Amos Brown penned an opinion piece in the Indianapolis Recorder recently under the guise of dispelling the myth that most blacks in Marion County live in Center Township. A closer examination reveals this to be a mere pretext for promoting racial polarization in voting. "Many whites can't understand the growing strength of Democratic political power in Indianapolis/Marion County," Brown writes. "It's simple. The growth has been directly fueled by the numerical growth and geographic spread of the African-American population into all areas of this city/county," he concludes. Because blacks represent one-in-four total voters, he surmises "Democrats can't win without the black voter." Conversely, he notes that Republicans can only win "if they command disproportionately higher margins of support from white voters."
Brown boasts that African-Americans are "now the fulcrum of political power in Indianapolis." Shockingly, Brown asserts that it's "a demographic reality few of our Black leaders really understand." Is he kidding? African-Americans have been holding the Marion Co. Democratic Party hostage to its demand for more and more political power for years. Sadly, the "Black leaders" to whom Brown refers have used their political power in a manner that sometimes has been harmful to the public, including members of the black community. It's no secret that Marion County Democrats by affirmative action award blacks one-third of the seats on the city-county council, a greater percentage than the demographic percentage Brown acknowledges that blacks represent in Marion County. Fully 75% of the at-large seats are given to blacks to ensure the magical one-third number is reached. It is also no secret that the council leader's position, by fiat, must be a black council member. Rozelle Boyd was the first Democratic President of the CCC. When Democrats quickly grew frustrated with him, they sought to replace him with Monroe Gray, only to be thwarted by a rump group within their caucus who teamed up with GOP members to select Steve Tally, another African-American. The following year Democrats reunited and dumped Tally in favor of Gray, who has been an unmitigated disaster as CCC President. The Democrat's caucus leader, Lonnell Conley, is also African-American.
Democrats have similarly allocated one-third of the county-wide offices to African-Americans in recent elections. Sheriff Frank Anderson became the first county-wide elected official, although black Republican candidates won county-wide races prior to that as at-large council candidates and at-large state representatives when Marion County still elected legislators at-large. Two years later, in the race for Coroner Democrats shoved aside a highly-qualified, white deputy coroner when then-county chairman Ed Treacy and U.S. Rep. Julia Carson imposed at the last minute chiropractor Kenneth Ackles on county Democrats at the slating convention. Ackles presented no credentials to Democratic committeeman other than he was black and would hire more blacks in the coroner's office if he was elected. He won and kept his promise. In last year's election, Democrats elevated State Senator Billie Breaux to the Auditor's office, giving blacks one-third of the nine, elected countywide offices.
There's no better example of the Democrats' politics of race than what we've seen with the 7th congressional district. Black leaders laid down the gauntlet when U.S. Rep. Andy Jacobs (D) retired in 1996 and demanded the seat for one of their own, Julia Carson. To this day, Ann DeLaney is despised by many of these black leaders for daring to challenge Carson's entitlement to the seat because of her race. Marion County Democrats have steadfastly defended her in the face of ever-increasing evidence she is one of the least effective members in Congress and severely hampered by chronic health problems which have caused long-term absences from her congressional duties. But as talk of her successor mounts, you only hear the names of African-Americans as her potential replacement. The message is loud and clear to other well-qualified white Democrats like David Orentlicher and Melina Kennedy to not even think about running for this seat.
If you examine this hard evidence, it is unmistakable to most political observers in Marion County that blacks fully recognize the extent of their political power within the Democratic Party and they are exercising it to the maximum, even if it means pushing corrupt or unqualified candidates like Monroe Gray and Kenneth Ackles on the public. The Democrats' strategy of using racial politics to win in Marion County has proven successful in recent elections. But are Democrats taking it too far? Are white voters feeling short-changed when unqualified and corrupt Democrats are being promoted and supported by the party simply because of the racial demands of a handful of "Black leaders"? Is there a relationship between this new culture of corruption Democrats have ushered in with their new-found power and the frightening rise in crime and taxes? If so, is this causing the start of a process whereby white voters in Marion County are beginning to polarize against Democrats the way black voters are polarized against the GOP?
