Advance Indiana

The 7th District Democratic race has grown more crowded with the entry of former state health commissioner Dr. Woody Myers. That makes five candidates for the Democrats despite efforts of the Democrats to anoint the late Rep. Julia Carson's grandson, Andre Carson, as her successor. Some of Carson's opponents, who were already suspicious of the conduct of the January caucus last month which chose Carson by a handful of votes on the first ballot over a number of more qualified candidates, will be asking more questions about the the transfer of funds from Julia Carson's campaign to the state Democratic Party. According to Carson's year-end report, her treasurer transferred a total of $12,000 to the state party in three separate payments on October 1, November 1 and December 1, 2007, respectively. These larger payments were in addition to other payments the campaign committee made to the party to reimburse it for rent and other expenses for the space it shares at the party's headquarters. Take note of the fact that the payments all came after Carson's hospitalization in September, which began her rapid decline before she passed away in December. The committee still had a balance of over $118,000 as of the end of the year. Finally, the Star reports that Carson becomes the first candidate to hit the airwaves with a TV ad. Mary Beth Schneider writes:Democrat Andre Carson's first TV ad in his campaign to succeed his grandmother in Congress is as notable for what it doesn't say as for what it does.Not once in the 30-second spot, which begins airing on Indianapolis TV stations today, does Carson mention former U.S. Rep. Julia Carson.Julia Carson died Dec. 15, and her grandson Andre was selected by Democratic precinct committee members in January as their party's nominee in the March 11 special election.But while the ad doesn't mention the late congresswoman by name, it does stress family."The most important thing I can pass on to my daughter are the values that my family taught me," Carson says in the ad, as the screen shows his 1-year-old daughter, Salimah. "Work hard, fight for what you believe in and help others."And twice in the half-minute ad, Carson mentions bringing "change" to Washington.Not surprisingly, the ad tells us little about Carson. What's he going to say? I got a political patronage job in Center Township Trustee's office right out of high school working for my grandma, She later used her political clout to get me a job as a state excise police officer. After a decade on the public dole, my grandmother's political machine got me appointed to the Indianapolis City-County Council and helped me get a job as a marketing representative for an engineering firm which does a lot of work with the City of Indianapolis and other local governments. And then my grandmother's political friends and Louis Farrakhan announced to everyone at my grandmother's funeral home that I was the chosen one to take her place in Congress. Yeah, that sounds pretty convincing, don't you think?indiana politics gay GLBT law

The IBJ's Peter Schnitzler returns with another in-depth story of how Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer rakes in millions in tax collections each, while delivering only a small percentage of these amounts to needy citizens in the form of poor relief and maintaing huge cash surpluses in excess of an entire year's budget. Schnitzler writes:When the inner city’s neediest residents grow desperate, local government offers them one last resort.At an aging building at 863 Massachusetts Ave., they pass through a metal detector and wait in line to show a clerk their identification and copies of overdue bills.Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer sometimes helps. The Trustee’s Office received an average of $6.9 million each of the last seven years, mostly from taxes, to provide poor relief—now known as township assistance.But only about $2 million reached the penniless each year, with much of the difference covering administrative overhead.Drummer has hoarded the rest as a shield against unspecified future needs.Parked in a series of money market accounts, the surplus at the end of 2007 stood at $7.1 million—more than the office brings in annually to handle poor relief. Since 2001, the reserve has ranged from $4 million to $10.4 million, depending on expenses.That’s an enormous cash cushion, and one the trustee’s office isn’t eager to publicize. IBJ discovered it by poring over public records dating back to 1994. An analysis of the financial records showed that Drummer and his predecessor, the late Julia Carson, built the reserve over the last decade and a half by collecting far more than they spent in a handful of years and banking the remainder . . .In addition to the hefty surplus, Center Township has amassed a $10 million portfolio of underused properties for future redevelopment.The Kernan-Shepard Commission has wisely recommended the elimination of township governments as part of its sweeping recommendations to reform local government in Indiana. Upon being shown the IBJ's analysis of Center Township's finances, State Rep. Phil Hinkle called the situation "absurd" and "unbelievable." You cannot justify in my mind the validity of overcharging the taxpayer consistently,” said Hinkle, ranking Republican member of the House Local Government Committee. “One or two years in a row? OK, I can see it happening. You make adjustments. But you don’t consistently over-bill the taxpayer.” One other key lawmaker, however, has apparently been won over by Drummer. "After a recent tour, Republican state Sen. Jim Merritt of Indianapolis removed township trustees from legislation he introduced to merge local government offices in Marion County," Schnitzer writes. "He called the Center Township Trustee’s Office highly organized, and said he had the impression Drummer is attempting to lower costs." Schnitzler adds, "But Merritt admitted he hasn’t attempted to scrutinize Drummer’s finances." Gee, thanks for nothing Sen. Merritt.The Center Township surplus had exceeded $10.4 million as recently as 2003, but Drummer has now begun to spend it down rather than give it back to the taxpayers who were over-taxed in the first place. Don't dare question Drummer's handling of township finances Schnitzler warns. "Drummer generally has a friendly demeanor. But he becomes irate at the suggestion that reorganizing trustees’ offices would offer more help to the needy," he writes. “We’ve given shirts off of our backs. Literally,” Drummer said. “Coats out of our closets. Literally.” You're real funny Carl, real funny.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Mayor Greg Ballard is facing the first ethics test in his 30-day-old administration and is failing it badly. As Advance Indiana was the first to report, Ballard's choice to lead the Capital Improvement Board is a lobbyist for Simon family interests, and his law firm lobbies for the Indiana Pacers. The Star's Brendan O'Shaughnessy, borrowing heavily on my original reporting (without attribution, of course), lands a front-page story questioning the ethical propriety of one of the biggest appointments Ballard will make as mayor. O'Shaughnessy opens his story:Mayor Greg Ballard's choice to lead the Capital Improvement Board heads a law firm that has lobbied for the Indiana Pacers, one of the agency's biggest tenants.The CIB owns Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers.To avoid a conflict of interest in his new role, Barnes & Thornburg managing partner Robert T. Grand has set up an "ethical screen" that includes removing himself from any discussions about the Pacers.He also has promised to bar the firm -- one of the city's biggest, representing various clients with interests in city business -- from working for anyone involved in matters harmful to the CIB and said he would forgo any potential compensation from his firm's involvement with the Pacers.A political watchdog questioned whether those steps would be enough to outweigh the perception of a conflict, while an ethics expert questioned whether it would limit Grand's effectiveness on the board.As I pointed out in my report, the appointment of Grand to the CIB directly clashes with a key element of Ballard's campaign pledge to enact ethics reform if he was elected mayor. That campaign pledge promised to prohibit registered lobbyists or people with a financial interest from serving on any board or commission that directly affects or deals with their lobbying or financial interests. With an "ethics schmethics" style reply, Ballard said of the Grand ethics problem, "Bob said he wouldn't do it if it embarrassed us," Ballard said. "But we want top talent." O'Shaughnessy added, "Ballard also said Grand 'has a reputation for being a clean and ethical guy.'" I would add an editorial comment here that Ballard didn't even know who the hell Grand was until a few months ago when he showed offering to raise a few bucks for his strugging campaign. Grand's response was equally as repulsive as Ballard's. "Why would I turn away this opportunity to serve this mayor and my city because I happen to be registered as a lobbyist?" he asked.To cover up the error in this horrific decision, Ballard and Grand have created what they call an "ethical screen" to give the appearance they are trying to deal with the problem. Because the Indiana Pacers are one of the biggest agenda items coming before the CIB, essentially Grand, as its leaders, will supposedly step back from participating in any decisions involving the Pacers. Under this plan, which I assure will have attorneys all over town laughing as they stand around the water coolers Monday morning discussing it, Grand will do the following to avoid conflicts of interest:

