Friday, May 15, 2009

Ballard Insists On Closed Door Meeting With Council Democrats On CIB Bailout

Marion County Democrats are having a field day with Mayor Greg Ballard's latest "behind closed doors" meeting to discuss the CIB bailout. This one took place this afternoon with the Democratic members of the City-County Council. According to a press release, Democratic councilors asked that members of the media be allowed to be present for the meeting. Ballard balked according to the release and Democrats are now gloating over the fact that Ballard pleaded with them to support a tax increase, despite the fact that he used Democratic councilors' votes in 2007 in support of tax increases against them to defeat Mayor Bart Peterson and help elect a Republican majority on the council:

In 2007 Greg Ballard promised three things: lower taxes, more transparency, and more accessibility. Today, he failed on all three counts.

After being asked by Mayor Ballard to meet on issues regarding the Capital Improvement Board, the Indianapolis/Marion County Democratic City-County Council caucus sought to finally bring the Mayor into the public light by themselves asking Indianapolis’ media to join them at the meeting. Sadly, this effort at transparency, bi-partisanship and finding solutions in a open and accessible manner was thwarted by the Mayor when he kicked the media out of the meeting. Unsurprisingly, the Mayor also reiterated his desire for several tax increases.

“This represents yet another example of Mayor Ballard trying to increase our taxes in the shadows, beyond public scrutiny. Council Democrats sought to bring transparency to the Mayor’s office, and instead the public was yet again shut out,” said Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Treacy.

“Not only does the Mayor want to increase our taxes, but he wants to do so in the dark,” Treacy added.

You got to hand it to Bob Grand and Joe Loftus. They sure have done a heckuva job sealing Ballard's fate as a one-term mayor with their sage advice. At Ballard's last closed door meeting with business leaders and community leaders, Ballard was the only person in the room for that meeting who had supported his election as mayor. Note that both Loftus and his chief of staff, Paul Okeson, resided in Hamilton County in 2007 and couldn't vote for Ballard. Democrats don't exactly have clean hands. Their leader, Joanne Sanders, recently participated in a closed door meeting with Council President Bob Cockrum and Colts owner Jim Irsay to discuss the CIB bailout.

4 comments:

Paul K. Ogden said...

For the Democrats it must be like shooting fish in a barrel going up against Ballard.

You're so right that the Democrats don't have clean hands. Not one elected official has opposed the $15 million gift to the Pacers, asked for the CIB to be investigated or asked for any reform of the CIB.

M Theory said...

Paul, one elected official has done those things.

His name is Ed Coleman, the Libertarian.

He counts and as of now he is the sole elected official advocating for what is best for the people in this mess created by both Republicans and Democrats.

I know said...

Ballard did nothing behind closed doors that any of the rest of the Politicians do not do. At the Statehouse they demand you come see them and then stand around after testimony is given and watch people get chewed up by the Good Old Boy system and the courts for telling the truth.

The boys and girls at the State house meet behind closed doors, in basements and in "conference" rooms with no media around or public and make decisions on how best to take care of their "buddies". Ballard is only carrying on the "tradition".

Open Door in Indiana is when the door swings outward and your butt is tossed out!

Citizen Kane said...

Aren't their open door laws that prohibit such closed door meetings?