Confirmed: Shreve Registered To Vote In Bloomington Inside 2-Year Residency Requirement To Serve On The Council

Advance Indiana exclusively reported to you over the weekend that newly-elected City-County Councilor Jefferson Shreve, who was chosen at a caucus of Republican precinct committeepersons in District 23 on Saturday to fill the seat of former Councilor Jeff Cardwell (R) had been a Bloomington resident for nearly the past 20 years and did not register to vote at 725 E. Markwood in Perry Township until October, 2011 shortly before the 2011 municipal general election. According to newly-obtained information from the Marion County Board of Elections, state voter registration records show Shreve was a registered voter at 530 E. Kirkwood in Bloomington, Indiana from May 15, 2007 until October 12, 2011. Interestingly, the 530 E. Kirkwood address is the same place Shreve instructed the Marion Co. Treasurer's office to mail property tax bills for his Marion County property:

Tax Bill ID: 88296452
Assessment Year: 2010
County: Marion
Parcel ID: 491136120029000574
Tax Payer Name: SHREVE, JEFFERSON SCOTT
Tax Payer Street Address: 530 E KIRKWOOD AV
Tax Payer City: BLOOMINGTON
Tax Payer State: IN
Tax Payer Zip: 47408
Tax District: 574

Under Indiana law (I.C. 3-8-1-25), "A candidate for membership on city-county council of a first class city must have resided in the district in which seeking election, if applicable, for at least two (2) years before the date of taking office." Shreve was elected at the caucus on January 26, 2012 and sworn into office immediately. Yet Shreve claimed to be a resident of Bloomington at least through the May, 2011 municipal primary election for voting purposes. Advance Indiana previously reported on legislation (SB 621) introduced by Sen. Mike Young, which would lower the residency requirement for city-county council candidates from two years to one year. That same bill would also reduce the residency requirement for Indianapolis mayor from five years to two years. If Shreve contends that he was actually residing at his Marion County residence the past two years and not his Bloomington address, then why did he wait until October 15, 2011 to change his voter registration to Marion County? If Shreve voted in elections at his registered voting address in Bloomington instead of his southside residence where he claims a homestead exemption, questions of vote fraud arise as has plagued plagued other candidates recently. Advance Indiana also wonders if Shreve's appointment to the health and hospital board in Bloomington is based upon his residency in Monroe County.

Residence for voting registration purposes is defined under Indiana law, "I.C. § 3-5-2-42.5, as: “[T]he place where (1) a person has a person’s true, fixed and permanent home and principal establishment; and (2) to which the person has, whenever absent, the intention of returning.” “A person who has a residence in a precinct retains residency in that precinct until the person abandons the residency by: (1) Having the intent to abandon the residency; and (2) Having the intent to establish a new residence; and (3) Acting as provided in this intent by establishing a residence in a new precinct.” “A person who knowingly . . . [a]pplies for or receives a ballot in a precinct other than that precinct in which the person is entitled to vote” commits a Class D felony under I.C. § 3-14-2-16. (emphasis added) “[A] person who knowingly voters or offers to vote in a precinct except the one in which the person is registered commits a Class D felony” under I.C. § 3-14-2-11 (emphasis added).

Think about it. Former Secretary of State Charlie White was convicted of several felonies and forced from office after a Hamilton County jury found him guilty of registering and casting votes from an address the prosecutors convinced the jury for a very short period of time he did not actually reside--his ex-wife's home. Former Sen. Richard Lugar was forced by the Marion Co. Elections Board to re-register at an actual residence he owned in Marion Co. after it was determined that he and his wife had been voting using a home he had sold nearly 35 years earlier. Why wouldn't the Marion Co. GOP leadership have properly vetted Shreve on this issue before pushing his candidacy at Saturday's caucus election over a long-time Perry Township resident and elected official like Michael Kalscheur? These serious questions of Shreve's residency cannot simply be ignored. In light of the evidence, Shreve should do the right thing and voluntarily step aside and allow Kalscheur to fill the council seat vacated  by Cardwell. The Marion Co. GOP and Shreve must address this issue before tonight's council meeting where two tax increase votes are scheduled to be acted upon.

