Thursday, December 07, 2006

Abduallah Takes Reno Junket While Selling Out Constituents On 300 East

Adding further insult to injury, City-County Councilor Patrice Abduallah (D) decided to take a junket to a National League of Cities convention in Reno, Nevada during the MDC vote on the zoning variance for 300 East yesterday after dropping his opposition to it, claiming he never got a clear answer from his constituents. The Star reports today on his absence:

The City-County councilman who represents the area, Patrice Abdullah, opposed serving liquor in the building but said he'd defer to his constituents in the neighborhood. He said he never got a clear answer from them. Abduallah was out of town Wednesday, at the National League of Cities convention in Reno, Nev.
Hopefully, Mr. Abduallah's luck has run out after rolling the dice on the taxpayer's dime, and the voters will end his completely ineffective tenure on the city-county council when he stands for re-election next year. By the way, I always thought his name was spelled "Abdullah", as many others do apparently based on web searches, but the city's website shows the spelling as "Abduallah." Some official city records have misspelled his name "Abdullah" in the past as has the Islamic Society of North America, an organization affiliated with his Muslim faith.

The two neighborhood leaders of the Mapelton-Fall Creek Neighborhood Association, who twice refused to give neighbors the opportunity to vote on 300 East, showed up and testified that the residents supported the bar anyway. "But at Wednesday's meeting, prominent neighborhood leaders Al Polin and Clara Warner, both outspokenly in favor of the restaurant/bar, insisted they'd polled residents by phone and that the majority of residents favor it also," the Star reports. And Rep. Julia "I ain't got no nickel in that dime" Carson sent a letter to specifically state she "had no opinion whatsoever" on the bar to disabuse anyone on the Commission of the notion she opposed the bar. "In September, as the flap was erupting, she said she opposed selling liquor in the building, where she has her local offices," the Star notes.

According to the Star story, the soonest the bar can open based on the timing of approval of the transfer of a liquor license is January 16, 2007. The bar's owners made this promise to gain approval for their license:

Before the variance was granted Wednesday, the restaurateurs agreed to close by 10 p.m. weekdays and by midnight Saturdays and Sundays. They agreed to have no live entertainment, including DJs. They agreed to keep the piped-in music at 60 decibels or lower on their outdoor deck -- and to shut it off completely if asked to by either the local neighborhood association or the community development group.

Recall that one of 300 East's principal investors, Bill Mays, also owned the Savoy nightclub on the city's northside--a neighborhood pub which was later converted to a dance club and operated illegally for more than a year before it was shut down after the MDC denied it a zoning variance request made after the fact--but not before plaguing the area with crime and drugs. Although it's not mentioned in the story, at least one attendee claims the bar owners were also granted permission to stay open late during special events, such as Colts and Pacer games. That would add dozens of nights during the year the bar could operate after-hours if that's the case.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you know if Patrice sent a letter to the MDC, or was he a 100% no-show?

If Rep. Carson sent a no-opinin letter, that's better than I thought she'd do. Good for her.

Her chief of staff's wife chairs the alcoholic beverage board. That meeting will be interesting.

Don't get your hopes up, tho, and not just because Ms. Choate chairs that commission. The ABC, by statute, can deny transfers only for a few narrow reasons. Neighborhood opposition is typically not one of those reasons.

What a complete and nasty mess this has become. How in the hell did Polin and the other lady show up and claim to represent their neighborhood? After they'd dislalowed a vote?

Someone got paid.

Anonymous said...

The State controlls all liquor licenses. We will see if this one passes. Club Mecca in Eagledale, closed. The Savoy Bar/Restaurant, closed. We don't care who the investors are. The building belongs to the tax payers of Center Township, not Carl Drummer or Julia Carson. 300 East will be closed if there is one incident of illegal drug dealing reported in the parking lots or any after hour partying. The residents will not tolerate the drugs dealers again.
We will shut it down! Bank on it!

Wilson46201 said...

Sounds like a former 'dancer' at a North Meridian strip club knows all about drugs in the parking lot! It's odd she wasn't a remonstrator yesterday...

Anonymous said...

Oh, Wilson, can you and Jocelyn just have a duel at sundown and get it overwith already?

Gary R. Welsh said...

The liquor license transfer will be approved. At this point, the Board would have no basis for denying the permit.

Anonymous said...

Gary - considering Ms. Choate has dressed down MCANA and other neighborhood groups when they would point out state alcohol laws and Ms. Choate would respond "I don't agree with your alleged interpretations" and ignore their concerns.

Only when I(M)PD comes forward to remonstrate a permit does the liquor board pay attention.

