Bayh Gives It Up For Hillary In Bid For VP Slot

Laying aside the fact that Hillary Clinton is one of the least popular politicians in Indiana, Sen. Evan Bayh has put his proverbial finger to the wind and decided she will win the 2008 presidential nomination. Ergo, Bayh endorses Clinton in hopes she will look favorably upon him when making her choice of a running mate next year. The Star's Maureen Groppe has the scoop on Bayh's expected announcement:

Sen. Evan Bayh today will endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton, a former rival campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president, The Washington Post and
The Associated Press reported Sunday.

Clinton's presidential campaign said late Sunday that it would receive a national endorsement at 1 p.m. today but didn't say from whom.

Bayh spokesman Jonathan Swain said he could not confirm that Bayh will be making an announcement today.

Joe Hogsett, head of Clinton's Indiana campaign and a former top aide to Bayh, said any endorsement should not be seen as a sign that Bayh is seeking the vice presidential nod. "I don't think you can equate an early endorsement with political motivations," he said.

The Post attributed the announcement to "several sources briefed on the decision."

Bayh prepared extensively for his own presidential bid before deciding in December not to run.

Bayh said the odds were too long given the candidacies of Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

But Bayh did not rule out being a vice presidential candidate.

Bayh and Clinton serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Both traveled together to Iraq in January.

The Clintons have known Bayh at least since Bayh and Bill Clinton were Democratic governors of conservative states.

Bayh and the Clintons are also both active in the Democratic Leadership
Council, a group of moderate Democrats that Bill Clinton led to steer the party away from its liberal wing.

Assuming Clinton wins the nomination, which would be music to the ears of Republicans, Bayh would bring absolutely nothing to a Clinton ticket. It could, however, severely tarnish Bayh's image among Hoosier voters. It would figure Clinton would choose Bayh only if she wanted a loyal suit who she would never have to fear overshadowing her. Frankly, I've never understood how any person with integrity would support either Bill or Hillary Clinton. There is nothing these two won't do or haven't done to get what they want politically. They could give a damn less about anything but furthering their own political careers. If Bayh wants to take on the Clinton baggage, let him have at it.

YouTube Ads A Player In Mayor's Race

While Democrats and those in the media who are supporting Mayor Peterson's re-election, such as WISH-TV's Jim Shella, have been highly dismissive of the value of independently-produced YouTube ads making their way around the community in this year's Indianapolis mayoral race, the Star's Mary Beth Schneider has a story today suggesting they may be having an impact. Schneider writes:

Instead of talking to their neighbors or posting yard signs, candidates' supporters and critics can take their messages to thousands -- even millions -- of people.

[Dan] Heiwig, a 26-year-old Indianapolis Republican, said he met Ballard and was impressed. But he knew that Ballard's matchup with Peterson was "a David-and- Goliath situation."

"They didn't know who he was," Heiwig said of voters. "Now they know who he is. Now they have a video."

Heiwig said he put up the first ad criticizing Peterson and supporting Ballard "just to see."

He let one person know about it, he said, and word spread quickly.

"The next thing I knew, everybody got it. I thought, 'This is great,' " he said.

He decided to put up two more and now plans to add a new one each week until the Nov. 6 election. To all but a seasoned political pro, the ads look just like the ones you might see on TV, complete with Ballard's slogan and references to his Web site.

As of Friday, the first two ads posted had been viewed more than 1,300 times each, and a third one about 950 times.

That's a minute amount by political-ad standards for a race in which about 150,000 votes likely will be cast.

But political experts say that YouTube's power can be explosive.

"It's a huge impact," said Democratic political consultant Robin Winston, a former state Democratic Party chairman.

In fact, he said, he encourages all of his clients to post ads on YouTube in addition to buying time for them on television.

Unlike TV ads, which are on-screen in 30-second increments for a week or two, YouTube ads are eternal; they can be viewed on the Web site whenever someone wants to click on them. Robert Schmuhl, professor of American studies at the University of Notre Dame, said YouTube is changing politics.

"It gives citizens direct access to political messages that might not otherwise be seen. And the access is really a two-way street," he said.

Anyone with a video camera can now capture an embarrassing moment for a candidate, post it online and change the course of a campaign.

