor, chairman of the Marion County Democratic Party and one-time chief of staff for former Mayor Bart Peterson. "(But) he’s acting like a caretaker. Yes, you have to do the nuts and bolts, but the mayor sets the plate for the future. What will his imprint on the city be?"
JOHN CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIC REVIEWS: Ballard’s style stems from his history as a middle manager in the Marines and the corporate world, said Tom John, the county Republican chairman (Indianapolis Star). "He prefers to be directly in contact with people over the photo-op," John said. "You hear the complaint about how politicians are only focused on the next election. He’s clearly not." It’s a tendency that has put Ballard at odds with forces in his own party. John, for one, has concerns about the open-to-the-public performance review system, as well as Ballard’s promise to hold public budget reviews. "Any time you wade into something you can’t control, there’s a risk someone could stand behind you and shoot arrows in your back," John said.
NEWMAN, WRIGHT FEUD: A clash between members of a board in charge of Marion County’s emergency radio system has resulted in calls to oust the chairman (Indianapolis Star). Marion County’s public safety director, Scott Newman, said he wants to remove Joe Wright as chairman of the Metropolitan Emergency Communications Agency board in a dispute stemming from potentially life-threatening problems in the county’s new $37 million digital police and firefighter radio system. Newman said the five-member board needs to meet to solve MECA’s problems, and Wright’s refusal to hold meetings, as well as his defense of the new system, have hindered progress. "We have serious work to do on behalf of people whose lives are at stake," said Newman, also a MECA board member. "If he wants to mince around on the kind of issues dealing with life or death, he can stay home for all I care." Wright, mayor of Beech Grove, said he is committed to solving MECA’s problems. "It’s kind of interesting when you don’t go their way; they just want to throw you aside," Wright said.
Counties
PORTER PREPARES FOR SOUTH SHORE REFERENDUM: Porter County commissioners and the president of the local election board are ready to challenge doubts about whether the South Shore referendum can be placed on the fall ballot. Commissioner Carole Knoblock, at Tuesday’s board meeting, requested that a referendum on the South Shore extension project be placed on the November ballot (Post-Tribune). The question put to voters would be: "Are you in favor of the South Shore extension being brought to Valparaiso, Indiana, if in fact it is going to require an additional local tax to either help or build the extension or subsidize the service? Yes or no." The commissioners unanimously approved the request at the meeting. The South Shore rail proposal calls for extending the the railroad south to Lowell and east to Valparaiso. The $1 billion project would receive $500 million federal funding and $150 million from the Regional Development Authority. The source of the rest of the funding remains undetermined. J.J. Stankiewicz, president of the election board, said on Wednesday the nonbinding question likely would be placed on the ballot.
Corruption
ALLEN COUNTY’S DUI JUDGE ARRESTED ON DUI: Allen Circuit Judge Thomas Felts, who handles the lion’s share of Allen County’s alcohol-related criminal cases, was arrested in Indianapolis early Friday on drunken-driving and public-intoxication charges (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). When an Indiana Capitol Police officer pulled Felts’ black Lincoln over for failing to use a turn signal on West Market Street, the 53-year-old judge backed into the police car, according to a report from the Indiana State Police. After Felts failed a field sobriety test, he provided two invalid breath tests and was charged with refusal, according to the report. Police obtained a search warrant from a Marion County Superior Court judge and took a sample of Felts’ blood at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis. The blood sample will be turned over to the Indiana University Department of Toxicology for analysis, according to the report. No information about his blood-alcohol content was available Saturday. Felts was booked into the Marion County Jail’s Arrestee Processing Center about 4:40 a.m. Friday on misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and public intoxication. He was then released 11 hours later on his own recognizance. When reached at his Fort Wayne home Saturday, Felts said he regretted the situation. “I defer to and respect the system that has been set up to resolve these matters,” he said. Elected to the bench in 2002 after serving as the Circuit Court magistrate since 1989, Felts is again running for the Circuit Court seat. As the county’s sole Circuit Court judge, Felts handles both civil and criminal cases. In Allen County, most of the drunken-driving cases and other alcohol-related offenses are handled through Felts’ court.
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