Waterman Ties His Horse To Tax Protest Movement

With the help of attorney John Price, Sen. John Waterman (R-Sullivan) is tying his independent bid for governor to the property tax protest movement, which got its first results when reassessments were ordered in several counties, including Marion, and ended with the enactment of significant property tax reform and relief legislation this past legislative session, which will cap taxes on homes at 1% of the assessed value. The idea of repealing property taxes is now being made the centerpiece of Sen. Waterman's independent bid. Waterman confirmed his third party candidacy of the "Taxpayers Party" in this statement today:

State Senator John Waterman confirmed today that he is seeking signatures from Hoosier voters to run for Governor of the State of Indiana. Waterman will run on the newly formed “Taxpayers Party”. Joining Waterman on the ticket as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor will be Glenna Jehl, Republican Party activist from Fort Wayne, Indiana. (Resumes attached)

“For some weeks now, since the adjournment of the session of the General Assembly, I have been approached by voters from across the State who are seeking a different direction and a change of leadership in the Governor’s office. The number of calls accelerated after the May 6th primary when the Indiana Democrat Party selected its nominee for Governor and the June 2nd Republican State Convention. What I have been hearing from voters is a call for a true choice for Governor.

“Neither candidate has pledged to solve Indiana’s property tax crisis by repealing property taxes. Along with Senators Waltz, Young and Delph I co-sponsored SJR 7 to repeal property taxes. The promised summer study committee to analyze the impact of repealing property taxes was apparently just a ploy to placate taxpayers during the Legislative session. Indiana can have a TRUE CHOICE for Governor – but to do so the Taxpayers Party will need 33,000 signatures of registered voters.

“Therefore, along with Glenna Jehl, we are offering Hoosiers a chance to make a choice for Governor. We have less than thirty days to obtain the signatures of 33,000 registered Hoosier voters. That would normally be a daunting task, a “political miracle”, but we look forward to working with Hoosiers willing to sign petitions to place the Taxpayers Party, and our candidacies, on the November ballot. The time is short, but the level of enthusiasm is high. Working together, real Hoosiers, conservative Democrats and conservative Republicans, can take back our State for real Hoosier values. We urge interested Hoosier voters to download our Petitions from: http://www.taxpayersparty.net/

“As the campaign obtains the necessary signatures, and we are certified on the fall ballot, we’ll be addressing the many critical issues facing Indiana and our future.”

Let's not be fooled by the party label upon which Waterman's candidacy rests. His candidacy is all about an extremist group of religious right fanatics who want to impose their fundamentalist Christian views on all Hoosiers. It is not about repealing property taxes. Note that Waterman's press release mistakenly cites SJR-7, the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages and deny any legal incidents of marriage to unmarried couples, straight and gay, for SJR-1, the amendment to repeal property taxes. His running mate, Glenna Jehl, was at the center of the extremist campaign run by Fort Wayne mayoral candidate Matt Kelty. That campaign crashed and burned in large part because of the efforts of anti-abortion activists Jehl and Fred Rust, the head of the Allen Co. Right to Life organization, on Kelty's behalf. Personal loans which Jehl and Rust made to Kelty, but which were not originally disclosed by Kelty, resulted in his indictment by a special prosecutor on several campaign finance-related violations. Although Gov. Daniels has given these folks most of what they've demanded the past four years, they are absolutists. If you're not with us 100% of the time, then you're against us. This self-destructive movement has one objective: Defeat Mitch Daniels. People who are dissatisfied with Daniels and the Democratic candidate, Jill Long Thompson, have the right to support another candidate. But the people involved in the property tax protest movement should understand the true motive behind Waterman's candidacy has nothing to do with their cause.