Google Earth image of the 530 E. Kirkwood address where Shreve was previously registered to vote in Bloomington

Marion Co. GOP Imports Bloomington Resident To Fill Cardwell's Council Seat

UPDATED: Shreve Became Registered Voter in district less than two years ago!
NEW--MARION COUNTY TREASURER'S WEBSITE SHOWS HE'S BEHIND ON PAYING HIS PROPERTY TAX BILLS! (SEE UPDATE BELOWS)
Marion Co. GOP leaders imported a long-time Bloomington resident and businessman to fill the seat vacated by Councilor Jeff Cardwell (District #23), the southside businessman who recently resigned his council seat to join the administration of Gov. Mike Pence. Jefferson Shreve defeated Michael Kalscheur, a financial advisor and Perry Township Board member who ran unsuccessfully for an at-large council seat in 2011, at a GOP caucus held today to replace Cardwell.

According to easily obtained public records, Shreve has identified himself as a Bloomington resident for nearly the past 20 years. Shreve, who has contributed generously to Republican and Democratic candidates alike, always listed a Bloomington address until he started making very generous campaign contributions this past campaign cycle to the Greater Indianapolis Republican Finance Committee ("GIRFCO), the fundraising arm of the Marion Co. GOP.

Shreve is the owner of Storage Express, a self-storage business based in Bloomington that operates 65 self-storage properties in five states. According to campaign finance reports, Shreve always provided a Bloomington address until the 2012 campaign election cycle when he started listing a southside residential address as his residence. The Bloomington Hospital website where Shreve's biography is listed as a member of the hospital's board of directors identifies him as "living in Bloomington for the past 19 years." When he joined the IU Alumni Association Board of Managers in Aug. 2011, he claimed to reside in both Bloomington and Indianapolis. A Bloomberg BusinessWeek profile similarly identifies him as a Bloomington resident for the past 19 years.

The Indiana Election Division's website identifies campaign contributions Shreve has made to state and local candidates as far back as 2001. In the 2001-02 period, Shreve contributed $3,100 to the campaign of Democratic Mayor John Fernandez as a Bloomington resident. The only other candidate of either political party that he contributed more money to was Gov. Mitch Daniels, to whom he gave close to $3,500. Although most of the contributions Shreve has made have been to Republican candidates, he has not shied away from supporting Democrats. In 2009, he contributed $1,000 to Evan Bayh. He gave $250 to Democrat Linda Pence's losing 2008 campaign for Attorney General, a contribution he matched for Republican Greg Zoeller in 2012. This past year, Shreve donated $2,700 to GIRFCO and $2,500 to Richard Lugar's losing re-election bid. He also contributed $3,750 to the Indiana Republican State Committee this past year.

Interestingly, included in the power grab bill that State Sen. Mike Young filed in SB 621 at the request of Mayor Greg Ballard this session is a provision that would reduce the residency requirement for council candidates from two years to one year. It also reduces the residency requirement for mayoral candidates from 5 years to 2 years. Some observers say the politically ambitious Shreve may be eying a run for Indianapolis mayor in 2015. According to the Marion Co. Assessor's records, Shreve owns three very modest residents in the same neighborhood on the City's southside, including 725 E. Markwood, 731 E. Markwood and 734 Lawrence Avenue. Obviously, the Marion Co. GOP could give a damn less about a person's legitimate residency in this county to hold an elected position. Shreve is a resident of that southside council district in name only. Everyone in Bloomington knows that's where he truly resides. According to Jefferson S. Shreve's voting registration (DOB 9/24/1965), he did not become a registered voter at 725 E. Markwood Avenue in Perry Township Precinct #3 until October 17, 2011, shortly before the 2011 municipal election but less than two years prior to his appointment to the council seat. In other words, Shreve was ineligible to become a candidate at Saturday's GOP caucus unless he can prove he became a resident of District #23 at least 9 months before the date of his voter registration.