Let me share with you a statement Brown made in his column, which I believe has the effect of creating greater racial tensions in this year's election and only promotes more polarization. Brown, who lambastes all Republicans, black or white, on an almost daily basis, complains in his column that GOP mayoral hopeful Greg Ballard is not reaching out to black voters. Brown warns that "time's running out for Ballard to make his case to our community." He then hurls an inflammatory barb at Indianapolis' law enforcement community. "The Fraternal Order of Police endorsement doesn't help [Ballard] with black voters," he declared. Implicitly, Brown unfairly stereotypes all police officers as anti-black, even though blacks are proportionately represented in the ranks of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and an African-American, Earl Morgan, is in charge of Public Safety. Brown also conveniently omits the fact that one of the city's most distinguished black police officers, Robert Turner, is backing Ballard.
Brown may have disdain for law enforcement, but I suspect most voters see the police as the trusted friend they're counting on to get them through the latest upswing in crime in our city. What Brown is really trying to do is use the police as a whipping boy to perpetuate the polarization of black voters in Marion County elections. It's a strategy that has worked in the past, but white voters might give Democrats a dose of their own medicine if they don't knock off the politics of race real soon. None of this is healthy for race relations in our city. Brown and his fellow Democrats would be wise to heed the thoughtful words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." And as King eloquently put it, let's not allow a person to be "judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Friday, October 05, 2007
Another Duke Lacrosse Injustice?
Phillip Cooney, a Georgetown University sophomore, has seen his life turned upside down in the past week after a gay student at the university accused him of a hate crime attack on him on September 9. The circumstances under which the victim singled him out raises plenty of concern that he may be the victim of mistaken identity. Making matters worse is the manner in which the story is being trumped by folks on the left because of who Cooney's father is. Phillip Cooney, Sr. served as White House Council on Environmental Quality chief of staff in the Bush administration.
D.C. Metropolitan police have charged Cooney for simple assault with hate/bias specification. The victim accuses Cooney of attacking him because of his sexual orientation. The police affidavit states:
According to the police report, the victim was treated for "minor injuries". What is particularly troubling is the manner in which the accused was identified by his victim. "The affidavit said that the victim learned from a friend that a fellow student who matched the description provided by the victim was discussing the incident during a class," the Hoya reports. "The friend also noted the initials monogrammed on the student’s backpack." "The victim went on to search through his friend’s Facebook friends and identified Cooney through his pictures." "After MPD received and confirmed Cooney’s identification information, it received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Cooney’s student identification photo." "The affidavit said that the victim was presented with nine photos and identified Cooney as the assailant," Of course, he recognized the same guy his friend helped him pick out his Facebook friends.
According to Cooney's attorney, at no time did police question Cooney before charging him with the crime. “The police investigation was nothing,” Danny Onorato said. “You have a complaining witness who says he saw someone who he thought may have attacked him vis-a-vis the Web. That’s the investigation. Did they try to talk to Mr. Cooney before the investigation? No. Would you expect the police to do that? Yes.” So someone overhears a conversation which he thinks might be referring to the attack on his friend, sees initials on the guy's backpack, looks for someone on Facebook whose initials match, shows the victim the picture, and he declares that's the attacker. No surprise then that he identifies him after being shown the accused's student identification photo. Cooney's attorney is naturally comparing his client's case to the discredited prosecution of three Duke University Lacrosse players, who were cleared of rape charges before a North Carolina prosecutor was forced to resign from his job.