Not surprisingly, the Mayor's campaign manager, Mike O'Connor is skeptical about the ad's impact. "O'Connor said he's seen little evidence that it can have the same impact on local politics," Schneider writes. Curiously, the Star provides no link in its online Star to any of the YouTube ads referenced in the article. Schneider's article focus on Heiwig's ads. I think the ads being anonymously produced by The Hammer are more effective and are receiving more hits than Heiwig's. You can view them by clicking here.

Justice Department Sues St. John Over Anti-Shack Up Ordinance

In the Town of St. John, Indiana city zoning regulations prohibit unrelated adults from living together in a single family home. The U.S. Justice Department is now suing the town because it would not grant a variance to allow another adult to reside with a person suffering from multiple sclerosis. The Justice Department suit is being brought under the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on a person's disability among other things.

I was surprised to learn that there are municipalities in this state which still enforce these so-called "anti-shack up" ordinances. It is so commonplace for unrelated adults to live together. Some are opposite-sex partners who don't want to get married. Some are same-sex couples who can't get married. And still others are just friends sharing a home together. In child custody disputes, judges sometimes impose a requirement that a parent exercising parenting time with their child not be shacking up with another adult to whom they aren't married. I recall reading a few years ago about one of suburban cities (I'm thinking it was Westfield) considering such an ordinance. Critics of that proposal claimed the city was using it to discourage undocumented Mexican-Americans from moving into the town.

If you know of other communities with similar ordinances, please share with us. I'm surprised these ordinances haven't caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. Someone should challenge the constitutionality of these ordinances. I think one can make an argument the government does not have a compelling governmental interest in prohibiting co-habitating living arrangements--at least under the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause. Indiana equal protection jurisprudence instructs us that legislative body can pass almost any law it chooses and the state courts will still find a legitimate basis for the statute's enactment under its deferential rational basis test it applies in such cases.

Hat tip to Indiana Law Blog for pointing this case out.

St. Joseph County Feuds With Daniels' Administration Over Property Taxes

St. Joseph County officials think Gov. Mitch Daniels' DLGF has been playing politics when it comes to the handling the county's property tax rates by the he DLGF, which only this week approved the budget submitted by St. Joseph County. That means property tax bills will be going out for the first time in St. Joseph County just weeks before the November municipal elections. Mayor Stephen Luecke (D-South Bend), in particular, is battling for re-election against a conservative GOP candidate, Juan Manigault, whose campaign is one of two major city mayoral races being targeted by the religious right. Republican Matt Kelty's campaign in Fort Wayne also has heavy backing from the religious right. The South Bend Tribune's Nancy Sulok writes:

Now that the numbers have come in, the gloves have come off in the dispute between county and state officials over the late release of budget numbers needed to set property tax rates for St. Joseph County.

The state's Department of Local Government Finance announced late Thursday that it has approved the St. Joseph County budget for 2007. The approval, several months late, was needed before the rates could be set for 2006 taxes, payable in 2007.

Each side is blaming the other for the delay.

DLGF Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave issued a release Thursday pointing the finger at county officials.

"DLGF has worked diligently with county officials to issue the budget for the county, and now we expect county officials to do the same in getting bills to taxpayers as soon as possible," Musgrave said. "Issuing the tax bills quickly will ensure local units of government can get necessary funds for services and will ease the burden on taxpayers, who deserve to have time to plan."

Three county officials -- Auditor Michael Eby, Treasurer Sean Coleman and Assessor David Wesolowski -- fired back Friday with a joint release of their own.

They accused the DLGF of "holding St. Joseph County tax rates hostage since July, resulting in hundreds of millions of tax dollars going uncollected, increasing taxpayer anxiety and frustration, and costing cash-starved local governmental units tens of thousands of dollars in borrowing costs.''

"I think those are very harsh words that are politically motivated," Musgrave said Friday afternoon in a telephone call.

The local officials point to some evidence of disparate treatment in how the DLGF treated counties in northern Indiana, particularly Elkhart County. The consequences of tax bills arriving this late could be significant for candidates like Mayor Luecke. Mayor Peterson, a close ally of Daniels, even though he is a Democrat, received a major boost to his re-election bid when Daniels ordered a reassessment of Marion County and instructed taxpayers to pay taxes based on last year's assessments instead of the huge increases they were faced with paying. The chickens will come home to roost big time for Marion County taxpayers next year when they are forced to pay this year's tax increases, along with next year's tax bills.