When Patrice Abduallah dropped opposition that sealed the deal.

WE WILL REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!

Wilson46201 said...

November is gone and past - the voters spoke and rejected your Republicans and their failed policies. Only Brizzi survived. Get over it and move on.

Anonymous said...

The election wasn't about the broken Marion County zoning process.

That election is NEXT year, Wilson.

Gary, there is one point on which the alcoholic board can deny a transfer: applicant's character and history of operation.

The applicant for transfer, as I understand it, is a corporation, whose principal agent, Mr. Johnson III, got a DUI this summer. And whose majority stockholder, Mr. Mays, was chief partner in a lousy operation called Savoy, complete with multiple police runs and staunch, organized neighborhood opposition.

Seems to me the applicant has some 'splainin to do. Hmmmmm?

It's the only opportunity opponents have. And frankly, it's not a bad option. By their history, these applicants have shown wanton disregard for procedure, neighbors and the law.

Waddaya think?

The other thing opponents can do, once this joint opens, is take a good book (or two), plop down, order one cup of coffee, and read for a few hours. Take up space. Seriously. There aren't that many seats here, albeit high-priced seats. Beat them at their own game.

And the FOI requests should start flying. Mr. Trustee has some explaining to do regarding the lease document, which should be public record.

indyernie said...

Wilson give it a break. Will ya? The last thing we need is one Queen making fun of another.

Wilson46201 said...

go to hell ernie - and take your homophobia with you and Jocelyn!

Anonymous said...

Wilson get a life other than the one you are living, will you? You continue to slander people on these blog who don't support the Ghetto Mafia members.

You have proven to everyone that you are a perverted nutcase trying to be black. You really do have an identity crisis. You do not and will not dictate what African Americans think. Evidently your white community has rejected your membership. Go home and stay there until the men in white jackets come and take you away to the funny farm!

Anonymous said...

Gary-- do you really allow these comments to stay posted when they so clearly cross the line into slander?

Anonymous said...

Wilson writing "November is gone and past" is quite comical. He won't let ANYTHING go.

On a different note, It all depends on what the definition of "paid" is.

Anonymous said...

Gary, I don't understand why your site and a lot of people are being so harsh on this group of African Americans who are opening this business. The same things happen all over the city with individuals who are white with money who change the rules to benefit themselves and their investors. Why aren't you guys talking about the special consideration that was given to the son of the owner of the First Indiana Building to build a 9 floor building next MacNiven's Scottish Bar, with overwhelming rejection from the Mass. Ave. businesses and surround neighborhoods. No one is speaking on the favoritism given to this entity. I believe that everyone has valid points in this discussion, but some of the points are very negative and somewhat very racist against a group of people who happen to be African American and wealthy. This particular group is not the first to use their money, position and power to do what they want in the city of Indianapolis. Look at the Simon Family, they do what they want and far more lead the way to push whatever project they want in this city, (i.e. their new headquarters office downtown). I just think we should be just as aggressive with any group of individuals with money when they want to circumvent the rules for their selfish purposes. Also, we want to accuse this particular establishment with drug use, when we can look at many downtown establishments in the LGBT district who have a much higher levels drug use and sales activity and no one on this site has mentioned that activity. Also, the high levels of criminal and drug activity that take place on the Broadripple Strip and the dowtown bars where Have A Nice Day Night Club (which has had over 1000 violations concerning underage drinking and sexual harrassment cases filed by women) since its inception. So we must be considerate and equally fair in standing against any group of people white or black who believe that their money and positions in life give them the right to do whatever they want to do.

Anonymous said...

When Keith checks in, whatever he says, I know I've heard it all.

The racial argument is bogus, Keith. Try to pay attention: this is about abuse of power, regardless of skin color.

It's about a majority owner who, despite his multi-faceted gifts to the community over years, operated an illegally-established club on the northside for over a year, causing unreal anguish on the part of those neighbors. Finally, that one was closed. No thanks to the majority owner, who was largely an absentee owner, oblivious to the crimes and harm his establishment caused.

1000 violations at a particular bar downtown? Have at it, Keith...go to their next license renewal hearing. I'm betting the number you cited is highly-elevated, or the excise folks would'v ebeen all over this already.

We have only our past reputations as business operators to predict how we'll operate in the future. This establishment (300 East)does not deserve a liquor permit beased on the actions of their majority owner and applicant signatory, who received a DUI this summer.

A liquor license is a priveledge graned by the state and county. It is not a right because someone has a large checkbook. Citizens have a right to weigh in on this establishment's liquor license.