Friends of Cooney's, including at least one gay friend, challenge the notion he could be the attacker. The Hoya interviewed Cooney's gay friend and another close friend, who offer this defense for him:
The left has been very quick to villify Cooney, primarily because his father served in the Bush administration. Cooney is an even more attractive target, in particular, because of the global warming controversy in which his father was embroiled. PageoneQ ran the headline, "DC Bashing Suspect Has Ties To Bush". Students at Georgetown rallied against the university's administration, claiming it withheld information about the alleged hate crime. The victim's name is not being released, while Cooney has been pilloried on campus. Some voices of reason are urging caution in the case. Student D.J. McLaughlin writes of Cooney's plight :
McLaughlin is probably right. Cooney will go through his life with the label of gay basher whether he is ultimately guilty of this crime or not. I just find it deeply disturbing that law enforcement would charge Cooney on a identification made under these highly suggestive circumstances without even bothering to interview the accused and allowing him an opportunity to provide an alibi. Sloppy police work may have just destroyed this young man's life, and that's simply inexcusable.
D.C. Metropolitan police have charged Cooney for simple assault with hate/bias specification. The victim accuses Cooney of attacking him because of his sexual orientation. The police affidavit states:
"[T]he victim reported that at 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, while walking northbound on the 3600 block of O Street, he heard Cooney, who was with another individual, yell, “Look at macho man Randy Savage with his tank top. Where you going, faggot?” The victim reported in the MPD incident report that the suspect also said, “You’re so buff.” The victim said that he ignored the comments and continued walking but noticed that the two suspects were following him, and one of them called out, “Yo faggot, what are you looking at?” He said in the affidavit that as he turned onto 36th Street, Cooney tackled him from behind and punched him around the head with closed fists. The victim reported in the affidavit that he “made a point to remember the face and description of the defendant.”
According to the police report, the victim was treated for "minor injuries". What is particularly troubling is the manner in which the accused was identified by his victim. "The affidavit said that the victim learned from a friend that a fellow student who matched the description provided by the victim was discussing the incident during a class," the Hoya reports. "The friend also noted the initials monogrammed on the student’s backpack." "The victim went on to search through his friend’s Facebook friends and identified Cooney through his pictures." "After MPD received and confirmed Cooney’s identification information, it received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Cooney’s student identification photo." "The affidavit said that the victim was presented with nine photos and identified Cooney as the assailant," Of course, he recognized the same guy his friend helped him pick out his Facebook friends.
According to Cooney's attorney, at no time did police question Cooney before charging him with the crime. “The police investigation was nothing,” Danny Onorato said. “You have a complaining witness who says he saw someone who he thought may have attacked him vis-a-vis the Web. That’s the investigation. Did they try to talk to Mr. Cooney before the investigation? No. Would you expect the police to do that? Yes.” So someone overhears a conversation which he thinks might be referring to the attack on his friend, sees initials on the guy's backpack, looks for someone on Facebook whose initials match, shows the victim the picture, and he declares that's the attacker. No surprise then that he identifies him after being shown the accused's student identification photo. Cooney's attorney is naturally comparing his client's case to the discredited prosecution of three Duke University Lacrosse players, who were cleared of rape charges before a North Carolina prosecutor was forced to resign from his job.
Friends of Cooney's, including at least one gay friend, challenge the notion he could be the attacker. The Hoya interviewed Cooney's gay friend and another close friend, who offer this defense for him:
Eric Pallotta (MSB ’07), an openly gay friend of Cooney’s from the rugby team and a former business director of THE HOYA, said that he spent a significant amount of time with Cooney last year.
“We would hang out on a social basis frequently, and he was never uncomfortable around me, he was never hostile in any way. He was always a sweet kid,” Pallotta said. “There’s nothing in my experiences with him or knowing his background and education that would indicate any tendency of homophobia or violence in general.”
Pat DePoy (COL ’09), another of Cooney’s friends from the rugby team, said he was advised by Onorato not to speak directly about the incident, but he said that Cooney is one of the “nicest, sweetest” individuals and that Cooney’s friends and the rugby team is “completely supportive” of both Cooney and the victim.
“I just want to emphasize that we know that when crimes like this happen, people get emotional, but everyone in this country is innocent until proven guilty, so we cannot jump to conclusions,” he said. “The facts will come out at the trial.”