Airport Not Sure About Sinks For Muslims

Indianapolis Airport officials are singing a different tune after a front-page story in the Indianapolis Star last Sunday and the ensuing protest from Christian religious leaders about a plan to install foot baths in an airport restroom to accommodate Muslim taxi drivers with their daily cleansing ritual. The Star's Robert King reports those plans are no longer set in stone according to an airport spokesman. King writes:

Airport officials, facing complaints from the public and criticism from a local Baptist minister, say plans to accommodate the prayer needs of Muslim taxi drivers in a new terminal's design are a long way from being "set in stone."

Special floor-level sinks that would make it easier for Muslims to wash their feet before prayer are part of the current plans for restrooms that would serve taxi drivers in a new airport terminal due for completion next year.

But airport officials, who last week said the sinks were needed to solve a potential safety hazard from wet floors and to make the restrooms more sanitary, said Friday that plans for the foot sinks were "only preliminary."

"We're really a long way from having this set in stone," said Airport Authority spokesman David Dawson . . .

Complaints about the foot sinks, Dawson said, have been steady for about a week, since reports about them in The Indianapolis Star and other local media. One person objecting is the Rev. Jerry Hillenburg, a Baptist pastor who lost a son in Iraq two years ago.

Hillenburg believes placement of the foot baths in public restrooms is unconstitutional because they are being put their for a specific religion's ritual. Hillenburg accelerates tensions in the debate by questioning whether Muslims are loyal Americans."We also oppose the fraternization with our open enemies during a time of war." "I don't hate Muslims. I don't hate people who follow Islam," he said. "But I am at odds with anyone who threatens America and its citizenry, and I am at odds with anyone, period, who wants to destroy Christianity."

That brought a rebuke from Shariq A. Siddiqui, executive director of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana. "The problem I have with him is that he associates Muslims with the enemy," Siddiqui said. "For him to demonize all of us is the problem." Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell told King that Mayor Peterson does not agree with Hillenburg's broad generalization of American Muslims.

While I don't condone Hillenburg's comments about Muslims in general, I think the Muslim faith invites this form of criticism when their leaders fail to criticize extremist members of their own faith who are advocating terrorism against Americans and Christians. As a Christian, I have personally been called "anti-Christian" by those who disagree with my criticism of the religious right for using the political and legal processes in our country to impose their narrow view of Christian law on all Americans. Until Muslim Americans speak out against the terrorism and havoc extremists within their own faith are wreaking on our world today, many Americans are going to question their loyalty.

On the origins of the foot bath controversy at the airport, I suspect former CCC member Patrice Abduallah lobbied airport officials for the foot baths. You may recall he was critical of Marriott Hotels treatment of Muslim employees and questioned a public subsidy for the new convention center hotel unless the hotel's owners assured him it would not discriminate against Muslim employees wearing religious garb to work. Although he was only one vote on the council, he carried heavy sway with Mayor Peterson because Democrats have only a one-seat margin on the council. His vote, for example, was the deciding vote on the Mayor's $90 million, 65% increase in the county option income tax.

Greeson Suspends Two Battalion Chiefs

The fallout from Ruth Morrison's sex discrimination lawsuit against the Indianapolis Fire Department, which the city recently settled for $350,000, continues. Chief Jim Greeson, according to a Star report, has suspended two of his top deputies. The Star reports:

Indianapolis Fire Department Chief James Greeson today suspended two of his top deputies who were named in a discrimination lawsuit that the city recently paid $350,000 to settle.

Greeson suspended Battalion Chief Richard Longerich for 80 hours and Battalion Chief John Walker for 32 hours in connection with their failures to obey direct orders and department rules, said Kobi Wright, a lawyer for the city.

Capt. Ruth Morrison claimed Longerich, Walker and others in the fire department allegedly taunted her, unfairly disciplined her and prevented her from being promoted on the basis of her gender. The city settled on Sept. 5 and agreed to pay Morrison $350,000.

Longerich, Wright said, was punished because he violated Greeson's order by failing to attend a gender sensitivity training course. In July 2005, records show, Greeson ordered Longerich to complete the training after Morrison filed a discrimination complaint with the federal government.