• Notify the CIB any time a client of the firm is involved in "matters with or become adverse to the CIB."
• Abstain from taking part in deliberations or votes on such matters.
• Establish an "ethical screen" that precludes Grand's involvement in matters in which the firm represents the Pacers.
• Bar Grand's access to the firm's files on the Pacers.
• Bar access by firm attorneys to any materials Grand receives in his role as a member of the CIB.
• Deduct from Grand's compensation any share of firm income derived from representing the Pacers.

"I have not ever been involved with anything with respect to the Pacers," Grand said to O'Shaughnessy. "To the degree that there is any involvement of the firm with the Pacers, I won't be involved," he added. In the business world, this would be the equivalent of telling the CEO of General Motors he couldn't participate in any decisions involving the company's entire Chevrolet division. "The CIB and the firm have to weigh if the breadth of (ethical) screens is so great that the person would be limited in what they can do," former state ethics commissioner David Hadley said. Nobody with a straight face can say this ethics screen will work. For God's sakes, Bob Grand is the managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg. The ethics problem has already surfaced. Everyone knows, Mayor Ballard, that Grand made sure you were fully briefed on the financial problems facing the Pacers franchise because of lousy attendance, and that Grand or his law firm arranged for your meeting with the Simons at Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday. It's no secret the Simons think they got a raw deal compared to Irsay and think their lease deal with the City should be renegotiated. As O'Shaughnessy reported:The thorniest issue Grand might face is the possibility that the Pacers could seek to renegotiate the team's 20-year lease at the 10-year mark, in 2009.Ballard met with the Simons at Conseco on Thursday. Both sides said the point of the meeting was to get acquainted. Ballard said there was no discussion of a new lease.Speculation that the Pacers will ask for a new lease has been fueled by reports about the team's financial problems.What is incredulous about this move by Ballard is the degree to which he has been willing to abandon the higher moral ground that he had coming into office with "no strings attached" as he told the media in order to advance the self-promoting Grand's status as a leading state and city "power broker." Grand's claim that "lobbying" is a small part of what he does is simply not believable to anyone who knows this man. As to ethics, let's examine this part of O'Shaughnessy's story. "[Grand] said his experience in public finance as an adviser to then-Mayor Stephen Goldsmith in building Conseco Fieldhouse and Victory Field qualified him to serve in the position." So he advised Goldsmith on behalf of city taxpayers on the public financing of Conseco Fieldhouse and then he and his firm turned around and became a lobbyist for Simon interests, including the Indiana Pacers. The only thing you can say about the Conseco Fieldhouse lease with the Simons is that it screwed taxpayers a little less than the Lucas Oil Stadium lease with Irsay.Because Ballard has set out with such reckless abandon to pursue this "business as usual" governance of our city, we must now turn to the City-County Council for help. This appointment of Bob Grand must be rejected by the council. "Council Democrats said they were nonetheless concerned," O'Shaughnessy writes. "After taking considerable heat last year for a series of ethics-related questions about then-council President Monroe Gray's business deals, some said Ballard should be more careful with his appointments." "I go back to perception," said Joanne Sanders, the Democratic minority leader. "I do have some concerns about the appearance of a conflict."As for Ballard, he tells O'Shaughnessy he plans to submit his own ethics reform package later this month, but if it allows for these kinds of appointments, then it isn't worth the paper on which it's written. This is what really insults the good people of this city. Ballard's Corporation Counsel, taking a page out of his predecessor's lack of respect for ethical considerations, said to O'Shaughnessy that "anyone qualified for a position such as one on the CIB is bound to have extensive business connections that create potentials for conflict." You see, in the world in which these people operate the only people "qualified for a position" come from within a small, elitist group who look down upon all of the rest of us. Strangely, until a few months ago, Ballard was one of those people they looked down upon. Now, Greg Ballard has become one of those people looking down at us in the same way.UPDATE: There is a key piece of information missing from O'Shaughnessy's report in today's Star which raises even more concern about this so-called "ethical screen." O'Shaughnessy writes, "Ballard said Grand was the one who raised the question of potential conflicts and offered to draft the letter to avoid them." "He said the city's top attorney, Chris Cotterill, reviewed the letter and approved the appointment," he added. Cotterill is a former employee of Grand's law firm! That's right. Cotterill worked as an associate at the same law firm where Grand serves as managing partner. He practiced at the firm for a short period after graduating from law school before Grand helped him land a job in the administration of Gov. Daniels. This is what happens when the Mayor appoints as the city's chief legal counsel a young political hack with virtually no real legal experience.indiana politics gay GLBT law

