Good Week For Indiana Phi Delta Phis

This past week I've been in attendance at the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity's convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As the province president for the active inns in the State of Indiana it was real honor to see two coveted awards go to the Willkie Inn at IU School of Law--Indianapolis. Willkie Inn was recognized for the second year in a row as the International Inn of the Year thanks to the leadership of its outgoing magister, Terri Michener. Suzanna Hartzell-Baird of Willkie Inn was also the recipient of the International Graduate of the Year award. She is now making preparations to clerk for Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randy Shepard. The convention delegates chose Tetsuji Tamashiro of Mexico as its new president. Shown in the photo above from left to right after me is: Terri Michener, former Phi Delta Phi International president and Willkie Inn graduate Karl Mulvaney, Suzanna Hartzell-Baird, John Lira (Willkie Inn), Kent Morehead (Foster Inn-IU Bloomington) and Michael Haines (Norris Inn-Valparaiso).

Marion County's $2.7 Billion Tax-Exempt Problem

The Star's Robert King and Mark Nichols have a good story which draws attention to the problems created by having so much tax-exempt property in Marion County. "All told, Marion County exempts more than $2.7 billion worth of property," they write. "And that doesn't include Marion County's many government buildings, which are exempt, and breaks offered to prospective new businesses." Discussion of taxing or imposing fees on the tax-exempt property is gaining some traction according to the report. "As homeowners strain under the burden of property taxes, calls are rising here and across the country to reconsider the extent of tax exemptions, or at least charge fees for public services the nonprofit organizations receive." The story notes the value of tax-exempt property in Marion Co. has grown 23% in the past 5 years.

I think the idea of at least imposing some service fees on these tax-exempt properties is worthy of serious consideration, but as an account by Rep. Bill Crawford (D) notes, the politicians will have to tread lightly in this area. "Rep. Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, said he took hostile fire a few years back -- primarily from churches -- when he proposed that nonprofits pay a $100 annual service fee for police and fire protection." Of course, he is referring to the organized opposition Advance America's Eric Miller gathered to the proposal. You can bet Miller will be awakened again on this issue if it comes back to life.

Star's Behind Closed Doors: "A Big Week For Blogs"

The Star's "Behind Closed Doors" pays a big hat tip to local blogs today, including this one, for their work on some pretty big stories this week. The column item reads:

It's not news that online commentary sites, or blogs, sometimes fan the flames of a story into a mainstream firestorm.

Still, blogs on both sides of the political aisle had quite a week in Indiana last week. Local Republican blog Advance Indiana (advanceindiana.blogspot.com) investigated City-County Council member Patrice Abduallah's residency question and put on enough pressure to force the Democrat's resignation.

Democratic blogs kept at stories about oil giant BP increasing its pollution discharge into Lake Michigan until the governor finally said he would review the new permit.

And Taking Down Words (www.taking downwords.com) sniped for months about Matt Kelty, the Fort Wayne mayoral candidate. Last week, Kelty was charged with
five felony counts of fraudulent election filing and two felony counts of perjury. That followed blogmistress Jennifer Wagner's scoop earlier in the month about a Clark County GOP chair under investigation for sexual impropriety.

Do you think Jen will be ranting today because her blog was duly credited with a role in these stories?

Dems Offer Excuses For Unpaid Taxes

More than a week ago, Advance Indiana, disclosed a list of Marion Co. officeholders who were delinquent in the payment of their property taxes according to the online public records at Marion Co. Treasurer Mike Rodman's website. As I cautioned then, "I would note that it is possible that persons on this list have since taken care of their delinquency and the Marion Co. Treasurer's website hasn't updated their online database." "They'll need to take that up with Treasurer Mike Rodman's office," I added.

The Star's Brendan O'Shaughnessy follows up on that Advance Indiana post with a story in today's paper, which yielded a variety of responses from those on the list. Some of the folks are not the least bit happy with the Treasurer's office online database, which they contend has outdated information. "[Rozelle] Boyd and [Patrice] Abduallah were among several elected Democrats whose names popped up on local blogs as having been late in paying their tax bills, based on property tax records that had been posted on the treasurer's Web site until bills were due," O'Shaughnessy. Well, there is at least an acknowledgement the story came from "the blogs."