The left has been very quick to villify Cooney, primarily because his father served in the Bush administration. Cooney is an even more attractive target, in particular, because of the global warming controversy in which his father was embroiled. PageoneQ ran the headline, "DC Bashing Suspect Has Ties To Bush". Students at Georgetown rallied against the university's administration, claiming it withheld information about the alleged hate crime. The victim's name is not being released, while Cooney has been pilloried on campus. Some voices of reason are urging caution in the case. Student D.J. McLaughlin writes of Cooney's plight :
A Google search of Phillip Cooney will turn up news reports condemning him as the perpetrator of intolerable acts of hate. Most people will read these and assume guilt until proven otherwise; this is human nature. We take an idea, and we run with it. But, if Cooney is acquitted of the charges, what will happen? Another Google search will possibly find a small article stating that he was eventually found innocent — if in fact he is — but it will be passed over as minutiae with minimal media coverage. Nevertheless, he has been labeled. This label will continue to follow him unless students, the university and the media separate what happened, something we know, from who did it, something we have a justice system to determine.
McLaughlin is probably right. Cooney will go through his life with the label of gay basher whether he is ultimately guilty of this crime or not. I just find it deeply disturbing that law enforcement would charge Cooney on a identification made under these highly suggestive circumstances without even bothering to interview the accused and allowing him an opportunity to provide an alibi. Sloppy police work may have just destroyed this young man's life, and that's simply inexcusable.
Daniels: Peterson Misled Voters On Reassessment Order
By now you've heard that campaign commercial of Mayor Bart Peterson's (D) where he brags about how Gov. Daniels' decision to order a reassessment of property in Marion County happened because he "banded together" with us to force the Governor to do it. Abdul Hakim-Shabazz reports that Daniels disputes Peterson's account. Shabazz writes, "Daniels politely said he didn't recall the Mayor ever contacting him and said sometimes campaign commercials can 'color outside the lines.'" He continues, "He says he spoke to the Mayor about the ad, and Peterson admitted that upon reflection the ad probably 'overstated the case.'" Guilty as charged?
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Mayoral Candidates Face Off
The candidates for Indianapolis mayor faced off tonight for the first public debate. Unfortunately, I had another obligation and was unable to watch it. Ruth Holladay did catch it, and she has some strong opinions about the candidates. Although she voted for Peterson in his first two races, she thought he "came across as just a little too slick, to the point of oiliness." She also didn't think much of Peterson's suggestion the state surplus be tapped to help with Indianapolis' property tax woes. "For Peterson to suggest that Indianapolis should pay down its property tax bills with state money is short-sighted at best," she writes.
On Republican Greg Ballard, Holladay gives us that he isn't as polished as Peterson. "The fact that he does not have the mayor's polish in public speaking did not hurt his credibility," she opines. "He's the former Marine officer, law and order candidate; he comes across as serious and earnest about dealing with a central fact of life in Indy -- that violent crime is up."
On Libertarian Fred Peterson, Holladay writes, "He's got some great ideas, like all Libertarians, but the notion that the city needs sidewalks more than the Colts complex is a throwback."
So what you did you about tonight's debate?
UPDATE:
The Star's Mary Beth Schneider has her take on last night's debate here. A key statement from Ballard she quotes: “You need to ask yourself: Are you better off than you were? Do you feel safer? Do you feel safer in your homes? Is the government representing you? Do you feel they are taxing you appropriately?” Bart responds: “I will pledge to cut non-public-safety budget by 10 percent within three years, or I will not run for re-election.” Fact checking my Marion Co. GOP Chairman Tom John points out: "Under 8 years of Bart Peterson, the Indianapolis Budget has increased over $300 million."
Star political columnist Matt Tully's analysis is here. On Ballard: "He doesn't take advantage of his first prime-time opportunity, failing to deliver the kind of memorable zingers you expect from a little-known challenger." On Peterson: "Mayor Peterson delivers his best line of the evening when asked about the need for a new criminal justice complex." "There are a lot of higher priorities I have than an office building," he said.