In a recent interview with Star political columnist Matt Tully, Democratic 7th District congressional candidate Andre Carson cited ten years of service as a state excise police officer in explaining that he was qualified to serve in the U.S. Congress. A public records request of Carson's personnel file turns up little information upon which we can weigh the experience he gained while working there. Employment records show that Carson began working as an excise police officer on August 24, 1998 and stopped working there in October of last year after nine years of service. His starting annual salary was $18,980, and he was earning $47,648 a year when he resigned his job to take a marketing position with Cripe Engineering. His rank of Officer remained unchanged throughout his tenure.Superintendant Alex Huskey of the Indiana State Excise Police explains that some information is missing from Carson's file because a Marion County grand jury led by former Prosecutor Scott Newman's office seized Carson's personnel file, along with several other state excise police officers, including that of a cousin, Sam Carson, soon after Carson began working as an excise officer. Newman convened the grand jury to investigate allegations of favoritism within the agency, which at the time was run by a former campaign manager of the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, Eugene Honeycutt. At the time, Honeycutt was accused of hiring the two Carson grandsons as a favor to Rep. Carson. In 2000, Honeycutt pleaded guility to charges he accepted food, drink and sexual favors from two Indianapolis strip clubs, although he denied ignoring excise violations at the strip club in exchange for the favors. Another excise employee, John Dugan, was also charged with ghost employment. Both Honeycutt and Dugan lost their jobs. Although neither Carson was charged with wrongdoing during the investigation, Huskey says the prosecutor's office retained some of the information removed from Carson's personnel file.To be hired as an excise police officer, a candidate need not have a college degree. As a 22-year-old Carson filled out an application for an excise police officer position on September 8, 1997. Carson was required to attest that he had not been convicted of a felony and had never been a member of or affiliated with a group or organization which advocated the overthrow of the U.S. government by force, violence or other unlawful means. After being hired, he was sworn in as an excise officer on October 16, 1998. Excise police records show that Carson successfully completed basic training at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in 1999. He finished 88th out of 89 students in the class. However, Huskey cautioned not to read too much into Carson's next-to-last place class ranking. He noted that his academic average of 85.3% was statistically close to peers in his class and well above the passing 70% threshold required of academy attendees at the time. Carson eked out a passing grade in criminal law with a 70% score and a 72% score in hazardous materials. His highest score, 96%, came in firearms. Huskey noted that Carson was a squad leader. A graduate of the academy tells me that a person is not always chosen to be a squad leader because the cadet demonstrates leadership ability. According to the academy graduate, who asked to remain anonymous, a squad leader role may be given to a candidate in need of extra leadership attention. Huskey also points out that newly-hired exicse police officers take their training after they are hired. Carson needed only to pass the basic training exam at the academy to remain employed as an excise police officer. How high he scored on the exam was irrelevant to his continued employment. Excise police records also indicate that Carson had an academic ranking of fourth among excise police candidates in his class. Huskey did not know how many candidates against whom Carson had competed.While serving as a full-time excise police officer, Carson earned a bachelor's degree from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin in 2003 in Criminal Justice Management and a master's degree in business management in 2006 from Indiana Wesleyan University. Because Concordia is located in Wisconsin, it is assumed Carson completed his bachelor's degree in a correspondence program. Although he was not required to do so, Carson had a copy of his undergraduate transcript placed in his personnel file. Carson studied from Spring, 2001 to Summer, 2003, earning an overall GPA score of 3.48 and credited with 128 hours. His study period was shortened as a result of 14 credit hours that he received from his law enforcement academy training and another 6 credit hours transferred from Ivy Tech. Although he earned mostly As and Bs, his lowest grades came in the latter part of his studies. He earned a C in Mathematics 125, a C- in Algebra 122 and a C- in Statistical Methods 169. Carson earned an A in the World of Islam and an A in the Management of Law Enforcement Agencies. Huskey said he believed Carson completed his studies at Indiana Wesleyan University through evening and weekend classes.Soon after Carson became an excise police officer, a letter of commendation dated December 13, 1998 and signed by Sgt. Don Weilhamer, Jr. of the Indianapolis Police Department was placed in his personnel file. Sgt. Weilhamer expressed gratitude to Carson's then-boss, Superintendent Gene Honeycutt, for the work of Carson and Officers John Dugan and Kevin Leslie with the investigation of several eastside Indianapolis bars. The investigation resulted in a number of arrests. "These Officers did an excellent job," wrote Sgt. Weilhamer.Although Carson never earned any promotions during his service as an excise police officer, from December 1, 2006 to August 28, 2007, Carson was assigned to the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center within the state's Department of Homeland Security as a watch officer. Huskey could not provide a job description for Carson's work at the Fusion Center because of the sensitive nature of his work there. Carson's website, nontheless, describes his duites. "There he worked in an anti-terrorism unit to provide Indianapolis and all of Indiana with the security measures necessary for our physical safety," the site reads. His employment ended there when he was appointed to the City-County Council and became a candidate for election to that office in the November election. Huskey explained that the Fusion Center received grants from the federal government and, although Carson's salary was still paid by the Indiana Excise Police, the decision was made to return Carson to his former job to avoid Hatch Act problems. In a letter dated September 4, 2007, Monte McKee, Executive Director of the Fusion Center, praised Carson's service. "I couldn't be more pleased that you were on our first staff of watch officers during the critical time of start-up operations at the fusion center and seeing us through to a point when we could grow to a full 24-7 operation."Weeks after Carson returned to the State Excise Police, he tendered his resignation to become a marketing specialist for Cripe Engineering. Carson tendered his letter of resignation in a memorandum to Supt. Huskey dated October 2, 2007. "I have enjoyed nine full years with this wonderful organization," Carson wrote. "I appreciate (sic) the opportunity to serve you."indiana politics gay GLBT law