Search Results

Voter Name: JEFFERSON SCOTT SHREVE County: MARION Status: Registered Township: PERRY Date Of Status: 10/17/2011 Precinct: PER 003 Additional Documentation Required: No Residential Address: 725 E Markwood Ave Indianapolis IN 46227-1536

UPDATE: I've learned a little more about Shreve's stealth candidacy. Perry Township GOP leaders had no idea who he was until he started showing up for meetings a couple of months ago. Michael Kalscheur had been the odds on favorite to win. He is after all a member of the Perry Township Advisory Board and long-time Perry Township resident who ran unsuccessfully for one of the four at-large seats in the 2011 municipal election. Shreve's candidacy emerged out of the shadows just weeks ago, pushed by the Marion Co. GOP leadership and Mayor Ballard. After arms were twisted, promises made, etc., the previously unknown Shreve easily emerged as the winner in the vote of 20 precinct committeepersons in attendance and eligible to vote. Jeff Cardwell, one of those who voted at today's caucus, backed Shreve. So much for loyalty to Perry Township folks on Cardwell's part. Apparently Shreve was concerned enough about his residency in the district, or lack thereof, that he attempted to address having residences in both Bloomington and Perry Township.

UPDATE II: Here's something more interesting. The 7th District state convention caucus nominated Shreve to serve as one of its alternatve delegates at the Republican National Convention in Tampa last year. I was present at the caucus meeting. I had no idea who he was when they read off his name, but based on the comment made by an African-American delegate seated next to me I was under the assumption that he was a token minority choice since none of the other delegates or alternates were black. The delegates were Greg Ballard, Jennifer Ping and Jeff Cardwell. The alternates were Winnie Ballard, Robert Vane and Shreve. Only Shreve's name failed to identify his city or county of residence. It looks like Cardwell was in on the deal to weasel Shreve into a council seat long before he announced he was stepping down to join the Pence administration. Cardwell really stabbed Kalscheur in the back big time. I"m not surprised. Guys who wear their religion on their sleeve are the ones you have to watch the most closely.

I'm also learning more about what he communicated to PCs during his bid. According to a resume he distributed, he identifies himself as being appointed a PC in Perry #13 in 2012, which is outside the 23rd District. He is registered to vote in Perry #3. His resume claims he was elected as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention when he actually was elected as an alternate delegate. He also stated in a communication to PCs that he did not choose to "base my life out of Indy rather than Bloomington" until "a couple of years ago." The house he claims for voter registration purposes is a home previously owned by his grandparents where they raised their children. The 47-year old says he's engaged to be married to Mary Kelley, an Indianapolis resident who was widowed several years ago. Neither of them have any children. Shreve's marriage to Kelley would be his first.

UPDATE III: Is Shreve delinquent in the payment of property taxes on the three residences he owns in Perry Township? It would appear so if the Marion Co. Treasurer's online property tax payment database is up-to-date:

To view additional information on a property, please select the property from the list and click the "CONTINUE" button below. To perform another search, click the "SEARCH AGAIN" button below. To cancel searching, click the "CANCEL" button below.

Please select a Parcel from the list to continue.

Select	Name	Parcel	Township	Location	Current Amount Due

		SHREVE, JEFFERSON	5005259	PERRY	734 LAWRENCE AV	$1,397.20
		SHREVE, JEFFERSON SCOTT THIRD FLOOR	5005273	PERRY	725 E MARKWOOD AV	$825.37
		SHREVE, JEFFERSON SCOTT 3RD FLOOR	5005684	PERRY	731 E MARKWOOD AV	$1,732.20

Shreve Denies Residency Problem But Admits To Delinquent Property Taxes

In response to an exclusive this weekend by Advance Indiana questioning whether newly-elected City-County Councilor Jefferson Shreve satisfies the 2-year residency required of any council candidate at the time of his election at a caucus held on Saturday, Shreve tells the Indianapolis Star that he has resided at the southside residence he owns for more than two years despite voter registration records showing that he didn't change his voter registration from Bloomington to Indianapolis until October 15, 2011, less than two years ago, after registering and voting in Monroe County for many years.