On Republican Greg Ballard, Holladay gives us that he isn't as polished as Peterson. "The fact that he does not have the mayor's polish in public speaking did not hurt his credibility," she opines. "He's the former Marine officer, law and order candidate; he comes across as serious and earnest about dealing with a central fact of life in Indy -- that violent crime is up."
On Libertarian Fred Peterson, Holladay writes, "He's got some great ideas, like all Libertarians, but the notion that the city needs sidewalks more than the Colts complex is a throwback."
So what you did you about tonight's debate?
UPDATE:
The Star's Mary Beth Schneider has her take on last night's debate here. A key statement from Ballard she quotes: “You need to ask yourself: Are you better off than you were? Do you feel safer? Do you feel safer in your homes? Is the government representing you? Do you feel they are taxing you appropriately?” Bart responds: “I will pledge to cut non-public-safety budget by 10 percent within three years, or I will not run for re-election.” Fact checking my Marion Co. GOP Chairman Tom John points out: "Under 8 years of Bart Peterson, the Indianapolis Budget has increased over $300 million."
Star political columnist Matt Tully's analysis is here. On Ballard: "He doesn't take advantage of his first prime-time opportunity, failing to deliver the kind of memorable zingers you expect from a little-known challenger." On Peterson: "Mayor Peterson delivers his best line of the evening when asked about the need for a new criminal justice complex." "There are a lot of higher priorities I have than an office building," he said.
IYG Celebrates 20 Years Of Service
Indiana Youth Group had a successful fundraising event tonight at the Indiana Historical Society, which marked twenty years of service to Indiana's GLBT youth. Special guest speaker Keith Boykin delivered a very inspiring and moving speech before the crowd of several hundred. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Boykin, he worked as an assistant to President Bill Clinton, earning him the distinction of being the highest ranking, openly gay member of the Clinton administration, Donna Shalala and Janet Reno notwithstanding. He's a New York Times best-selling author and host of BET's My Two Cents.
Boykin shared his own experience coming out as young, African-American gay man at Harvard Law School. His book, One More River To Cross: Black & Gay in America, has earned him a lot of attention. He shared a humorous account of a book signing event he attended in St. Louis, where his grandmother showed up with several members of her conservative, non-gay-affirming church. The invitations distributed at her church referred to his book title as "Black & Gray in America", apparently not wanting to offend anyone.
Carson Uncertainty Continues
The latest news reports offer the public little information about U.S. Rep. Julia Carson's current health condition. Local news reports were all saying the same thing, which was next to nothing nearly two weeks after Carson was first hospitalized with a reported leg infection. "Chad Chitwood, Carson's press secretary, said he believed she was discharged and taken to a rehabilitation center on Monday, but he could not immediately confirm that date," WTHR reports. "He also could not say what condition she was in, but said, 'She was doing well when I talked to her last.'" "He said that was last Friday." Either Chitwood has no idea what her present condition is, or he is simply hiding the truth from the public. Take your pick.
UPDATE: The Star is editorializing against U.S. Rep. Julia Carson seeking another term in Congress because of her declining health. "National publications have begun to notice that Carson is having difficulty performing her duties. According to a report last month in The Hill, one of Carson's aides, along with a fellow member of Congress, cast votes on her behalf. House rules ban such activity." "Carson has one more year to serve in her current term. For the good of the people she represents, and for the city she has served for decades, Carson should not seek another term in office." Hint to Carson campaign: The Star isn't going to make the stupid mistake of endorsing you again like it did last year.
UPDATE: The Star is editorializing against U.S. Rep. Julia Carson seeking another term in Congress because of her declining health. "National publications have begun to notice that Carson is having difficulty performing her duties. According to a report last month in The Hill, one of Carson's aides, along with a fellow member of Congress, cast votes on her behalf. House rules ban such activity." "Carson has one more year to serve in her current term. For the good of the people she represents, and for the city she has served for decades, Carson should not seek another term in office." Hint to Carson campaign: The Star isn't going to make the stupid mistake of endorsing you again like it did last year.