In a surprising move, State Rep. Carolene Mays (D-Indianapolis) becomes the second major Democrat to challenge Andre Carson for the 7th District nomination in the May primary. State Rep. David Orentllicher has already entered the fray. According to Blue Indiana, Orentlicher jumps way out ahead of all other contenders in fundraising. He reported more than $170,000 in receipts by year's end, leading long-time Carson family friend and supporter Wilson Allen to complain that Orentlicher was collecting checks for his campaign before the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson (D) had even died. "Most of that December money came in before a legal campaign committee was even filed with the Federal Elections Commission on 12/31/07," Allen added.Many expected Mays to drop her bid after her poor performance at the Democratic slating caucus for the 7th District March 11 election, where Carson was picked over her, Orentlicher and several other serious candidates to face off against State Rep. Jon Elrod (R-Indianapolis). Some speculated she would, instead, opt to run for the seat of the ailing Sen. Glenn Howard (D-Indianapolis), who is not expected to run for re-election. Mays, publisher of the city's black newspaper, Indianapolis Recorder, said in making her announcement, “Indiana needs an experienced, hardworking, and compassionate leader to serve constituents of District 7 and I’m the person to serve the community in that position. I’m extremely committed to continuing the work of being an advocate and community bridge-builder.”Mays may not be the last to enter the 7th District Democratic race. Former state health commissioner Woody Myers is also said to be planning a run. Some African-American leaders fear a fractured community will pave the way for an Orentlicher victory. Others fear that supporters of Carson's opponents will cross over and vote for Republican Elrod in the special election, hoping to dash Carson's primary bid by causing his defeat in the special election. I'm picking up signs from a number of hardcore Democrats that they intend to settle a score with the Carson machine, which they charge rigged the outcome of the caucus for Carson, and who they believe is imminently less-qualified than any of the other Democratic contenders.indiana politics gay GLBT law

After being nominated earlier this week for a position on the Citizens Police Complaint Board, Gary Jennings learned from CCC President Bob Cockrum that his appointment would not move forward due to a 14-year-old DUI conviction on Jennings' driving record. After Advance Indiana and other blogs reported on the fate of Jennings' nomination, many rallied to support Jennings. Today, Councilor Ryan Vaughn, who sponsored the resolution nominating Jennings, contacted Jennings with a bit of good news. Jennings' nomination will move forward and be acted upon at the February 11 council meeting. Congratulations to Jennings and a big thanks to CCC President Bob Cockrum for reconsidering his earlier decision. I would emphasize that the Board to which Jennings is being appointed has no say over whether a police officer is terminated or disciplined. It simply makes recommendations to IMPD based upon citizen input.indiana politics gay GLBT law

