Governor Rewards FSSA Employees For Fraud-Fighting

Last week, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) had little good to say about the job employees of the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) were doing managing the state's welfare programs as he announced his administration would award a $1 billion plus privatization contract to a consortium of companies, which includes the former employer of FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob. Today, he recognized the efforts of some of those same employees in helping uncover more than $1 million in fraud. From a press released issued by the Governor's office today:

More than one thousand convicted drug felons are receiving state welfare benefits illegally, according to initial findings of a state and federal investigation, and will be removed from the state's welfare rolls as individual findings are confirmed, Governor Mitch Daniels said today.

Daniels lauded state and federal agents who recently uncovered the problem, and presented awards to several state fraud investigators at the second Governor's Public Integrity Summit, hosted by Inspector General David Thomas. Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) investigator Kim Devoy, U.S. Department of Agriculture agent Lisa Nelson, and FSSA auditor Deb Currey received medals of commendation for the drug felon cross-match investigation. Mike Hoose, Patti Serbus, John Rihm and Al Marshal, all from the State Board of Accounts, were recognized for their efforts in ferreting out government inefficiency, waste, fraud and abuse. Their audits recovered $1.8 million from BMV accounts, and an additional $98,000 in State Police Pension funds . . .

A recent joint investigation by FSSA investigators and the USDA Office of Inspector General compared local welfare rolls with criminal history databases. In Marion County alone, more than 1,000 recipients of food stamps and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) were shown to have felony drug convictions. Further investigation is needed to confirm identities and receipt of benefits before any criminal referrals to local law enforcement authorities may occur, but Thomas said the ongoing investigation soon will be expanded statewide. That will likely result in further substantial savings as more ineligible recipients are identified . . .

While padding these FSSA workers on the back today, he uses their discovery as support for his privatization efforts. "The governor said the discoveries further illustrate the need for Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) reforms he announced last week that will include upgrading the state's antiquated procedures to give investigators better tools for determining recipients' eligibility," the press release said. "These investigators have found another example of the errors, waste and fraud rampant in our current system." "Just the cases found so far by our fraud fighters cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year," Daniels said.

It seems to me that one can conclude quite the opposite as for the privatization component of the governor's plan. If state workers are challenged and led to do a better job through the right kind of leadership, they can achieve the same kind of results the governor claims only a private company can achieve. Yes, their antiquated systems need updated to help weed out these types of errors, waste and fraud. But even without the new systems promised by the state's private contractors, these state workers managed to find and correct a serious problem. The governor's press release also put in a plug for the Inspector General, although there was nothing in it to suggest the IG's office was responsible for detecting this particular problem.

Breaux Making Candidacy Official

Jean Breaux, daughter of Sen. Billie Breaux (D-Indianapolis), is officially announcing her candidacy to replace her mother as state senator in Indiana's 34th Senate district tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. outside the Senate chambers at the Indiana State House. Sen. Breaux is stepping down from the seat to assume her new job as Marion County Auditor on January 1. Jean Breaux is currently employed at the Forest Manor Multi-Service Center. She previously worked at Community Development Corporation and the Indiana Department of Commerce. She has a B.A. degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Democratic committeemen in the 34th Senate district will meet on December 11 to choose the new senator. City-County Councilor Ron Gibson (D) is also expected to seek appointment to the seat. There are two years remaining on the unexpired term. The person selected by committeepersons will have to run in 2008 to retain the seat for a full 4-year term.

NWI Times: Hate Crime Law Lacking In Indiana

INDIANA STATE POLICE SPOKESMAN SAYS LAW NOT NEEDED
The Northwest Indiana Times' Bob Kasarda brings attention to the fact that Indiana is one of only five states in the country without a hate crimes law despite plenty of evidence of bias-motivated crimes. Kasarda writes:

When Valparaiso police learned in October that someone had painted an offensive racial term and posted a cross at a local apartment complex, the department treated the incident as a potential hate crime.

The FBI was called in and steps were taken to address a failure by the responding officer to collect the cross as evidence, Valparaiso police Sgt. Mike Grennes said.

No arrests have been made. But even if someone eventually is apprehended, local officials can go no further with the case as a hate crime.

Indiana is one of only five states in the nation without legislation allowing prosecutors to enhance penalties for bias-motivated crimes, according to Adam Schupack, associate director of the greater Chicago offices of the Anti-Defamation League.