Dvorak Will Let Grand Jury Decide Roseland Case
St. Joseph Co. Prosecutor Mike Dvorak (D) has decided to put the evidence that Town Marshal Jack Tiller used excessive force in removing council member David Snyder from a council meeting last month to a grand jury. The South Bend Tribune's Marti Goodlad Heline writes:
"The investigation involves all parties involved in the incident,"
Dvorak said when asked if Tiller's conduct, as well as Snyder's, will be under scrutiny. "Doesn't Mr. Dvorak know Indiana law? He doesn't need a grand jury to bring charges against anyone," Snyder said by phone Wednesday."The videotape of the Sept. 14 incident is very clear about what happened and who was in the wrong," Snyder said in a prepared statement.
The fact the prosecutor referred the matter to a grand jury is, in Snyder's view, "further evidence of his political agenda" in matters involving the Snyders.
"From the video, I think Tiller should be fired," Snyder asserted in the phone interview. He was referring to the widely circulated footage of the incident posted on the Internet. The prosecutor will present evidence about the matter beginning Dec. 18 to six grand jurors whose job will be to evaluate the information and determine whether criminal charges should be brought against anyone, according to Dvorak.
The grand jury also may decide no charges are warranted, which is called a "no bill."
Whether or not the grand jury will view the Sept. 14 video of the encounter between Snyder and Tiller was not addressed by Dvorak, who said he limited his comments because of state laws regarding grand juries.Snyder was facing potential misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct after his arrest Sept. 14 when Snyder was ejected from a Town Council meeting.As Snyder was leaving Town Hall, there was an encounter involving him and Tiller. Snyder said Tiller lunged at him from behind and pushed him hard so he went through the hall's outside door. Snyder said he struck his head and lost consciousness. When he came to, Snyder said he was lying in the parking lot with
Tiller on top of him hitting him.
Snyder underwent hospital treatment for a concussion, facial bruises and other injuries before he spent the night in jail.
Memo To GOP: It's Called Ghost Employment
A Star investigation discovers that the Indianapolis Fire Department and Monroe Gray can't produce evidence of any work Gray does to earn $83,000 a year as a community liaison. Responding to the report, his GOP challenger Kurt Webber issued this statement: "Monroe Gray has gotten himself into another pickle," Webber said. "Mr. Gray should remove these conflicts of interest by choosing one of these positions and resigning from the other." Webber added, however, that he wasn't accusing Gray of acting inappropriately according to the Star. Say what? Let me help you out a little, Kurt. It's called ghost employment and it's a Class D felony under Indiana law.
If you don't believe me that such a law exists, just ask former Indiana Clerk of the Courts Dwayne Brown, who was convicted of 7 counts of ghost employment, even with Jim Voyles as his defense attorney. While Brown served as Clerk of the Court, he actively campaigned for two other elected jobs--Attorney General and Congress. According to a Court of Appeals opinion affirming his conviction, the facts were as follows:
Now, let me first note that Brown's first mistake was crossing both the Bayh folks and the Julia Carson folks at the same time by stepping ahead of their candidates for the AG's office and Andy Jacob's congressional seat, respectively. That alone made him a marked man, although it doesn't excuse his criminal wrongdoing in office. You will see the ghost employment charges against Brown centered around the work of others Brown supervised. Nobody accused him of not performing the job to which he was elected, although there was evidence he was performing legal work on the side. And none of the employees performing political work on state time were charged with a crime.
In Gray's case, his immediate supervisor is IFD chief Jim Greeson, who is supervised by Mayor Bart Peterson. We know from earlier Star reports that not only does Gray get paid to do work as a CCC member and CCC President, but he also operates a concrete company, which he failed to properly disclose on his statement of economic interest has contracts with other contractors performing work on publicly-funded projects. Gray also admitted to the Star he is away from his IFD office a good part of the time during the day, driving his IFD-issued take-home car.