As promised, Star political columnist delivers his assessment of Democratic 7th District congressional candidate Andre Carson this week. It isn't exactly the inspiring piece the Carson campaign had hoped for, but it could have been much worse had his column more critically approached the candidate. Here was Carson's response to the question of whether he's qualified to serve in Congress:Are you, I asked, qualified to occupy a seat in Congress?"Absolutely," he said, not surprisingly. "You just have to look at my record."Carson talked about his decade as a State Excise Police officer, a tenure that ended last year when he took a private-sector marketing job. He pointed to his short time as a city-county councilman. His campaign biography emphasizes his work on a park board and with a neighborhood group.It's not a bad resume for a 33-year-old. But it's clearly not the kind of resume that would turn a guy named, say, Andre Johnson into the front-runner in a race for Congress . . ."I'm ready because of my record of public service and because of my heart," Carson said. "It takes a real commitment to think and act for those who don't have a voice."Carson talks frequently about "being my own man." But let's be honest: He is where he is because of his last name -- and that doesn't make him unqualified. He says years spent working beside his grandmother prepared him for office.So how did Tully do in assessing the candidate? A good way of answering that question is to take a look at what Tully could have discussed in his analysis but either chose not to or was prohibited by his editors from writing about it. Let's begin with the 10 years Carson spent working as an excise police officer. How did he get that job? According to the Star's own archives, he got it with the help of his grandmother's former campaign manager, who landed a job running the state excise police after he successfully managed her first campaign. That man, Gene Honeycutt, was later removed from his post after he became embroiled in a scandal involving favoritism for certain strip clubs in town in exchange for sex. He was forced to resign and faced criminal charges for his actions as head of the Indiana State Excise police. According to Star reports at the time, Honeycutt hired Carson and another one of his relatives despite their having lower test scores than other more qualified candidates.Tully also could have talked about Carson's ascension to his City-County Council seat by appointment less than six months ago. What was the first thing Carson did as a newly-appointed council member? He quit his state job and became a marketing specialist for Cripe, an engineering firm which does a lot of government work. Despite having no experience in the engineering field, Carson took a job which, at least from a public perception standpoint, expected him to trade on political favors to help win business for his new employer. That's not exactly a move which instills confidence in the public, is it? And what has Carson done since he's been on the council? There's no mention of anything he's attempted to do as an elected official. Sure, he's only been there a short time, but you would have thought he could have introduced a proposed ordinance or done something to demonstrate he's up to the job.There's also that matter of the endorsement of Carson's candidacy by controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrahkan. Once again, no mention of that in the Star. Oh well, as Paul Harvey would say, and now you know the rest of the story.indiana politics gay GLBT law

A joint memorandum to Indianapolis police officers from Sheriff Frank Anderson and Mayor Greg Ballard earlier this month suggested relations between the two weren't as bad as at least one person tried to make it out as. Today, the two confirmed the cooperative spirit by agreeing on the terms under which Mayor Ballard will assume control of IMPD under a proposed ordinance in front of the City-County Council. "Public Safety is job one," Mayor Ballard said in a statement. "This agreement is only the beginning of a process that will result in a new level of coordination and new capacities in public safety. It is truly a win-win for the citizens of Marion County, and I thank Sheriff Anderson for making a true beginning in building the consolidated law enforcement team we all deserve." Who will he (Abdul) have to blame now?indiana politics gay GLBT law

WISH-TV's political reporter Jim Shella quotes State Rep. Dave Crooks (D-Washington) as saying Advance America's Eric Miller is "the most misleading and dishonest person [he's] ever met in the Statehouse.” “If you people listening out there are sending this guy money, you oughta be ashamed,” Shellas quotes Crooks. The legislator owns his own radio station in Washington, Indiana where he hosts a weekly radio show. A new feature on his show, "Worst Hoosier," gave first honors to Miller according to Shella. Shella speculates that Crooks wouldn't have said what he did if he didn't own his own radio station and wasn't up for re-election.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Advance Indiana first raised the issue and now the U.S. Army Reserve is launching an investigation into why Lt. Col. Ray Mejia appeared with Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) in full military uniform at a State House press conference to express support for Delph's legislation, which is meant to crack down on employers who hire undocumented aliens. The Star's Dan McFeely reports today that both Mejia and Delph, a Captain in the Army Reserve and Mejia's commanding officer, are being investigated for violating U.S. military code of conduct by having Mejia participate in political activity while dressed in full uniform. As McFeely explains:The U.S. Army Reserve has launched an investigation into a Hispanic soldier and state Sen. Mike Delph after the soldier wore his uniform at a Statehouse news conference earlier this week.Delph, a Republican senator from Carmel who has been the center of controversy over his proposed illegal immigration bill, said he expected to be questioned tonight at Fort Harrison.Delph is a captain and company commander of the Army Reserve's 310th Expeditionary Support Command.The solider at his news conference, Lt. Col. Ray Mejia, oversees that unit's distribution management center.On Monday, Delph and Mejia held their news conference at the Indiana Statehouse in which Mejia -- a high-ranking Hispanic-- announced his support of Delph's illegal immigration bill. He used the media spotlight to describe his journey from Mexican immigrant to U.S. citizen by way of a U.S. military program designed to accelerate the citizenship process.Mejia wore his uniform at the press conference, which could be a violation of military rules. A spokesman for the Army Reserve was not immediately able to confirm the investigation nor answer questions.Delph said this morning that he and Mejia will accept the consequences."I spoke to Lt. Col. Mejia this morning and we feel that the uniform was relevant to how he became a citizen," said Delph, "and to refute the ongoing allegations of racial undertones to this bill."If we had to do it over again, we would do the same thing. And if there are military consequences, we both will accept them."indiana politics gay GLBT law

