A Reversal Of Roles For Kennedy

Five years ago, Deputy Mayor Melina Kennedy was defending the administration of Mayor Bart Peterson against charges that his administration was taxing and spending too much, and that the budget process lacked transparency. Kennedy, an attorney for Baker & Daniels and candidate for mayor in 2011, is now asking the same questions of Mayor Greg Ballard in response to his announcement that he will provide a short-term funding solution to prevent the closure of six libraries at a cost of over $3 million a year. "I call on Mayor Ballard to open up the books," Kennedy says in a press release. "I call on the Mayor to explain how it is he has $170 million more than he said he needed to run this city, continues to raise fees and taxes, but until a loud public outcry, he stayed silent about the potential closing of libraries," she continues. I would like an answer to her questions as well, but I would also like her to explain her position on the proposed sale of the utilities, for which her law firm has been hired to handle on the part of the City. How much is her law firm being paid and does she support the deal her colleagues wrote that will pass on the largest tax increase in Indianapolis history in the form of higher rates?