Shreve relies on the fact that he has owned his 725 E. Markwood Avenue in Perry Township within District 23 since 2003. Ownership of property alone, however, doesn't establish residency. Indiana's voter registration laws require a registered voter to attest under penalties of perjury where they reside when they register to vote, and to re-confirm that residency each time they cast a vote relying upon that registered voting address. The fact is that until October 15, 2011, Shreve had declared his residence for voting purposes to be in Bloomington, Indiana. Shreve tells the Star that he last voted in Monroe County in the 2010 general election. He says he cast that ballot by absentee ballot. So when he filled out that ballot, he swore under penalties that was his "true, fixed and permanent home and permanent establishment" to which he had the "intention of returning" whenever absent.

Interestingly, Shreve tells the Star's Jon Murray "that he and his wife have used the house as their primary residence since November 2010, when they completed a renovation and expansion involving adjacent properties." Murray continues, "Prior to that, he said, they used the Indianapolis house occasionally while living most of the time in Bloomington, where Shreve’s company Storage Express is based." How convenient. He claims he moved to Indianapolis the same month that he last cast a vote from his Bloomington residence and a date that will just satisfy the residency requirement by two months.

I'm also scratching my head on references to Shreve's wife. I have in my possession an e-mail communication Shreve sent to a precinct committeeperson in District 23 earlier this month on January 9, 2013. In that e-mail, Shreve refers to Mary Kelley as his fiance, not his wife, and he claims he moved back to Indianapolis two years ago, although he acknowledges that he maintains an apartment in Bloomington.

I decided to base my life back out of Indy rather than Bloomington a couple of years ago, as my Storage Express locations are so spread around Indiana.  Indy is a more central base, since I have to jump on the Interstates to get to my locations.  I di [sic] have Storage Express facilities in Bloomington, and an office and keep an apartment there.  But Indy is my home.

My fiance Mary Kelley is from Indy.   We've been together for some time, and are going to be married at St. Roch's this year.  So I'm getting a late start in life on the marriage front.    It'll be my first (and last) marriage.   Mary was widowed several years ago.   Neither of us have children.  At our age, I'm not sure that will happen, candidly . . .
 

I suppose they could have raced to the courthouse to get married today, but precinct committeepersons were under the impression he was engaged to be married but not yet married at the time he stood for election--based on Shreve's words. Sources say he introduced her to precinct committeepersons on Saturday as his fiance and said they had plans to marry this summer. Maybe he just had a Manti Te'o moment while speaking to Murray. [Update: The Star has now updated Murray's original online story to correct references to "his wife" as "his fiance."] I'm also curious if Shreve was residing at the home in the spring of 2011 why he wouldn't have been concerned enough as a resident and property taxpayer to register to vote and participate in the hotly-contested school referendum property tax debate for the Perry Township schools that took place in the May 2011 primary election.

Shreve told the Star that this blog's reporting made his "blood boil. “It just boils my blood to have people writing about this,” Shreve said, while acknowledging that “Bloomington is a big part of my life.” "He had lived there after attending Indiana University, his business is based there, and he’s now chairman-elect of the IU Alumni Association," Murray added.  Well, Mr. Shreve, the underhanded dirty play of you and the Marion Co. GOP leadership to hand this seat to someone who hasn't been a part of that community makes my blood boil.

 

Shreve pleaded ignorance about his delinquent property tax bills when Murray questioned him about them; however, he later acknowledged them being delinquent, referring to it as "a real embarrassing" oversight":

The flurry of questions did uncover delinquent property taxes on all three of Shreve’s Indianapolis properties. After The Star confirmed with the treasurer’s office that he owed $3,954.77 in taxes and penalties -- all from the installment due last November -- Shreve said that was news to him.

But after a quick check with an accountant at his business, Shreve said he learned the bills hadn’t been paid, calling it “a real embarrassing” oversight.

About an hour later, he provided a new receipt showing he paid the taxes today.

Murray reports that Michael Kalscheur, the Perry Township Advisory Board member who lost to Shreve at Saturday's caucus election, plans to challenge Shreve's election questioning whether he satisfies the 2-year residency requirement. While I'm pleased the Star decided to cover the issue, I'm a little bit disappointed that the reporter's story fails to mention numerous Internet references cited by this blog referring to Shreve as a Bloomington resident, or ask him whether his health and hospital board appointment in Bloomington required his residency in Monroe County. Apparently, he says that his service on that board has subsequently ended. Fortunately, Murray's story ties in Shreve's new-found love for the local Republican Party immediately preceding his election to the council:

In the last year, Shreve’s political contributions have included $3,700 to the Greater Indianapolis Republican Finance Committee. He said he was aiming to become active in local political circles, but his interest in a council seat arose only in December, after Gov. Mike Pence announced Cardwell’s appointment to a post in his new administration.

