Peterson Denies Gray Is Ghost Employee

During an appearance before the Community Heights/Eastside Community Organization tonight, Mayor Bart Peterson dismissed allegations that CCC President Monroe Gray is a ghost employee of the Indianapolis Fire Department and sees no need to investigate ethical problems involving a concrete company he owns. “There is no ghost employment and that Gray did not have city contracts," a neighborhood resident quoted Peterson as saying. Peterson told the crowd of about 55 residents a Star investigation which could produce no evidence Gray performs any work in his $83,000 a year community liaison position at IFD were simply "allegations." Peterson thinks it should be left to voters or a prosecutor to decide if Gray did anything wrong.

On the issue of government consolidation, the neighborhood resident reports that Peterson said he favored elimination of township government, including the trustee's office. When asked if that included Center Township, Peterson said, "Yes, why not?" Asked when he planned to hire the extra police officers he promised when he first ran for mayor 8 years ago, Peterson acknowledged the department was down nearly 40-60 officers. Peterson told the audience the city would have 300 more officers by 2008 than the city had when he took office 8 years ago. Abdul Hakim Shabazz reported this week that IMPD is currently 120-130 officers short. He further reports that, while IMPD will add at least 300 new officers by 2008, it will lose another 290 officers. According to his math, there will be no more than 10 actual new police officers by 2008.