He takes Abduallah, in particular, to task because he took a trip to the Super Bowl last winter while his taxes were unpaid. O'Shaughnessy writes:

Abduallah said the money for the tickets and trip were a gift, so he couldn't have used the money to pay the $533 he owed at the time in property taxes on his District 15 home. He now owes $1,084.

"At the time, I didn't have any money," Abduallah said. "Someone graciously paid my way for those tickets."

Asked who paid for the tickets and trip, Abduallah said: "That's none of your business."

A Super Bowl ticket cost $600. How much his flight and accommodations might have cost was unknown.

Here's what the rest of the Marion Co. Democratic leaders had to say about their unpaid taxes:

City-County Councilor Rozelle Boyd: "Rozelle Boyd, a Democratic stalwart since the council was formed in 1970, also attended the February game in Miami. Records show he owed about $2,100 in taxes from last year at the time. Marion County treasurer's office records show Boyd paid his entire bill this month -- plus an overpayment of about $900. Boyd declined to say why he did not pay the November bill." "There's nothing to explain," he said. "The taxes are all paid, and this was handled in the same way as it would have been for any other citizen. There is no story."

Marion Co. Auditor Billie J. Breaux: "Treasurer records show Auditor Billie Breaux paid her November 2006 tax bill of nearly $600 on Dec. 21. However, Breaux, whose office processes tax exemptions and helps oversee the collection process, said she didn't recall paying her taxes late." "Maybe I got busy and didn't pay as close attention as I should, but it doesn't happen often," Breaux said. "As a responsible citizen, I take it very seriously to pay taxes on time."

City-County Councilor Lonnell Conley: "Records show Lonnell Conley, the Democratic majority leader on the council, owed nearly $1,500 last year. He paid most of what he owed in January and the rest earlier this month. "I know it's been paid," he said. "His name remained on the list, however, because the records are sometimes out of date and do not reflect recent payments."

Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer: "Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer said he refinanced his property last November, and the title company paid the mortgage a few days late. As a result, the Web site showed he owed about $1,300 last year." "Their system is totally wrong," Drummer said. "I've never been late in my property taxes."

Center Township Constable Tony Duncan: "Center Township Constable Mark "Tony" Duncan isn't happy about showing up on the list, either. He said he bought his mother's house from his sister this month and immediately paid the nearly $1,400 owed in last year's property taxes. The treasurer confirmed receiving the payment. "

Why Council Democrats Abandoned Abduallah

Some are suggesting that the quick abandonment of support for Councilor Patrice Abduallah (D) in the face of irrefutable evidence he did not reside in his district is proof that it was all part of a conspiracy to seat U.S. Rep. Julia Carson's grandson, Andre Carson, into his seat to bolster his chances of succeeding her when she retires, which is likely to happen next year. What people propagating this conspiracy theory fail to understand is that questions about Abduallah's residency have been no secret among council Democrats long before candidates filed for city-county council this year. Abduallah was questioned directly about the issue by his fellow Democrats, and he assured them he lived in the district. Abduallah, of course, was not speaking truthfully to his colleagues, and it was not the first time other councilors had problems with him on that score. Council members weren't concerned about the Warman Avenue address. The question was whether he actually lived with is wife (?), Helen, at an address in Councilor Duke Oliver's district, or at the Sheffield Avenue addressed claimed on his voter registration form.

Sources also tell me that Democratic election board members did not communicate to the Democrats on the council the discrepancy they discovered in Abduallah's residency when he filed his statement of candidacy in January. That upset some Democratic council members, who feel they should have been told. Democrats would have preferred to have dealt with this issue prior to the primary and not less than 90 days before the election. I also heard from a number of sources that Andre Carson had planned to challenge Abduallah in the primary, but the challenge didn't materialize. As Abdul Hakim-Shabazz reported at the time, Council Democrats put out a press release early on indicating that the caucus was pledging to support the re-election of all sitting Democratic members, including Abduallah. Carson could have just as easily put someone up well before the primary to raise the issue and gotten Abduallah tossed from the ballot. And let me be clear, nobody from the Carson camp communicated anything to me on this subject, or otherwise encouraged me to pursue the residency question. I am convinced that the Carson camp was content to allow Abduallah to stand for re-election; otherwise, this shoe would have dropped many months ago.