I'm sure the money had nothing to do with it. The bottom line is that Shreve knew he was being publicly represented as a Bloomington resident for the past 19 years. If he considered Indianapolis his true residence, he wasn't doing a very good job at communicating that to others until he decided he wanted a seat on the Indianapolis council. And Republican council members had the audacity to attack and vote against a Board of Zoning Appeals appointee tonight supposedly because she hadn't lived in the city long and didn't own property. What hypocrites. Here's the video of that discussion:



If you search the state's campaign finance website for the contributions Shreve has made in the past, you will note that he never listed an Indianapolis address until 2012. When making his federal campaign contributions, he slipped up a few times, listing Bloomington as his address as recently as last year.

Jefferson Shreve's Eligibility To Serve On City-County Council Must Be Challenged

Perry Township Small Claims Court Judge Robert Spear Swearing In Bloomington Resident Jefferson Shreve as Indianapolis City-County Councilor

Former Indianapolis City-County Councilor Jeff Cardwell couldn't wait to post on his Twitter account this photo of the swearing in of long-time Bloomington resident Jefferson Shreve as his replacement as District 23 City-County Council member in Indianapolis. In e-mail communications with precinct committeepersons prior to Saturday's caucus election to fill the vacancy, Shreve readily admitted that it wasn't until "two years ago" that he chose to "base [his] life back out of Indy rather than Bloomington." Although Cardwell had encouraged Perry Township Advisory Board member and 2011 at-large CCC candidate Michael Kalscheur to seek his seat before he made the announcement public that he was stepping down to work in the administration of Gov. Mike Pence, Cardwell, along with the Marion Co. GOP leadership and Mayor Greg Ballard, backed the Bloomington resident over the only legitimately qualified candidate.

If the Marion Co. Republicans have any integrity, they will lay out for public inspection immediately any proof they have that will establish that Shreve was a resident of District 23 at least two years prior to his election at the caucus held yesterday. Michael Kalscheur is entitled to take this seat if it is shown that Shreve does not meet the residency requirement as the only other candidate considered at Saturday's caucus election. Right now we only have a voter registration record saying he registered to vote on October 17, 2011. It's an absolute insult to the residents of Marion County that someone could simply take up residency, start throwing thousands of dollars in campaign contributions around, and then be named as a City-County Councilor a short time later. At a recent City-County Council meeting, Republican councilors refused to vote for a Board of Zoning Appeals appointee of the Democrats because they said she hadn't lived in the city long enough. Will they tolerate the seating of someone who may not even meet the legal residency requirement to serve on the City-County Council, who then as one of his first acts will get to vote on two new tax increases proposed by Mayor Greg Ballard?

UPDATE: By the way, I've confirmed that Shreve has already stated that he gladly plans to vote to raise both the admissions tax and the auto rental tax for the benefit of the CIB as one of his first acts as a councilor. He'll vote just the way he's instructed to vote by the downtown mafia, from which he purchased his seat on the council. Apparently Kalscheur's mistake was to say that he would vote against those two taxes and had serious reservations about Mayor Ballard's multi-billion dollar, tax-raising mass transit plan. Fiscal conservatives are now officially banned from serving in public office in Marion County. Hell, let's just elect Democrats to every single office. They won't vote any different than the tax-and-spend liberals who dominate the Marion County Republican Party under Mayor Greg Ballard.

Illinois City Appoints Non-Citizen To Council

It's one thing when you have local officials who have so little regard for residency requirements that they'll elect someone to fill a vacancy who hasn't even resided in a district within the city for the required time for establishing residency like Republican precinct committeepersons did in appointing Jefferson Shreve to the Indianapolis City-County Council. But in the northern Chicago suburb of Highwood, the morons topped that lunacy by appointing a person to their city council who isn't even a U.S. citizen. Mayor Charlie Pecaro recommended the appointment of Harvey Knapp, a permanent resident from England, to fill a vacancy on the council last October. According to the Chicago Tribune, it took two votes of the council to approve Knapp's appointment as council members traded accusations of "playing politics" with mayoral appointments.