Advance Indiana first raised the issue and now the U.S. Army Reserve is launching an investigation into why Lt. Col. Ray Mejia appeared with Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) in full military uniform at a State House press conference to express support for Delph's legislation, which is meant to crack down on employers who hire undocumented aliens. The Star's Dan McFeely reports today that both Mejia and Delph, a Captain in the Army Reserve, are being investigated for violating U.S. military code by having Mejia participate in political activity while dressed in full uniform. As McFeely explains:The U.S. Army Reserve has launched an investigation into a Hispanic soldier and state Sen. Mike Delph after the soldier wore his uniform at a Statehouse news conference earlier this week.Delph, a Republican senator from Carmel who has been the center of controversy over his proposed illegal immigration bill, said he expected to be questioned tonight at Fort Harrison.Delph is a captain and company commander of the Army Reserve's 310th Expeditionary Support Command.The solider at his news conference, Lt. Col. Ray Mejia, oversees that unit's distribution management center.On Monday, Delph and Mejia held their news conference at the Indiana Statehouse in which Mejia -- a high-ranking Hispanic-- announced his support of Delph's illegal immigration bill. He used the media spotlight to describe his journey from Mexican immigrant to U.S. citizen by way of a U.S. military program designed to accelerate the citizenship process.Mejia wore his uniform at the press conference, which could be a violation of military rules. A spokesman for the Army Reserve was not immediately able to confirm the investigation nor answer questions.Delph said this morning that he and Mejia will accept the consequences."I spoke to Lt. Col. Mejia this morning and we feel that the uniform was relevant to how he became a citizen," said Delph, "and to refute the ongoing allegations of racial undertones to this bill."If we had to do it over again, we would do the same thing. And if there are military consequences, we both will accept them."indiana politics gay GLBT law

At last Monday's City-County Council meeting, Proposal No. 24 was introduced by Councilor Ryan Vaughn to appoint Gary Jennings as a member of the Citizens Police Complaint Board. CCC President Robert Cockrum notified Jennings, a grassroots supporter of Mayor Greg Ballard and Republican council candidates in the past election, that his appointment could not go forward because of a 14-year-old DUI conviction. Jennings asks, "Didn't Mayor Ballard say everyone deserves a second chance in defending the appointments of Olgen Williams, a convicted felon and admitted drug user, and Randall Tobias of DC Madam infamy?"Meanwhile, the Council appears poised to appoint two Libertarians to the Board of Zoning Appeals, Brad Klopfenstein and Timothy Maguire. Klopfenstein is a lobbyist for the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association and ran unsuccessfully as a Libertarian candidate for the council in 2003. Maguire was an unsuccessful Libertarian at-large candidate in this past November's election. Some would argue that the vote Maguire won in that election cost at-large Republican candidate, Michael Hegg, what would have been his seat on the council instead of Joanne Sanders. Sanders should be the one sponsoring Maguire's appointment.If Jennings' 1994 DWI conviction creates a conflict of interest for him in serving on the Citizens Police Complaint Board, will the Council believe that lobbyist Robert Grand should be disqualified from serving on the Capital Improvement Board because his law firm represents Simon family interests? And will the Council have to stop short of appointing Klopfenstein because of the conflicts of interest likely to arise when members of his organization come before the Board of Zoning Appeals?Update: Jen Wagner at Accidental Mayor reminds me of my old post on one of our judicial candidates here in Marion County who drove drunk as a teen-ager and struck and killed another man.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Mayor Greg Ballard called a black tie, high-priced gala at the Indiana Roof ballroom last night a "celebration for the City of Indianapolis." Former state GOP Chairman Mike McDaniel described it as "amnesty" for all the lobbyists and fatcats who contributed to Bart Peterson and dismissed Ballard's candidacy last year. Describe it how you like, the $500 a pop event was not about the grassroots campaign which elected Ballard. The message is loud and clear. You have to pay to play to be a part of the Ballard administration. Why else would a candidate elected to his first political office ask people to contribute to his campaign less than 30 days into his new administration and nearly four years away from the next election? More business as usual. The Star has a video clip of last night's affair, which you can view by clicking here. Hat tip to Accidental Mayor. indiana politics gay GLBT law

Come out and join friends and supporters of Jon Elrod for Congress at the Lockerbie Glove Company at 430 N. Park Avenue in downtown Indianapolis on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. A minimum contribution of $50 is requested. Checks should be made payable to JonElrod.com. Beverages and refreshments will be provided. You can RSVP and find out more information about the event by clicking . Hope to see you there.indiana politics gay GLBT law