When the news of his residency problem broke, embattled Council Democrats were in no mood to defend the indefensible, particularly when Abduallah had already misled them on the issue. Their only real choice was to put the issue behind them as quickly as possible. And that's what they are now attempting to do. The damage is already done though.

Howey: Kelty's Fall A Major Setback For Religious Right

Brian Howey has an excellent analysis of Matt Kelty's recent fall from grace and an almost-certain defeat in this November's Fort Wayne mayoral race in his latest column. Howey outlines how the religious right has a carefully crafted plan to target local races, like the Fort Wayne mayor's race, in hopes of building a team of potential candidates for state offices. Howey writes:

The Right to Life movement has been involved with Kelty's mayoral campaign from its earliest moments. Sources tell me there is a concerted effort by Right to Life and other family organizations to recruit and run candidates of that stripe for city and county offices. These subsequent officeholders will then be poised to move into legislative, congressional and, yes, perhaps even the governor's office after the Daniels era passes. These groups bristled at Gov. Daniels when he suggested just prior to his re-election kickoff that he had little stomach for some of the wedge issues such as the anti-gay marriage amendment (Indiana already has such a law on its books).

If there was ever a poster boy for this ingenious strategy, it was Matt Kelty. Eyebrows were lifting when Right to Life and the Indiana Family Institute became so involved in the Kelty campaign, given the fact that abortion is not a municipal issue. Pornography, massage parlors and violent video games are local issues and, thus, relevant. This turned off some of the "economic" Republicans who defected to Mayor Graham Richard over the past two elections.

But it was the pro-life wing that propelled Kelty to a stunning upset victory last May by a narrow margin when just about every establishment Republican from Senate President Pro Temp David Long, to city councilmen, to U.S. Rep, Mark Souder backed Allen County Commissioner Nelson Peters. Kelty's grassroots organization was energized and effective. And, well, they cheated.

As we now know, it was a loan from the leader of the Right to Life movement in Allen Co., Fred Rost, and a Zogby poll he helped finance, which ultimately led to Kelty's 9-count indictment this week by an Allen Co. grand jury. "Those in the family advocacy circles who protest what they call a vendetta may find themselves walking the fine line between having the credibility of true believers and wanting something so badly they will sell their own political souls," Howey astutely observes.

Ironically, a new poll by that same firm whose earlier poll has gotten Kelty in so much hot water suggests the race for Fort Wayne mayor was a dead heat prior to this week's indictment. "Even with a grand jury investigation and potential indictment, Fort Wayne Republican mayoral nominee Matt Kelty was in a dead heat with Democrat Tom Henry, according to a Zogby Poll taken on July 26. Henry had a 39-38 percent lead with 21 percent undecided." Want to wager a bet those poll results would show a much wider Henry lead if the poll had been taken after Kelty's indictment?

GLBT Wants Abduallah's Seat

Pressure from Indianapolis' GLBT community is being applied to Marion County Democratic Chairman Mike O'Connor to give its community a seat at the table by naming one of its own to replace City-County Councilor Patrice Abduallah (D), who was forced to resign after this blog's investigative work helped unravel the fact he hasn't been living in the district for quite some time, if ever at all, during the past four years. "Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the United States, but you wouldn't know it from the way the LGBT community is treated," Bil Browning writes at Bilerico today. He thinks the Democratic Party goes out of its way to assuage the city's African-American community to the detriment of its growing and influential GLBT population. His own snooping leads him to conclude Andre Carson, grandson of U.S. Rep. Julia Carson (D) is going to get the nod. "While I have nothing against Andre Carson (or his grandmother), I'm forced to wonder when the Indianapolis democrats would actually consider recruiting a gay candidate to represent the heavily gay district," he writes. "While several political districts at all levels of government are drawn to ensure African-American representation, when do we get the right to represent ourselves?" Bil raises a legitimate concern, but there's not a snowball's chance in hell the Democrats will let this seat go to a non-African-American, particularly when Mayor Bart Peterson's re-election is dependent upon his support in the African-American community. Unless he can come up with a very active, black member of the GLBT community, he may as well forget this idea.

