I’ve been writing about government and politics for more than 20 years, and there are moments that remind you what is good about and government and what is bad.
Since it’s the holiday season, I’ll start with good.
This week we all paid tribute to the legendary giant of a mayor, Bill Hudnut. As one writer put it, he turned Indianapolis from “Indy-a-no-place” into “Indy-a-show-place.” Whether it was laying the groundwork that rebuilt the downtown area, bringing the Colts to Indianapolis from Baltimore or just being the biggest cheerleader for the city, I think we can all say that Indy would not be the place it is had it not been for Hudnut. He was a man who loved the city, and it the city loved him. He exemplified what a public servant should be and what good government looks like.
And then there was the Indianapolis City-County Council, or at least the members who thought a 119-percent pay raise was a good idea.
You may not be aware of this because you were actually working for a living, but some members of the Indianapolis City-County Council thought it was a good idea to increase their base salaries from $11,400 a year to $25,000. The argument is that Council members are underpaid, and raising the salary would attract better candidates.
I’ll give you a second to catch your breath and let Jesus take the wheel.
Yup, some members of the Indianapolis City-County Council wanted a 119-percent raise, and the only thing more annoying than wanting the raise was how they planned to pay for it: The money would have come from the city’s fiscal stability fund. That money serves three purposes: helping Indy maintain its credit rating, paying for road projects and funding early childhood education for poor children.
That’s right; some members of the City-County Council thought some of the money that is dedicated for roads, keeping Indy in good financial shape and helping poor children get a good start at life would better be used giving themselves a 119-percent raise.
Let me know when Jesus gives you back the wheel.
Luckily, this prime example of bad government was met with a bipartisan example of good government — all 12 Council Republicans, three Democrats (Blake Johnson, Jared Evans and David Ray) along with Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett all think this is the wrong way to go. While no one disputes the Council could use an increase in salary — since it has not had one since Steve Goldsmith was mayor — they all say this is the wrong way to go about it, especially when our fellow citizens at Carrier and Rexnord are losing their jobs.
I could even support the Council getting more money as long as it was part of a comprehensive study on pay for all city employees and the raise did not go into effect until the next Council was sworn in; that wouldn’t happen until 2020.
But when Democratic City-County Councilor Zach Adamson accuses the councilmembers who oppose the raise of not having a political spine because they won’t vote to raise their own salaries 119 percent, Bill Hudnut’s cadaver is turning in its crypt.
And just when you thought things couldn’t get any more bizarre, this past Monday the Council withdrew the proposal and instead of just admitting it was a bad idea, the pretext was that the Department of Local Government and Finance, which certifies municipal budgets, would not be able to certify the city budget in time for the body to implement the raise, so they had to put it on the shelf. As my grandmother would say, “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.” Without getting too technical, DLGF had nothing to do with this. The votes weren’t there, and DLGF was not only a cover story, but also a bad cover story at that, for anyone who understands public finance and knows who to call at the agency.
Regardless, it’s bad ideas like this that are proffered by out-of-touch elected officials that show why people don’t trust government, and the hard work of public officials like Bill Hudnut tends to be overshadowed. Luckily, there will always be more lawmakers like Bill Hudnut, hose who are truly dedicated to public service rather than self-service.
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is an attorney, political commentator and publisher of IndyPolitics.org. You can email comments to him at abdul@indypolitics.org.