As lobbying successes go, Advance America's Eric Miller should be pretty pleased with the results he's gotten in Senate President Pro Tempore David Long's Senate. He got the Senate to once again unnecessarily pass SJR-7, the gay marriage amendment. The Senate passed legislation which is intended to drive Hispanic workers from our state. There was a bill passed to further regulate abortions, and another bill made its way to the House which allows pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions, such as birth control, with which they morally disagree. The Senate even passed a number of Gov. Mitch Daniels' property tax reform proposals, including an amendment to cap property taxes on homeowners. But none of that matters to Miller. Long dared to defy Miller by sending his proposed constitutional amendment to repeal the property tax to a study committee rather than to an immediate vote, and now Miller is declaring war against Long.Miller unleashed on Long unlike anything I've seen him do in the past in an e-mail alert to his followers today. Sen. Long allowed a hearing on SJR-8 earlier this month, but at a second hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, which Long chairs, members of the public were not allowed to speak. It was at this meeting that Long announced the proposal would be sent to a study committee for further study instead of being voted on this year. "Senator Long abused his position as the Chairman of the Rules Committee and refused to allow any of the more than 20 citizens who came to the hearing to testify on Senate Bill 100," Miller wrote. "I have had the privilege of working with both Republican and Democrat Committee Chairmen in the House and Senate for over 25 years," Miller continued. "I have never seen a Committee Chairman do what Senator Long did on January 22nd!" Miller goes on to accuse Long of engaging in "politics as usual" and to say that Long only denied a vote on SJR-8 because he knew it would pass if the members had been given a chance to vote on it. Anyone see the irony here? Isn't this sort of the same thing that's happening over in the House between Miller and House Speaker Pat Bauer over SJR-7, the gay marriage amendment?Miller warns Long that the "battle isn't over." He promises to find another home for SJR-8 elsewhere. As Advance Indiana earlier reported, Miller's supporters in the House deliberately killed Gov. Daniels' property tax cap amendment, HJR-1, by trying to tack the gay marriage amendment and Miller's property tax repeal amendment to it. "We will continue to work with Republican and Democrat Legislators to add language dealing with the Repeal of Property Taxes to another Resolution moving through the Legislature," Miller promises. Miller plans a State House rally on Friday, which has created quite a dust up with other tax activists because he's tying his push for the gay marriage amendment to his property tax repeal push, a move not supported by many tax activists. Some of the tax activists are promising some drama during the rally over these differences. As for Long, it's hard to have sympathy for him. He got in bed with Miller on all these other issues. Now, he has fleas. And probably a primary opponent in his Fort Wayne Senate district to boot if Miller has anything to say about it.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Proving to the public he's nothing but a self-serving career politician, Lawrence Mayor Paul Ricketts has figured out a way to pad his pay with a 25% pay hike after his first month in office. Ricketts ran for the job knowing it paid $65,000. Although he said nothing about the matter during his campaign to oust Mayor Deborah Cantwell from office, he now thinks he's entitled to an additional $15,000 pay because the City is taking back control of the water utility former Mayor Tom Schneider, a Ricketts pal, illegally handed over to a private entity, along with millions in cash and publicly-owned assets. As the Star's Kathy Kightlinger explains:"I'll explain in detail the time spent and money saved and how the duties are above and beyond the duties anticipated in the summer of 2007, when the 2008 budgets were set," Ricketts said. "In no way did this year's budget anticipate or compensate anybody for the additional chores of bringing the water utility back to city's supervision."At stake is the utility board's decision to pay Ricketts $15,000 a year over his $65,000 salary for work he'd do related to the city's water and sewer services. The board also approved additional paychecks of $12,500 for Controller Kimberly M. Diller and $3,600 for the board's secretary.Another $65,000 was set aside for a graphic information system coordinator."These were not duties that were part of the mayor's job when I ran for it," said Ricketts, who added that an $80,000 yearly salary puts his pay in line with that of mayors of cities of similar size.Lawrence officials and Utility Service Board members have been overseeing the operations of the city's utilities since late 2007, when a city lawsuit with the services' former private operator was settled."I have probably spent 25 to 35 percent of my time, additional time, working on the water ... situation," Ricketts said. "I don't see that stopping in the near future."It's common for a utility service board to pay a portion of a mayor's salary, according to Ricketts."If you go around the state, you'll find that the utility sometimes pays half," he said.The water deal former Mayor Tom Schneider cooked up to line the pockets of his political cronies just won't go away. Even in getting the city-owned utility back in the city's control, its cost to taxpayers just keep piling up. Last year, former Mayor Cantwell entered into a controversial settlement with the private company which took control of the water utility under Mayor Schneider, agreeing to pay it $2 million after years of litigation. It had already been established that the deal Schneider entered into with his pals was illegal under Indiana law. Some observers believe the settlement agreement may have cost Cantwell her re-election. Ironically, cronies of newly-elected Mayor Ricketts benefitted most from that controversial settlement.indiana politics gay GLBT law

