"The challenges we face are clear — one-third of children in Indianapolis live in poverty, too many of our schools continue to underperform, and it is harder than ever for middle-class families to find work in the city they call home," Hogsett said. "In the coming weeks, I am looking forward to getting out into our neighborhoods and listening to ideas on how we can make this a safer city to live and raise a family in."I really don't like to hear a mayoral candidate talk about schools. We aren't electing a school superintendent; we're electing a mayor. Mayors should keep their hands off the schools and focus on delivering basic city services efficiently and competently in a way that doesn't incentivize the City's residents to continue their flight to the suburbs, something the current occupant has failed at miserably.
State Rep. Ed DeLaney had already beat Hogsett to the punch in setting up an exploratory committee last month. He's chairing his own committee, while Liane Groth Hulka is serving as his treasurer. DeLaney let it be known he's not going anywhere just because Hogsett jumped into the race. There's always been a bit of competition within the Evan Bayh faction of the Democratic Party between the DeLaneys and Bill Moreau on one side and Hogsett, Joe Andrew and Kip Tew on the other side. DeLaney criticized Ballard's plan to repeal the homestead property tax credit to fund pre-K education. He picks up on the point I made that elimination of the credit will mean a loss of millions of dollars in current funding for Marion Co. schools. "He's robbing Peter to pay Paul," DeLaney told the Indianapolis Star.
Washington Township Trustee and lobbyist Frank Short is nominally in the race as well, although nobody is taking his candidacy very seriously at this point. City-County Council President Maggie Lewis has said she won't run for mayor next year. She's supporting Hogsett.
9 comments:
In regards to Mayor's and schools. Ballard kicked off his very first City address at Christel DeHaan's ...as you will recall he is an advocate for Charter and made that clear...
Bye Bye Ballard. We shall wait and see.
I interviewed Ballard in June, 2007. He had very strong feeling about public schools at that time. He thought we needed to invest in improving IPS and the township schools, not invest in creating new charter schools. He did a 180 within a week following his election on that issue, along with just about every other position he took in that campaign. Ballard is a fraud and a crook. I will not rest until he's drive from public life forever. The man belongs in prison. You can't measure the long-term damage his corruption has cost this city. The path to becoming South Detroit may be irreversible at this point thanks to his plundering of our assets.
As always, Gary, you say it best. And you say it truthfully.
Ballard received one vote from me when he first ran and I never voted for the liar again as soon as I realized what he was all about.
The man's a total sell-out, a complete fool, an utter boob, and a useful tool to the law firm owners and the local so-called "elite" who happen to have a few extra bucks than the rest of us. While Ballard may most likely be denied a third term, the City will be no better off with a Democrat at the helm especially with the likes of Hogsett, DeLaney, and Short.
Similar to exchanging Stalin for Lenin, nothing in this town will change unless a person possessing real morals and ethics- and who is not owned by a political machine- rises to the challenge.. there will be the same corrupt power brokers of both parties who covertly rule the City and run and rob the roost.
"There's always been a bit of competition within the Evan Bayh faction of the Democratic Party between the DeLaneys and Bill Moreau on one side and Hogsett, Joe Andrew and Kip Tew on the other side."
Very true. Can we get that guy out of jail in Miami to shed some light on just how black DeLaney's soul is?
DeLaney is the Empire striking back. Barnes & Thornburg stands to lose a lot of the reins change.
Hogsett will crush DeLaney in a primary fight, and DeLaney should not be forcing the nominee to waste resources in the primary, but that's probably exactly what Barnes & Thornburg wants.
Great,,,another middle aged pasty white guy,,just what this city needs. Is there no person of color that will step up to the plate and represent our city? DeLaney is a nut case,Hogsett has the personality of a doorknob and is clueless about the black community.as for Frank Short,,umm,well, ..there really isn't much to say other than, I feel sorry for the man,,he suffers form delusions of grandeur.
Steve Campbell seems like a very bright, level-headed, Black man who could get support from all sides.
Whassup, Steve? I know you're out there. You wanna' be Mayor?
I was kind of hoping that Jocelyn Tandy would run as a Democrat for Mayor, myself. She could bring in Wilson Allen as her Deputy Mayor and have diversity that the Democrats so desperately want.
I wonder who the Libertarians will run? Probably somebody worth a precious vote.
Gary, maybe I'm the only one who is taking Frank Short's candidacy seriously because I have seen him campaign. He's a natural working a room. He's not averse to hard work. When he was on the Council, he could take a punch and hit back. If he raises sufficient funds, he'll be formidable in a primary.
Finally, the question is: what will the makeup of the Dem primary electorate be next May? Yes, Hogsett's from Rush County originally, but few people know that: his current position at a law firm and Bayh/Obama connections make him appear to be part of the "upscale" Democratic Party. Ditto for Rep. Delaney. Frank Short was a councilman on the East Side and is now a Twp Trustee: he's a "pavement" Democrat, not upscale.
Short's task is to capture the votes of his wheelhouse because there are more "pavement" Dems than "upscale" Dems. If Hogsett and Delaney split their natural constituency's vote, so much the better. Not a bad strategy to run for office.
Finally, lest anyone take offense: I use the terms "upscale" and "pavement" as shothand and NOT in a pejorative manner. My intent is to capture in a single word the difference between wealthy Dems and blue-collar Dems. If I was referring to my own GOP, I'd use the same terms, though the GOP is much more of a coalition party now than it was in the 80s and 90s.
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