So I ask Kurt Webber and the Marion Co. Republicans, why aren't you accusing Gray of acting inappropriately? It seems to me he is every bit as guilty of ghost employment as Dwayne Brown was. The real question is why hasn't a grand jury already been convened and Mssrs. Gray, Greeson and Peterson called before it to testify about how a man can draw two public salaries and run a concrete business but can't produce evidence he performs any work for his full-time, $83,000 a year job? If the Lawrence Township Trustee can be indicted for theft over a $500 expenditure, surely our prosecutor can indict someone for the misappropriation of funds involving far more money and far more serious wrongdoing.
If you don't believe me that such a law exists, just ask former Indiana Clerk of the Courts Dwayne Brown, who was convicted of 7 counts of ghost employment, even with Jim Voyles as his defense attorney. While Brown served as Clerk of the Court, he actively campaigned for two other elected jobs--Attorney General and Congress. According to a Court of Appeals opinion affirming his conviction, the facts were as follows:
Each of the seven counts of the indictment charged that Brown had used state employees, while they were being compensated by the State, in furtherance
of his political campaigns as proscribed by the ghost employment statute, Ind.Code 35-44-2-4(b), which reads as follows: A public servant who knowingly or intentionally assigns to an employee under his supervision any duties not related to the operation of the governmental entity that he serves commits ghost employment, a Class D felony.
The first three counts of the indictment involved a state employee hired by Brown in 1992. At the time this employee was hired, Brown told her that she would be working on his campaign. Brown told others in the office that this employee did not need to be trained to perform any of the office duties because she would be doing political work. During the first week of work, Brown requested that this employee attend the movie "The Pelican Brief" with him during office hours to allow her to learn more about the political and legal process. After that first week of work, Brown directed that the employee receive a $2,500.00 bonus from the State. Brown also requested this employee to attend a political fund raising event on his behalf during office hours. Finally, Brown directed this employee to spend office hours drawing sketches which were to have been used for Brown's campaign posters.
The fourth and fifth counts of the indictment pertain to another state employee hired by Brown to serve in a position described as "press secretary intern." Brown assigned this employee, during office hours, to research the voting record of the incumbent U.S. Representative Brown had hoped to unseat. Brown also directed this employee to attend a fund raising event held for his benefit on a Saturday for which the employee was compensated by the State at the rate of $50.00 per hour.
The sixth and seventh counts of the indictment relate to an incident in which Brown directed two other state employees to accompany him on a trip, during office hours, to Monroe County where he participated in a debate-style luncheon in conjunction with his campaign for Attorney General. One of these employees was directed to take notes regarding the other candidates' speeches and performances.
Now, let me first note that Brown's first mistake was crossing both the Bayh folks and the Julia Carson folks at the same time by stepping ahead of their candidates for the AG's office and Andy Jacob's congressional seat, respectively. That alone made him a marked man, although it doesn't excuse his criminal wrongdoing in office. You will see the ghost employment charges against Brown centered around the work of others Brown supervised. Nobody accused him of not performing the job to which he was elected, although there was evidence he was performing legal work on the side. And none of the employees performing political work on state time were charged with a crime.
In Gray's case, his immediate supervisor is IFD chief Jim Greeson, who is supervised by Mayor Bart Peterson. We know from earlier Star reports that not only does Gray get paid to do work as a CCC member and CCC President, but he also operates a concrete company, which he failed to properly disclose on his statement of economic interest has contracts with other contractors performing work on publicly-funded projects. Gray also admitted to the Star he is away from his IFD office a good part of the time during the day, driving his IFD-issued take-home car.