After spending their week throwing as much you know what into the proverbial fan over at the State House, our favorite wedge whacks are now pointing fingers while they're still trying to wash off the mess on their faces. “I am shocked that the House Democrats killed both the elimination of residential property taxes and the defense of marriage amendment last night and adjourned,” Rep. Jackie Walorski decried (R-Lakeville). “I feel bad for Hoosiers, who have the right to vote on these issues. When I was in the majority, I never killed a bill just because of an amendment. I don’t understand why they are afraid of having a discussion. Since the session isn’t over yet, I’m hopeful, but not confident that both these issues can be revived.”It was actually Assistant Republican Leader Eric Turner (R-Gas City) who was trying to tack on the gay marriage amendment to Gov. Daniels' property tax cap amendment for homeowners when House Speaker Pat Bauer decided to pull the amendment. Walorski was too busy filing amendments about abortion and other needle-in-the eye amendments to the hate crimes bill, HB 1076, which proved successful in killing that bill for the second year in a row. "House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said House Republicans were trying to destroy the Republican governor's proposal," the Star's Bill Ruthart writes. "House Minority Leader Brian Bosma argued Bauer should have allowed discussion on the possible changes," Ruthart added.Meanwhile, the driving force behind these wedge whack issues, Eric Miller, is out recruiting new, fundamentalist fanatics to run for the State House. Miller, head of the so-called Advance America organization, sends out an e-mail to his brethren this week reminding them that all 100 House members are up for re-election and one half of the Senate's 50 seats will be on the ballot. "We have prepared an extensive manual on how to run a successful campaign as well as a set of DVD’s that include presentations by a number of Republican and Democrat elected officials," Miller writes. "This manual and DVD set normally sell for $134." "For a limited time, we are able to offer the manual and DVD set for only $99," he adds. Let's see, D.C. Stephenson offered a hood, bedsheet and "naturalization papers" for $26 to join his order back in the 1920s. It made him a millionaire and helped him to elect the best legislature money could buy for his "Americanization" agenda. Miller is a little smarter than Stephenson. He creates a nonprofit organization so all his followers can take take deductions for their contributions to him, and he pays himself and his law firm six-figure sums year after year. How little things have changed in our Hoosier state.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Advance Indiana is picking up rumors that Sen. Glenn Howard (D-Indianapolis), who has missed the entire legislative session to date this year due to an undisclosed illness, will not be filing for re-election. State Rep. Carolene Mays (D-Indianapolis), who earlier launched a bid for the 7th District Democratic congressional seat of the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, will abandon those efforts and run for Howard's seat according to a source. City-County Councilor Cherrish Pryor, who was just elected to the council after being appointed to fill the vacancy of former CCC member Greg Bowes last year, has already filed to run for Mays' House District 94 seat. Speculation is that the Center Township Democrats are trying to keep the public in the dark as to Howard's intentions in order to prevent others from entering the race. State Rep. David Orentlicher is so far the only Democrat who has filed to challenge Andre Carson in the 7th District race.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Not since the hey days of the Ku Klux Klan's and D.C. Stephenson's reign of terror over Indiana in the 1920s has so much intolerance and bigotry dominated legislative deliberations at our Indiana State House. In the 1920s, it was the blacks, Jews, Catholics and eastern Europeans who posed a threat to "Hoosier values." Today, it's the gays and the Hispanics who threaten our very way of life. Hispanics can only take solace in the fact that they may be a little less popular in the Indiana Senate than the gays are.Yesterday, the Indiana Senate voted by a 37-11 margin to put our state squarely in the business of regulating immigration. Forget that the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government alone the right to control immigration. We are facing an invasion from the South, and it must be stopped. "Despite fears it might open the door to racism and warnings that Indiana's economy would suffer, the state Senate on Tuesday night passed a bill that would crack down on businesses that employ illegal immigrants," the Star's Dan McFeely writes. "This bill is very simple. It is about the rule of law, one of the pillars of democracy," Sen. Mike Delph explains. Sen Brent Steele explains it's no different than your corner drug dealer. "What are we saying . . . to our kids?" Steele asked. "It would be the same as saying to our kids that it's OK to sell drugs as long as you make a profit."Earlier, the Senate voted by a 39-9 margin to constitutionally ban something which has never been legally permitted in Indiana, the marriage between two men and two women. For good measure, SJR-7 would further bar the recognition of any legal incident of marriage for any unmarried couple, whether straight or gay. The proponents tell us that the threat of whatever it is they fear might become legal in this state is the greatest threat ever faced to the institution of marriage. Many of the proponents of this legislation have been married more than once, mirroring the greater than 50% divorce rate in this country. We're still waiting to hear what caused them to break their vow "til death do we part."In the House, where leaders think that there might be something wrong with writing discrimination into our state's Bill of Rights, have announced the death of this proposed amendment, but that hasn't stopped the proponents. House Assistant Republican Leader Eric Turner sacrificed Gov. Mitch Daniels' constitutional amendment to limit property taxes on homeowners last night by trying to tack the marriage amendment on to it. Speaker Bauer pulled consideration of HJR-1 last night, effectively killing it in the House. Now we know that the House Republicans place a higher priority on promoting discrimination against gays than finding solutions to the problem of rising property taxes. Oh, and did I mention the same killer amendments Rep. Jackie Walorski (R) and Rep. Jeff Thompson (R) filed to the hate crimes bill last year succeeded again in killing the legislation this year on second reading. Indiana can continue to boast that it is one of five states, including Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Wyoming which doesn't have a hate crimes law. God save our state.indiana politics gay GLBT law

Evidence of dissatisfication with the Democrat's anointed candidate to take the place of the late Rep. Julia Carson, her grandson Andre Carson, becomes more evident as another Democrat files to challenge him in the May primary. Community leader Frances Nelson Williams joins State Rep. David Orentlicher and State Rep. Carolene Mays in opposing Carson for the primary nomination for the 7th congressional district. Earlier, former state health commissioner Dr. Woody Myers also indicated he would challenge Carson for the nomination. Democratic African-American leaders are becoming concerned that a fractured community may pave the way to victory for the lone white candidate in the race, Rep. Orentlicher. They've made it clear that they believe the 7th District congressional candidate must be black, although blacks make up less than a third of the district.The Star's Maureen Groppe is also reporting that Andre Carson's candidacy will get a financial boost from a D.C. fundraiser this Thursday. "Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, the Michigan Democrat who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, is heading a Thursday fundraiser for Carson at the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington," Groppe writes. "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the rest of the top four Democratic House leaders and the head of the campaign arm of House Democrats, are also listed as hosts on the invitation." PACS are being solicited to contribute $5,000, while lawmakers are being asked to contribute $2,000. This must be the point where the $140,000 remaining in the late Rep. Julia Carson's campaign is divvied up among varous PACs and candidate committees, who in turn donate the money back to Andre's campaign.The organizer of Carson's fundraiser, Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick, should be familiar to Advance Indiana readers. She is the one who stood up and announced at the televised funeral of Rep. Carson that she made a death bed wish to her that Andre should be the one to succeed her in Congress. "Send my seed," she declared according to Kilpatrick. These aren't the best of times for the Kilpatrick family. Detroit voters followed that "send my seed"mentality in electing Kilpatrick's son as their city's mayor. Last year, Detroit taxpayers were hit with a $9 million judgment brought by law enforcement officers charged with providing security to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Although Mayor Kilpatrick testified during that lawsuit that he did not have a sexual relationship with his chief of staff, text messages obtained by the media through public access have shown otherwise. Mayor Kilpatrick may now face perjury charges. This may give 7th District voters pause before they follow Rep. Kilpatrick's advice and send Andre Carson to Congress to take his grandmother's seat.indiana politics gay GLBT law