Knapp attended eight council meetings until mid-December when Mayor Pecaro sat down with Knapp in his kitchen to go over paperwork he needed to file to run for a full term on the council in this year's municipal election. That's when the two came across a loyalty oath and learned that "duh" you have to be a U.S. citizen.

Highwood Mayor Charlie Pecaro said he was in Knapp's kitchen going through paperwork when they came across a loyalty oath, in which candidates swear they are U.S. citizens.

"He said, 'Hey, wait a second.' I said, 'Are you kidding?'" Pecaro recalled. "Sheer panic ran through us."

Illinois Election Code requires municipal officials to be registered voters.

"You have to be a United States citizen in order to be a registered voter," said Brent Davis of the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Last fall, when former 1st Ward Ald. Quintin Sepulveda resigned, Pecaro said he asked Knapp to apply, and recommended him over another applicant. Knapp was approved unanimously after a second vote of the council.

"I was kind of excited to serve, and unfortunately I didn't really think about it, honestly. I don't really consider myself to be an immigrant at this point," said Knapp, who has lived in the U.S. for 23 years.

"There was no hiding it from anyone," he added. "It's pretty obvious when I open my mouth."

Pecaro said he never thought to ask.

"He's got little kids who go to school with my kids. He's been here forever," Pecaro said.
 

I have to shake my head. How could Knapp believe that he could run for public office if he wasn't even eligible to become a registered voter because he wasn't a U.S. citizen? And more importantly, how could Mayor Pecaro have failed to check out Knapp's registered voting status before recommending his appointment? The Chicago Tribune wondered why it took more than two months for Knapp to resign once he learned he was ineligible to hold the office.

Knapp and Pecaro had different stories over why the alderman waited two months to resign. Knapp said he had a letter prepared but was waiting for the city attorney to determine whether it was necessary for him to resign. Pecaro said he couldn't have accepted Knapp's recommendation earlier because of missed City Council meetings and a communication delay related to an out-of-state family health emergency.

The council is expected to formally accept Knapp's resignation at its Thursday meeting.

The explanation for Knapp missing council meetings probably lies in the fact that he manages a desert truck racing team in Henderson, Nevada, while living in Highwood, a fact noted at the time of his appointment, which should have raised concerns about his ability to perform his duties if his job required him to be out-of-state a lot.

There's a Charlie White angle to this story. So what happens to the votes Knapp cast as a council member, including setting the city's property tax levy?

Knapp's votes over the course of five meetings — including a vote in December to approve the city's 2012 tax levy — will still be considered valid, according to a confidential memo to the council from City Attorney James Ferolo, obtained by the Tribune.

The memo cites legal cases that say the votes of a "de facto" officer, or "one who actually performs the duties of the office with apparent right," are not retroactively considered invalid once the officer is determined to be unqualified to hold the seat.

"In sum, although it appears Alderman Knapp was never fully qualified or eligible to hold the office to which he was appointed, his actions taken under color of that appointment are nonetheless valid and effective," according to the memo.
 

Did you read that Judge Steve Nation and Special Prosecutor Dan Sigler? "His actions taken under color of that appointment are nonetheless valid and effective." They're not demanding that Knapp be charged with theft or any other crime a overzealous prosecutor can pull out of his ass. That's the same law that apples in Indiana. White, you may recall, was charged by Sigler with committing theft by serving as a Fishers Town Council member for a few months after he had moved outside the district to which he was elected, even though White had actually returned the salary he drew during those months and had attended council meetings and otherwise performed his job under color of his election to that office. The Fisher's Town Council's attorney correctly interpreted Indiana law and wrote in a memo that White was under no obligation to return the salary he was paid and that his actions taken as a council member were valid and effective. Sigler ignored the pleas of White's attorney, Carl Brizzi, to drop the theft charge against White, and Judge Nation refused to grant his motion requesting the dismissal of the the theft charge. Knowing no better, the jury convicted White of committing theft.