So I ask Kurt Webber and the Marion Co. Republicans, why aren't you accusing Gray of acting inappropriately? It seems to me he is every bit as guilty of ghost employment as Dwayne Brown was. The real question is why hasn't a grand jury already been convened and Mssrs. Gray, Greeson and Peterson called before it to testify about how a man can draw two public salaries and run a concrete business but can't produce evidence he performs any work for his full-time, $83,000 a year job? If the Lawrence Township Trustee can be indicted for theft over a $500 expenditure, surely our prosecutor can indict someone for the misappropriation of funds involving far more money and far more serious wrongdoing.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
IUPUI Student Learns About Corrupt Marion Co. Politics
Stephanie Yarian is a student at IUPUI and is currently taking a public policy class. This year's election is naturally a topic of classroom discussion. When she learned that Democrats were appointing Andre Carson to fill the vacancy created by the forced resignation of Councilor Patrice Abduallah (D) and he was facing no Republican opponent, she decided she would launch her own independent race for the 15th District council seat. When she attempted to file as a write-in candidate in Marion Co. Clerk Beth White's office, she was told she was ineligible to run as an independent because she missed the July 3 deadline. "I am disturbed by this because Andre Carson, who replaced Patrice Abduallah on August 28th as 15th District City County Council person due his to forced resignation, did not file as a candidate before this deadline either, but was selected by a political party’s precinct committee, not the constituents of the 15th District," Yarian said.
Welcome to Marion County politics, Stephanie. It really is worse than it seems because Marion Co. Clerk Beth White's office knew Patrice Abduallah was ineligible to either hold his council seat or run as a candidate for re-election in the 15th District because his statement of candidacy declared he no longer lived in his district. Yet, this same office which denied you the opportunity because of the deadline set out in the law, ignored a law declaring a council member's seat vacant when the member moves out of his district. Further, since Abduallah's seat legally became vacant last January, Democrats also missed the statutory deadline for replacing Abduallah's name on the ballot.
"If Mr. Carson is allowed to run uncontested this election cycle, a travesty of democracy will be committed, and the citizens of the 15th District will not be able to vote for a candidate of their choice or be represented appropriately in the City County Council," Yarian astutely observes. You see, Stephanie, these folks don't care about fairness or choices in who we elect to represent us in government. It's all about raw political power and helping one's self. The laws which apply to you and I do not apply to this arrogant, ruling elite. Unfortunately, the opposing parties, Republican or Libertarian, don't care enough to challenge the ruling party for ignoring a basic premise in our form of government that nobody is above the law. John Adams' idea that we are "a government of laws and not of men" never occurred to these folks, as sad as that may be for you to hear. And the news media, which is supposed to keep a watchful eye to prevent this sort of thing from happening, is nowhere to be found.
Welcome to Marion County politics, Stephanie. It really is worse than it seems because Marion Co. Clerk Beth White's office knew Patrice Abduallah was ineligible to either hold his council seat or run as a candidate for re-election in the 15th District because his statement of candidacy declared he no longer lived in his district. Yet, this same office which denied you the opportunity because of the deadline set out in the law, ignored a law declaring a council member's seat vacant when the member moves out of his district. Further, since Abduallah's seat legally became vacant last January, Democrats also missed the statutory deadline for replacing Abduallah's name on the ballot.
"If Mr. Carson is allowed to run uncontested this election cycle, a travesty of democracy will be committed, and the citizens of the 15th District will not be able to vote for a candidate of their choice or be represented appropriately in the City County Council," Yarian astutely observes. You see, Stephanie, these folks don't care about fairness or choices in who we elect to represent us in government. It's all about raw political power and helping one's self. The laws which apply to you and I do not apply to this arrogant, ruling elite. Unfortunately, the opposing parties, Republican or Libertarian, don't care enough to challenge the ruling party for ignoring a basic premise in our form of government that nobody is above the law. John Adams' idea that we are "a government of laws and not of men" never occurred to these folks, as sad as that may be for you to hear. And the news media, which is supposed to keep a watchful eye to prevent this sort of thing from happening, is nowhere to be found.
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