Kasarda explains, "Hate- or bias-motivated crimes are defined at the state and federal levels as offenses committed against a person or property that are motivated by a bias against the victim's race, religion, disability, national origin, ethnic origin or sexual orientation." "Sixteen suspected hate crimes have been reported statewide so far this year, and 51 were reported last year, said 1st Sgt. David Bursten, an Indiana State Police spokesman," Kasarda notes. He points out several hate crimes in the Northwest Indiana region in the past year alone:

-- Six bullet holes were discovered in July in the copper dome of the Michigan City Islamic Center in Pine Township. Doors, windows and a spotlight also were damaged.

-- An obscene racial term was found scrawled in February on the home of a Munster family from India. The month before, the family's vehicle blew up in their driveway.

-- Also in February, a 15-year-old Hobart High School freshman was charged with spray-painting racial epithets and a swastika near the home of a black resident in the city. The resident told police her telephone line also had been cut in the past.

While Indiana has a hate crime reporting law, the law has no teeth to ensure that law enforcement properly report all such incidents. Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi (R) supports the enactment of a hate crimes law. His office assures AI that it's at the top of his legislative agenda this year. His office recently prosecuted a case in Indianapolis where a group of individuals were held responsible for setting fire to a home on the city's near southside out of fear that a black family intended to move into the home--a fear that later turned out be based on a misunderstanding.

An Indiana State Police spokesman questions the need for a hate crimes law. "The proposed hate crime designation will not be any more effective than existing laws in preventing these types of offenses," Bursten said. "Crime is crime," he said. The Anti-Defamation League's Schupack disagrees. "We think it's important government acknowledge these crimes have a disproportionate impact on the community," he said. "The impact is serious enough that officials must resist the temptation to write off these offenses as mere pranks," Schupack said.

Rep. Duane Cheney (D-Portage) tells Kasarda he would support the legislation, but he doesn't think it will have a good chance of passage in a "conservative General Assembly." "I believe we have a duty to send a message that it is morally wrong on its face," he said of hate crimes, "especially in a nation where we claim to be welcoming to all."

Besides Indiana, only Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Wyoming don't have a hate crime law. That's not a distinction that helps Indiana's image in the least bit. Hopefully, Bursten of the Indiana State Police doesn't speak for the Daniels' administration. If the Daniels' administration plans to oppose Brizzi's legislative efforts this year, it's going to have some serious explaining to do.

The Accidental Coroner: I Found Out The Office Had A Lot Of Power

I'm not sure why this is an item in the Star's "Behind Closed Doors" column instead of a news story, but it suggests that nobody may be on duty come Monday in the coroner's office to perform autopsies. Dr. Stephen Radentz, whose firm originally had a 5-year contract with the office before Marion Co. Coroner Kenneth Ackles terminated it six months ago without explanation, had said late last week he would go ahead and perform autopsies through Dec. 19 in order to avoid a gap in services. He's had a change of heart, however, after nobody from the coroner's office or the city would communicate with him after he extended the offer. The Star reports:

Friday's storm apparently knocked out the lights at the Marion County coroner's office. It was, coincidentally, the same day that its soon-to-be-departed team of forensic pathologists had threatened to quit taking on new autopsies.

Whether the chief forensic pathologist, Dr. Stephen Radentz, will show up Monday to turn the lights back on was unclear.

In a heated dispute full of accusations and leaks to the news media, Coroner Kenneth Ackles and Radentz have stopped nearly all communication. Ackles earlier this year terminated a five-year contract with Radentz's firm, an order that takes effect Dec. 19. Ackles has yet to give any explanation for the termination.

Ackles has apparently been trying to hire a Virginia forensic pathologist with a troubled past, though he won't confirm the potential hiring of Dr. Joye Carter.

Radentz offered last week to continue taking autopsy cases until the end of his contract, even though he said the normal practice is to have a months-long transition period.

But by Friday, when he got no response from any city or coroner officials, he said he would not work alongside the new hire and may not come in at all Monday.

The next chapter in this saga won't be known until then.

So when tomorrow rolls around, we may or may not have a licensed forensic pathologists at work in the coroner's office. Ackles, meanwhile, seems not at all concerned about the crisis surrounding his office based on an interview he gave the Star's Jon Murray. To hear Ackles explain it, it's just a bunch of disgrunted Republicans. "I think Republicans had this office for 50 years. . . . And I've been in office for one year and 11 months, and everything that I do is wrong," he tells Murray. He says the average person in his office has worked there for 15 or 20 years, and "I got the same people." In fact, several of the more qualified persons have left the office since Ackles took over and have been replaced by people with virtually no experience.