Walker, Wright said, was punished because he attended a party at the firefighters' union in July 2005 in which 100 to 200 firefighters raised funds to offset the money Walker and Battalion Chief Richard Van Sant lost when Greeson suspended them for threatening and intimidating Morrison. Van Sant is now retired.

Greeson, according to records, had ordered the chiefs not to attend the party.

No word on what the administration plans to do about allegations of a citizen witness that Greeson referred to tax protestor Melyssa Donaghy as a "bull dyke" at a CCC meeting at which Mayor Peterson was about to deliver his budget address.

Democrats Nudging Carson With Myers

Frugal Hoosiers is floating the rumor that former Indiana state health commissioner Dr. Woodrow A. Myers is considering a 2008 Democratic primary challenge to the ailing incumbent, U.S. Rep. Julia Carson. The blog writes:

After the 2006 election many speculated that Congresswoman Julia Carson would announce her retirement prompting a free for all in the 7th district, which is chock full of people who think they're headed for Congress. Instead of retiring, the Congresswoman announced she plans to run for another term. Rumor has it at least one person is tired of waiting for her to step aside.

Dr. Woodrow Myers is apparently gearing up for an announcement to run against Julia Carson in the democratic primary. Myers was state health commissioner under Governor Frank O'Bannon and is currently the Chief Medical Officer for Wellpoint. He received his medical degree from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford so his IQ is presumably in the triple digits, a significant step up for the 7th district. No word on whether or not he looks to the stars to guide his medical decision making.

Myers has had a very successful career in the private sector and has recently moved back to Indianapolis according to one Democratic source. It appears a potential Myers candidacy is quietly being pushed by some high level Democrats to give Carson a nudge to retire rather than seek another term in office. It is also meant to send a message to any potential candidates that the party intends to ensure that Indiana's 7th District will continue to be represented by an African-American in the event Carson retires.

Dr. Myers once caused an uproar in New York when he was appointed that city's health commissioner by former New York Mayor David Dinkins in 1990. His appointment drew criticism from Dinkins' gay supporters. The New York Times reported at the time, "The controversy centered on Dr. Myers's support, as the Indiana Health Commissioner, for the confidential recording of the names of people infected with the AIDS virus, to trace their sex partners, and his backing of a quarantine for AIDS carriers who knowingly spread the virus." Dinkin was later defeated by Republican Rudy Guiliani, who enjoyed strong support within New York's gay community throughout his tenure as mayor there.

Another Reason To Get Rid Of Townships

Long-time Calumet Township Trustee and major Democratic figure in Lake County politics has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly scheming to steal workforce development grants. The AP reports:

A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a longtime Lake County political figure on two counts of mail fraud in what authorities said was a scheme to steal money from workforce development grants.

The indictment charges Dozier Allen Jr., who was the Calumet Township trustee for more than three decades, and three former deputy trustees with illegally paying themselves $143,000 out of more than $170,000 in grants intended to help train employees in the township during 2000-02.

"The alleged use of welfare-to-work grant funds for personal gain represents an egregious betrayal of the U.S. taxpayer, and of those hopeful individuals for whose benefit the money had been intended," said Gordon S. Heddell, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Allen, 75, has denied wrongdoing.

He was the chief financial officer for the township, which includes the city of Gary, and he was defeated by current trustee Mary Elgin in the 2002 election.

Last year, when then-Gary Mayor Scott King resigned, Allen was appointed interim mayor. Allen lost in a Democratic Party caucus two weeks later to Rudy Clay, who is now the mayor. A telephone message seeking comment from Allen was left by The Associated Press at his Gary office.

Last year, Allen said he and the three deputy trustees were paid periodically by checks, most for $1,000, out of the grants. The checks were in addition to their salaries.

"It was done with the permission of the governing body," Allen said at the time. "It was not an exceptional procedure."

However, the indictment alleges almost $171,000 in grants from Ivy Tech State College were deposited into a checking account by one the deputy trustees in the name of Calumet Township in November 2000 and that the only checks ever written on the account were to Allen and the three deputy trustees.

Allen is charged with receiving eight checks totaling $28,000, with the three deputy trustees receiving between $26,000 and $51,000.

