It was probably too good to believe that Republican Gov. Mike Pence had reformed from his partisan Washington Republican ways into a more conciliatory, willing to hear both sides, governor.
After 117 days of showing a new Mike Pence, the old partisan Mike Pence returned when he signed into law the odious Senate Bill 621; which was nothing more than the Republican machine of Indianapolis kicking Democrats, African-Americans and independent citizens of this city in the groin.
The governor had teased the media all week saying he had “concerns” with 621. He was “studying” the issue. Saturday, the last day to approve or veto bills passed by the Legislature, Pence wrote a 1,587 word essay, with footnotes, which tried to explain why he OK’d one of the most one-sided laws this state has passed in decades.
Pence’s argument for approving 621 was that the state’s “economic vitality” depends on how successfully Indianapolis “serves as a center of commerce and entertainment and attracts visitors and businesses to Indiana.”
The governor argued that the “mayor must have sufficient authority to manage the finances of the city in a way that protects taxpayers, encourages economic development, creates jobs and provides for the public safety.”
The governor concluded that approving 621 would allow the mayor “to manage the finances of the city in an effective and responsible manner.”
While lamenting the loss of the four at-large City-County Council seats, Gov. Pence mentioned nothing about the other provisions of 621, which would do nothing to enhance Indy’s ability to be a “center of commerce and entertainment” or help the mayor manage finances in an “effective and responsible manner.”
Here are other effects of this odious law:
n Ends the 41-year-old UniGov practice of annual confirmation votes by the City-County Council of mayoral appointments of deputy mayor and city department heads. Only initial mayoral appointments to these positions will receive council scrutiny. Oddly, the city controller, who now scrutinizes and possibly reduces budgets of independent county elected officials, is an appointment that doesn’t require council confirmation. That error could place the law in jeopardy. As is the provision that the budgets of the judiciary would be scrutinized by an official of the executive branch; which may violate constitutional separation of powers.
n Forbidding the council from requesting the Capital Improvement Board to make payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to make up for the dollars the CIB takes from taxpayers without resulting services. However, 621 would continue to allow the council to request such PILOT payments from the airport and other municipal entities. This provision is punishment for the council having the temerity to try and reduce subsidies to the Pacers and Colts and use the cash for more cops on our violent streets.
n Reduces from five and two to one year, the minimum a candidate for mayor or City-County Council respectively must live in their district before they can run. This’ll allow suburbanites to move into Indy neighborhoods in the coming year so they can run for council or mayor.
n Reduces township board members from seven to five. No one knows this is in the law. Supporters don’t have a good or bad reason for it. The change doesn’t impact city/county government’s financial condition. But because of the law, township government will have to spend hundreds of thousands of bucks to redraw new township board districts, which were just redrawn.
n Makes Marion County the only county to count absentee ballots at a central location. There is no good reason for this punitive measure other than punish Democrats for pushing early voting.
n Gives the mayor two additional seats on the powerful Metropolitan Development Commission. This’ll help the mayor and his cronies ram through projects that enrich them while devaluing neighborhoods.
None of these provisions helps Indianapolis improve its fiscal condition and/or becomes a more vibrant center of “commerce and entertainment.”
The real reason Mayor Greg Ballard (aka Mayor Cricket) wanted 621, is his allergic aversion to Democrats. He portrays himself as nonpolitical; but instead he’s partisan and vindictive.
In his bill-signing essay, Gov. Pence acknowledged he’d spoken with those who opposed 621. Unfortunately, Mayor Ballard doesn’t share Gov. Pence’s gracious nature.
The mayor’s minions and media sycophants repeatedly blasted Sheriff John Layton’s alleged fiscal problems. The governor alluded to it in his essay.
Yet never once did Mayor Ballard ever sit down with Sheriff Layton, not even a phone call, to express his concerns. Our arrogant, imperial mayor wouldn’t meet with other county elected officials impacted by 621.
Ballard can waste $4 million on cricket fields, take away $3 million in crime prevention funding, waste dollars globetrotting, but can’t fix sidewalks to stop hit and run deaths.
This column’s headline paraphrases a classic sentence in U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney’s decision in the Dred Scott case. It addresses the attitude of Mayor Ballard, his minions, the Republican legislative supermajority and sadly our governor.
In ramming 621 down this city’s throats they’ve said that Indianapolis is allowed to be a shining city and economic development engine of Indiana.
But when it comes to Indianapolis residents; we have no rights Republican leaders respect!
See ‘ya next week.
You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