And, to top it off, for 300 East, the "neighborhood input" was a sham, likely micro-managed (which is a VERY polite term) by the petitioners for 300 East. If you've participated in neighborhood association zoning debates, you'd know their votes are usually taken after much deliberation, and an association officer cannot and should not claim support or opposition without that vote. That happened yesterday, shamefully.

This has nothing at all to do with race. How dare you or anyone else insinuate otherwise. It's insulting. If you knew the facts of the case I doubt you'd have said what you did.

Anonymous said...

Well, well, well - Wilson you live in the NESCO area and not Mapleton Fall Creek and still meddling in other people's business I see. How many times did you use time in the Trustee's office to work on politcal stuff for Carson. I believe they call it ghost employment, a class D Felony. Is she holding your employment reords over your head? Maybe you should repay the township the money you owe for the number of hours you spent doing her campaign dirty work on the tax payers time. I hear you are spending your days now in the City-County Building daily working overtime searching files on people who don't support them. Is this true? Do they pay you for information? You seem to be on all the blogs spreading rumors about people. Maybe someone should pull your employment records and expose you.

Anonymous said...

go to hell...

You first Tokyo Rose.

Anonymous said...

Keith has made several points worth considering, and has done so respectfully. Why is this site so antagonistic toward this bar project, yet when someone raisess similar transgressions by others...they are rebuked?

The reactions are very aggressive...arguably over aggressive and it has the tinge of race attached to it.

Can we manage to maintain a hint of civility...is it that difficult?

Gary R. Welsh said...

Keith, if you check the archives you will see I was the only area blog which I am aware of who criticized the MDC's approval of Mauer's out-of-place, art deco high rise on Mass Avenue. "Favoritism" is what I called it. Also, I've been very critical of the city's special treatment of both the Simons and the Irsays at the expense of city taxpayers. Just check the archives and see for yourself. The city put a client of mine through hell who had owned and operated a neighborhood pub on the city's westside for over 50 years for nit-picking zoning issues. This group of insiders comes along and violates every law on the books and gets the red carpet rolled out for them.

Anonymous said...

the voters spoke and rejected your Republicans and their failed policies

Not as big of a failure as it will be with Nancy Pelosi and the Dead Muskrat running the House(s).

However I am referring to the NEXT election. The true referendum on how this city is truly f*cked up with 'Rats in charge.

Never send a jackass to do a pachyderm's job.

Anonymous said...

It's perfectly fine to be in favor of the bar at 300 East. So be it.

It's legitimate to oppose it.

But don't argue for a minute as Keith did, 1:01, that this is race-related. It's not.

And don't argue that the neighbors were in favor of it. We'll never know, thanks to Clara and Al. God love 'em. I was at one of those meetings, and aun unscientific review of the attendees, told me the neighbors were four-square against this.

That convenient rscism smokescreen is thrown up when people get something they shouldn't get. "Cross me and I'll accuse you of being racist."

The sheer arrogance of this petition knew no racial bounds. Its only boundaries were good sense and some pesky political connections that just don't seem to fade away.

Gary has been steadfast in his opposition to prferential zoning, as was the case on Mass Avenue. And it's architecturally ugly, to boot.

I don't think his opposition to that case was anti-Semitism, inasmuch as the petitioners were Jewish.

A petitioner's race or religion is irrelevant.

The rezoning petition should stand on its own two feet. In this case, it got on its knees.

The liquor license will likely go though the "professional reputation and good character" clause for transfer applicants could certainly be called into question here.

Whether they're black, white, Hispanic, Jewish, Indian, ...well, you get the idea.

And, for what it's worth, I disagree with Wilson on this one, but I'm kinda tired of hearing about his "ghost employment." If you had so much damned evidence of it at the time, you should've turned it over to a prosecutor.

Anonymous said...

It seems to me that the underlying issue between the proponents and opponents of 300East is gentrification. It seems to motivate a lot of the hatred from the opponents posting here. Wilson is a target on this venue because AI allows them to continue spewing their hatred at him—even though they have repeatedly crossed the line.

Sadly, AI seems agreeable to exploiting their emotions because it gets his issues scratched in the process.

As a longtime reader I know that AI have worked hard to appear non-discriminating in its critiques but it has become quite apparent that obsessive / compulsive rants are pointedly directed … Just look at the current page.

Anonymous said...

kay said, "Wilson is a target." she must not read the horrible things Wilson writes about black women he disagrees with on this site and others.

kay said, "but it has become quite apparent that obsessive / compulsive rants are pointedly directed … Just look at the current page."