Murray's interview takes a turn towards the comical when Ackles actually claims he's more qualified than his predecessor, Dr. James McGoff, an emergency room physician, in response to Murray's suggestion that his lack of qualifications is a source of criticism against him. He responds:

No. It might have a little impact, but the main criticism, I don't need to tell you what it is. Me being a chiropractor, technically I'm more qualified than the guy that had the office. You know why? I'm a businessperson. I've been in business for 20 years. I do accident cases, I've been to court, I know depositions, I know lawyers and I know how to run a business.

The thought "accidental coroner" comes to mind as Ackles explains to Murray how he come to run for the office. "I have to laugh about that first." "It was strictly by accident." "I was asked to run, and I checked it out and couldn't see any reason why I didn't want to run." He doesn't say who specifically asked him to run for the office other than to concede it was a person from the Marion Co. Democratic Party. He also concedes that the power of the office was an allure to him. He tells Murray:

I think maybe power. I found out the coroner's office has a lot of power. I never thought about it. . . . Once I was elected, it was about two or three weeks before I came to the office. They had lunches for me, and I never showed up.

Well, I'll tell you why. I had to figure it out. I believe that. Once I decided to do something, I always make it. And I had not decided . . . I had to -- being the coroner -- figure out the situation.

You see, I'm kind of an emotional guy . . . I'm a very passionate guy, that's why I'm good for this job. When a decedent dies, I feel it. You know, I do. I do . . .

When you really look at it, I'm blessed. I'm really blessed. And it's a little discomfort. But you know, let's face it. Martin Luther King paved the way, and by golly, I'm the coroner of Marion County.

Pretty scary when you stop to think about what Ackles said in this interview.

Why Indiana's HIgh Dropout Rate Matters

Indianapolis' latest murder victim died senselessly at an under-21 club after an altercation inside the club led to his shooting outside in the parking lot. Seventeen-year-old Eric Hendricks, the victim, was a high school dropout. WRTV reports:

"He (Hendricks) had some prior arrests," [Detective Christine] Mannina said. "But speaking with the family, they seem to be a real nice, cooperating family."

Hendricks' grandmother and guardian told 6News that he had been in trouble before, but was a good kid. She said the former Pike High School student was working on getting a GED.

No one can say with certainty that Hendricks would be alive today if he had stayed in school, but we know the odds are against high school dropouts making it in today's world. If we really want to reduce crime, we need to learn how to effectively educate our children. Until we begin to place a higher value on education, we're going to continue to see more senseless killings like this one.

Bayh Moving Closer To Presidential Bid

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) takes the next step in his expected 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination by announcing the formation of an exploratory committee. Bayh will appear tomorrow on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopolous" at 11:00 a.m. to discuss his presidential bid. According to the Star's Maureen Groppe, ABC is billing Bayh's interview as an exclusive. NBC's Tim Russert is the king of the Sunday morning talk shows, with much higher ratings than Stephanopolous' ABC show. Perhaps Bayh's campaign wanted the candidate to kick off with a softball interview, unlike the intense, tough grillings Russert is known for giving his guests.

Sen. Bayh has done quite well in the campaign fundraising department with more than $10 million in the bank. He'll need much more than that, however, if he wants to compete with the fundraising prowess of the Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY). On paper, Bayh is the ideal candidate for the nomination. He has had tremendous electoral success in a red state. He has the executive experience most of his potential opponents are lacking, having served two terms as Indiana governor. He has picked up some valuable foreign policy credentials during his decade in the Senate. His centrist views don't scare away significant portions of the electorate. And most importantly, he is a scandal-free candidate.

Having said that, everything that makes Bayh an attractive candidate for the general election is pretty much a liability for him as he attempts to stir the Democratic Party's liberal base. He consistently polls way behind other potential candidates, such as Clinton, Edwards, Obama and Kerry, earning support from only about 2% of Democrats. Obama, who's qualifications for the job pale in comparison to Bayh's, immediately soared ahead of him in the polls as soon as he hinted he might run. Yesterday, the New York Post reported that there was rising speculation that Clinton would pass on a 2008 run if Obama jumps into the race. I find that very hard to believe.