Thank you, Matt Tully

A big hat tip to Star political columnist Matt Tully for being the first member of the mainstream media to acknowledge the role of a blogger in bringing attention to Councilor Patrice Abduallah's residency issue. He writes in his column today, "And now, thanks to the work of hard-charging local blogger Gary Welsh, Democratic City-County Councilman Patrice Abduallah is resigning amid embarrassing questions about whether he lives in his district." The purpose of his column today is to point out the difficult year party chairmen of both parties are having in this election year what with Mike O'Connor's handful of problems with Marion Co. Democrats and a number of challenges State GOP Chairman Murray Clark is facing on the Republican side from controversial decisions made by the Daniels' administration to sex scandals involving local party chairmen.

I should add that WXNT's Abdul Hakim-Shabazz from the very beginning of his outstanding reporting on the issue credited the work of this blog on the issue. For some reason, I just don't consider Shabazz a member of the mainstream media because he operates so differently than the rest of the crowd and I mean that in a very flattering way.

Marion Co. Election Board Fails Voters Again

The Marion Co. Election Board has now failed the voters twice with respect to Councilor Patrice Abduallah (D). When he first ran for the council four years ago, the Board had compelling evidence Abduallah had filed false campaign finance reports with respect to the source of his contributions. Libertarian candidate Brad Klopfenstein, an opponent of Abduallah's, had to repeatedly complain to the Election Board before it finally let Abduallah off with a slap on the hand and a $100 fine. In Fort Wayne this week, we witnessed Fort Wayne GOP mayoral candidate Matt Kelty being indicted by a grand jury led by a special prosecutor on multiple felony counts for filing false campaign finance reports after the Allen Co. Election Board determined he had done nothing wrong on a party-line vote.

Election Board administrator Andy Mallon now readily admits election administrators, which includes Marion Co. Clerk Beth White, knew there was an issue with Councilor Abduallah's statement of candidacy when he filed it for re-election back in January. The Star's Brendan O'Shaughnessy explains our election administrators position on Abduallah:

Abduallah said he did not recall getting a call Feb. 26 from Marion County Election Board officials informing him that his voter registration address in the 900 block of North Sheffield Avenue did not match his candidate filing address. He would have been allowed to amend his filing before March 2 with the approval of the Election Board.

Andy Mallon, the Election Board administrator, said the candidates certify the form as correct by signing their name. He said the board does not have a responsibility to check that an address falls within the right district.

"The board doesn't have the legal authority to issue a challenge on its own," Mallon said. "Only a voter in the district can file a challenge."

Mallon's position is total bunk. These folks work for the voters to ensure the integrity of our electoral system. If they have in their position evidence a candidate is not eligible to seek an office for which he has filed to run, they have an affirmative duty to inform the public, even if, as Mallon asserts, they cannot file a formal complaint against the candidate themselves. But once again, the Star does not ask any of the tough questions. Did Marion Co. Democratic Chairman Mike O'Connor know about Abduallah's residency problem? Was the Republican member of the Board or Tom John informed of the residency problem so John could file a formal complaint? The answer appears to no, but even if John had been informed, would he have even bothered to file a complaint. Based on his quote in O'Shaughnessy's article, it is doubtful. John says he didn't check on Abduallah's residency. "Had we been the ones to challenge instead of the citizens, we would have heard cries of partisanship," John told O'Shaughnessy. "I'd rather elevate the debate than bring it down to that level."

Something is clearly wrong here. This Sgt. Schultz "I know nothing" approach is simply not working. We need to institute a new system of checks and balances in our electoral process. The folks in charge are clearly not looking out for the best interests of the voting public.