Has she been reading what Abdul has been saying at his blog. He says today:

"2006 has not necessarily been the year of the Black politician and public figure in Marion County. Look at the list, Heather Bolejack, Ron Gibson, Ken Ackles, Eugene Akers, Carl Drummer and Monroe Gray, well I'm not 100 percent convinced on the last one.

But the way things have gone for these folks, I wonder if maybe I should break out my emergency homeowner's kit from college. It was white clown make-up I used to wear to festivals when I lived in Europe.

These people have made it a point to engage in behavior this year that really doesn't help Black folks' image as a whole. I won't say any of the above mentioned people have committed any crimes, although some have a special prosecutor breathing down their necks, but the sad part it is they will claim racism when they screw up and get caught, instead of taking responsibility for their actions.

What makes it worse is that there are a number of really good African-American politicians out there who work hard everyday to improve the lives of people who generally get left behind. And when others engage in shenanigans, it really hurts the entire group.

I hope things change in 2007, if they don't I think, I know who's getting clown make up next year so they can be someone else's problem."

I guess Abdul, a black man, is a racist to by Kay's standard.

Wilson46201 said...

It seems like Ike Randolph is the only Black politician Abdul and Greg Garrison really really like ... telling, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Gentrification....hmmm, interesting point, Kay. I hadn't thought of it.

Wilson's not the point regarding 300 East. Abuse of process. That's the point.

He just clowns it up and gets folks all riled.

Process, Kay. It's process. Not race, not Wilson, not gentrification, although it's an interesting observation.

Hundreds of people, myself included, have participated in the township-by-township review of the Comprehensive Development Plan, more than once. Those committees' work is reviewed and approved by the Commission and the Council.

The past two years of zoning cases have completely raped the Comprehensive Plan. Some of them are laughable. The Comp Plan can be altered, changed, move with the times, but some of these cases are a joke.

And in the 300 East, Driftwood and Savoy cases, some of the same names kept popping up.

The responsibility of Democrats, now that they govern, is to govern well. They fail miserably on this score. They pass with flying colors on others, but neighborhood development is at our core.

It's disappointing that some can so abuse the process.

Anonymous said...

2:39, my comment regarding AI’s focus on a ‘select few’, as witness by Gary’s current page, was a reference to political party affiliation not race.

3:46, Bull ...

Gary R. Welsh said...

Apparently Kay missed the posts on the former Allen Co. GOP executive director being charged with forgery and the post criticizing Gov. Daniels' on FSSA privatization.

Anonymous said...

THIS IS THE WORST BLOGGING I HAVE SEEN ON YOUR SITE OR ANY OTHER. WHAT A SHAME.

Anonymous said...

You got to be kidding...your reference to The Forgery Is a Crime post morphed into yet another AI rant on 300 East.

The post on Daniels FSSA privatization scheme was not on the current page. Even if it had been, which it wasn’t, it hardly be on balance with your over the top obsessive posts demonizing Indy Democrats.

Gary R. Welsh said...

If you are too blinded by your own Democratic partisanship, Kay, to recognize this as one of the few blogs which actually makes an effort to objectively discuss issues regardless of party, then you are a pretty shallow-thinking person.

Anonymous said...

Kay, rather than spending all your time attacking AI, why don't you actually make an attempt to defend the actions of the Democrats being criticized. You won't because you can't. Their acts are indefensible, regardless of which political party they are from. I am a Democrat, and I am distressed by the actions of all the Indy elected officials AI and Abdul have been taking to task. The Star has even taken the dramatic step of calling for Ackles resignation. I can't remember the last time the Star asked a local elected official to resign his office. I wish someone in my party would have the courage to stand up and tell these people we have to clean up our house. It's really beginning to smell, and it's not going to be good for our party in next year's election.

Anonymous said...

Kay, ya know hit it out of the park when Gary resorts to personal attacks :)

Anonymous said...

Democrats, now that they govern, is to govern well. They fail miserably on this score

Never send a jackass to do a pachyderm's job.

Anonymous said...

I just watched this miserable hearing again on Ch. 16.

Robert Kennedy needs to go.

The chairman needs to go.

And some poor confused gentleman, whose name escapes me, thought Rep. Carson's lack of being involved was an insult to her long years of service. He actually engaged in a dialogue with the petitioner that was rambling and confusing. He is a commissioner.

Time was, these new commissioners and zoning appeals board members, had to undergo training.

All that training was either skipped or ignored by most of these commissioners, or they've been on so long they have forgotten it.

A complete publis embarrassment and a sham, that's what this hearing was.

Anonymous said...

Patrice Abduallah's a BUM!