The odds still favor a Clinton nomination, which I think would guarantee defeat for the Democrats in 2008. Her popularity among Democrats is largely driven by party activists' affinity for Bill Clinton. As much as Democrats like Bill Clinton, he has never been widely popular with the American public. The fact is that he received less than 50% of the vote in both runs for the White House, earning a smaller percentage of the vote than both Al Gore and John Kerry earned in their respective presidential bids. A significant portion of the electorate will never vote for a Clinton again because of the well-deserved baggage both Clintons picked up during their 8 years in the White House. A Clinton win would require a visible third-party candidate, along with a weak Republican candidate. As it stands now, any of the Republican front-runners, including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) could defeat Clinton. Republicans' worst fear is that someone like Sen. Bayh will win the nomination. I'm not sure any of those Republican front-runners could beat him.

Breaux-Gibson Showdown

There may be a showdown in the race to succeed Sen. Billie Breaux in Indianapolis' 34th senate district between two competing factions of the Marion Co. Democratic Party when Democratic precinct committeepersons meet on December 11 to choose Breaux's replacement. Breaux is stepping down from her Senate seat at the end of the year to begin her new job as Marion County Auditor, an office she won in last month's election. AI hears that Sen. Breaux would like to see her daughter, Jean, chosen as her replacement. City-county councilor Ron Gibson, who is up for re-election next year as an at-large councilor, is also vying for the appointment.

Sen. Breaux owes her Senate seat to her predecessor, Julia Carson. With Carson's strong backing, Breaux won out over Eunice Trotter in a hard-fought primary election after committeepersons chose Breaux to take Carson's seat after she was elected Center Township Trustee. It remains to be seen whether now-U.S. Rep. Carson will help Jean Breaux to the same extent she has helped her mother in the past. Carson singled out Gibson for criticism for his vote against the HRO when it was first voted on last year. Gibson later changed his position and supported the HRO on the second vote. Gibson is said to be the favorite of Rep. Mae Dickinson (D), who is believed to hold sway over a significant number of committeepersons in the district. Dickinson and Breaux have never been close, and Dickinson is reported to strongly oppose Jean's selection.

Ron Gibson's prospects are weighted down by the fact that he has charges pending against him for battery, disorderly conduct and public intoxication after an alleged altercation with a female sheriff's deputy outside a downtown night club during this past summer's Black Expo. Some Democrats believe the pending charges won't hurt Gibson's chances in the race to succeed Breaux. In fact, there has been some recent speculation that some or all the charges against him may be dropped, although I would be surprised if all the charges were to be dropped.

Elrod Picks Up Extra Vote In Recount

Jon Elrod (R) picked up an extra vote in a recount of the District 97 state representative race, giving Elrod an 8-vote win over incumbent Rep. Ed Mahern (D). The State Board of Accounts result will now go before the Indiana Recount Commission where lawyers for both sides will make their arguments. Expect the Commission to declare Elrod the official winner soon.

Shine Seeks Protective Order Against Wife

In a bizarre twist to a domestic dispute between Allen Co. GOP Chairman Steve Shine and his wife, Beth, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel reports that Shine filed for a protective order against his wife this week barring her from the couple's home or from coming near him. The paper writes today:

Nearly three weeks after police responded to a 911 call from his house to investigate an alleged domestic battery, Allen County Republican Party Chairman Steve Shine has filed for a protective order against his wife.

Shine, a family law attorney, filed the order Tuesday against Laura Beth Shine, according to Allen Superior Court documents. Shine, 54, declined comment, and his wife could not be reached for comment.

The protective order says Beth Shine, 51, must stay away from her husband and the Shines’ home in southwest Allen County. A hearing is scheduled Dec. 21 on the matter.

According to Indiana State Police, on Nov. 9, Shine reached into the car his wife was driving and tried to grab the key from the ignition but it broke off. He said no physical abuse took place. The findings of the state police’s investigation have been sent to Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards but have not been released. She has asked for a special prosecutor to decide whether criminal charges will be filed against Shine.

The News-Sentinel reported earlier this week that Shine's wife, Beth, was recanting earlier claims he had committed domestic battery against her. Quoting Steve Shine, the paper reported: “That’s all I can tell you at this time.” Shine said the incident was the result of “frayed nerves” over a disagreement with his wife. But, he said, no domestic violence occurred. Shine said his wife has since recanted any allegation of physical abuse.