Interestingly, Allen doesn't dispute receiving the money in question. He says it was simply additional salary approved by the township's governing body. I've heard some make the argument that Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Hobbs could avoid a conviction for the $500 petty theft charge Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi has brought against him by simply saying it was emergency relief money he was authorized by law to give out to township residents in need. In this case, it just happened to be the township trustee who needed the assistance with the payment of his rent. At least Hobbs supports the consolidation and elimination of township government.

Tully: Council Control Up For Grabs

Star political columnist Matt Tully provides an analysis of Indianapolis' CCC races this year and concludes the current 15-14 Democratic control is up for grabs. Immediately following the May primary, most folks thought the best the GOP could hope to do was limit the number of their losses. A three to four seat pick up for the Democrats seemed not only possible but likely. The cumulative effect of skyrocketing property taxes and crime, almost daily revelations of a corrupt and out of touch council leadership and dissatisfaction with Mayor Peterson's handling of the city are now working against the Democrats.

The CCC's at-large election of four members add a special twist. Under Uni-Gov, the four at-large seats have been won by the party who won the mayor's race in every election. Tully speculates that only one of the GOP at large candidates, Kent Smith, has a realistic chance of winning this year. He bases that on Ron Gibson's legal woes and his pending trial right before the election on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct and shoving a police officer. Typically, there is not a large spread between the number of votes the at-large candidates of the same party receive in any given election, and often that spread can be attributed to their placement on the ballot as much as anything. Most voters have no idea who these at-large candidates are. Gibson's criminal charges have been in the news a lot and will be a lot more in coming weeks at the worst possible time for Democrats so it is quite possible he will face a big drop off in votes. Whether Kent Smith is the beneficiary of that drop off is debatable. It could just as easily be the at-large candidate whose name appears first on the list, which is Ed Coleman if I'm not mistaken.

Tully lists Sherron Franklin (D) and Scott Keller (R) as the most vulnerable incumbents, and I agree. Franklin's people skills are atrocious and her ramblings at CCC meetings don't help her any. Keller looked very strong going into this year's election, but he has shot himself in the foot repeatedly this year. He alienated the political players and some of his financial backers who played an important role in getting him elected four years ago. He refused to back the GOP candidate for mayor under a highly mistaken belief Mayor Peterson would support his re-election and that endorsement would help his re-election. Even worse, he completely ignored the cries of homeowners in his district who were hit particularly hard by this year's reassessments and supported the Mayor's 65% increase in the county option income tax. Not even neighboring Councilor Dane Mahern (D), a city employee, made the mistake of casting that bad vote. Taken together, Keller's own actions have gone a long way towards aiding the election of his lesser-qualified Democratic opponent, Brian Mahern, whose name won't hurt him in this district.

I would add to Tully's list the council district of Angela Mansfield. She has been a very able councilor in her northside district, but she faces a very formidable opponent in Bruce Schumaker (R) and Mayor Peterson is not particularly popular in her district. Her votes for the county option income tax increase and the mayor's budget won't help her. She isn't taking anything for granted, though, and is working her district hard. The seats of former councilor Jim Bradford and retiring Scott Schneider also provide prospects for the Democrats, although I think this year's property tax debacle has probably solidified Bradford's seat for Republican Ryan Vaughn.

This is one of those years where even good candidates will lose. The anti-incumbent sentiment in Marion Co. is as strong this year as it was in 1994 when Republicans swept the county, pulling a number of upsets. Some of that sentiment is not as decisively anti-Democratic as it was in 1994 though. To the extent people cast their votes towards the aim of "throwing the bums out", it's going to work against the Democrats because their man has been in charge for the past 8 years. I agree with Tully that Monroe Gray's ethics problems will serve as a drag on the ticket. I would not, however, rule out the possibility that Gray himself might not be upset in that district, Yes, it is a very Democratic district, but even many Democrats can only tolerate so much blatant corruption from one man. In WISH-TV's poll this week, only 35% of the voters in Marion Co. approved of Monroe Gray's handling of the CCC, and only 36% approved of the job the City-County Council is doing. Those numbers couldn't be much worse for Democrats.

Tully is right in that city elections often attract very low voter turnouts. I think that will change this year. People's pocketbooks have been hit very hard. They're extremely frustrated with the out-of-control crime problem. Cronyism and political graft have taken a front seat over good government. And they're sick and tired of the lack of accountability for all that's wrong from those in positions of power to do something about these problems. I think we'll see some big changes in November with some big surprises.