Monday, November 12, 2007

Finally, Democrats Challenge Gray

Although City-County Council Democrats relented to Republican demands for a council-led investigation into alleged ethics violations against CCC President Monroe Gray, not a single person in the Democratic caucus would speak out publicly against him prior to last Tuesday's election. At least one, Angela Mansfield, is speaking out and doesn't think Gray should continue on as the caucus' leader. The Star's Brendan O'Shaughnessy quotes Mansfield:

Angela Mansfield, a Democratic council member representing District 2 on the Northside, said she thinks the controversies surrounding Gray helped bring down Democratic fortunes in the election.

"There was some fallout to all of us," Mansfield said last week. "I don't know that (Gray) realizes it yet."

Mansfield said she initially defended Gray before the election because it appeared to her that Republicans were more interested in scoring political points than following the process set up for ethics investigations. The GOP never filed a request for an investigation after the city's ethics board found Gray guilty of failing to reveal his business relationship with a major city contractor.

But Mansfield said now she would support current council Vice President Joanne Sanders as the Democrats' new minority leader in January rather than Gray.

Sanders said she has already put out word that she wants to lead the council minority. She hesitated to say Gray hurt the Democrats, but she said "not having any baggage" is important to future leadership.


I'm pleased to see Mansfield has finally seen the light, but she would have done herself and the Democrats a big favor had she come forward about her thoughts prior to the election. Her defense for defending Gray because the Republicans were only trying to score political points as she claims simply rings hollow.

O'Shaughnessy's story confirms the rumor that Joanne Sanders will challenge Gray for the minority leader post. Gray's reaction to her challenge and Mansfield's claim that he contributed to Democratic losses on Tuesday is not surprising. "I think we carried the mayor in my district," Gray said. "Therefore I don't think I had any adverse effect on this. I won, and it wasn't even close. The people in my district approve of my work." "People were just angry with the tax situation," Gray said. "The mayor and the at-large candidates ran as a group. I think there were some mistakes made down the stretch, but it's hard to pinpoint one thing."

Sadly, the Democratic race will likely like pit the caucus' six white members, including Mansfield, Sanders, Nytes, Moriarty-Adams, Brian Mahern and Dane Mahern against the caucus' seven African-American members, including Gray, Oliver, Bateman, Pryor, Carson, Brown and Jose Evans. According to a number of observers, there has been an unspoken rule in the Democratic Party that the caucus' leader must be an African-American.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

EARTH TO MONROE: EARTH TO MONROE: Your lazy incompetent sorry ass cost us a lot last Tuesday.

You're not exclusively responsible, but largely responsible.

Hoo-ray for Ms. Mansfield. She'd better duck tho--a Wilson whack is comign her way any minute. After all, she dared criticize an elected black Democrat.

She speaks 100% truth. And committeemen and women all over the county are raising a cheer to her words this morning--incouding several in Monroe's council district.

Monroe; check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Anonymous said...

The time for the appointment of a special prosecutor is overdue to investigate Gray's perjury on ethics forms & homestead tax exemptions, ghost employment ($83k IFD job with no responsibilities nor work product), racketeering, conflict of interest.

Gary R. Welsh said...

anon 8:09, we have only our county prosecutor, Carl Brizzi, to blame for that. The state's leading newspaper publishes a front-page story providing strong evidence he is a ghost employee. Brizzi does nothing. How sad.

Anonymous said...

Agree with these posts. Gray is not competent. Watching him (or actually Haith) run the CCC meetings is painful! Add on ghost employment, conflict of interest, and the rest and it's downright scary that this man has been allowed to lead the council.

Scarier yet is Brizzi taking swift action against counterfeit sports tickets but doing nothing about Gray. Time to step up, Mr. Prosecutor, or step aside and let someone with the g's that you apparently lack, do something.

As far as Mansfield & the rest of the CCC dems, the timing of your challenge to Gray is theatre at its best (worst, actually). We'll see if this is really about doing right by our city or if it's just keeping your political nests feathered.

Sir Hailstone said...

Snr. Brizzi, donde' esta su cojones?

Wilson46201 said...

Are you saying Carl Brizzi has the same cojones as Melina Kennedy?

Anonymous said...

Ok Wilson, you took the first shot. Now a serious question for you. Please attempt to give an educated answer with no reference to Daniels or Brizzi. What do you, as a Democrat, feel about Monroe Gray and all the controversy surrounding him? Please in your answer, defend ghost employment, ethics violations, multiple homestead exemptions, Aaron Haith, his wifes financial ties to 300 East, and his support and profiting of local pea-shake houses. I'll be waiting for a response.

Wilson46201 said...

Lots of allegations and slanders in the partisan blogs and one newspaper but no arrests, indictments or convictions. I'm neither judge nor jury -- in America we have a justice system to deal with such stuff. In the meanwhile, a prominent African-American man is being pilloried and dogged. I will not join the baying hounds!

Lest it be forgotten: the voters in Monroe Gray's district just re-elected him solidly last Tuesday.

Anonymous said...

I know at least 2 new CCC members will be at tonights meeting. I hope ALL of the new CCC Members from both sides show up to as many as they can between now and when they get sworn in.

Anonymous said...

Ain't nobody say anything bad 'bout Miss Angie...laws no.

She be an honest lady fo sho.

Wilson46201 said...

Racist "dialect" cracks? Classy!

Anonymous said...

How is 10:14 talking like a racist? He sounds a lot like the way Monroe talks...

Anonymous said...

Except, Monroe mumbles. He still can't pronounce Mary Bridgette's full name. He's an embarrassment, whether he's done anything illegal or not.

Wilson, one point you miss is: the charges made against Monroe are mostly TRUE. Most of the things that angered voters were not illegal, but style.

His heavy-handed running of meetings. His insistence on listening to Aaron Haith all the time. His delegating of duties to Lonelle Conley, and then standing behind Ro's ridiculous threats if Judy didn't get that plum job.

None of that illegal. Just stupid and arrogant use of power. Don't forget his most-famous comment, which nobody forced him to make: Juice.

The ghost employment charge has enough credence to warrant a prosecutorial investigation. We don't know if one has been started or ended--I think voters would be surprised to learn how many open investigations the prosecutor has at any one time. The prosecutor is not oblilgated to inform the public of open but not complete investigations.

It seems pretty simple--Monroe either did or did not perform specific duties as an IFD liaison.

I don't honestly know about that--I depend on my elected officials to root it out. If the new council wants to investigate one of their own, they're empowered to do so. Have at it.

Anonymous said...

Wilson46201 said...

"Lots of allegations and slanders in the partisan blogs and one newspaper but no arrests, indictments or convictions. I'm neither judge nor jury -- in America we have a justice system to deal with such stuff. In the meanwhile, a prominent African-American man is being pilloried and dogged. I will not join the baying hounds!

Lest it be forgotten: the voters in Monroe Gray's district just re-elected him solidly last Tuesday."

Typical DemocRAT, he has no convictions so he, like Bill Clinton is good to go!
Using the race card to try to protect Sweet Pea is beyond pathetic and borders
on the ridiculous. I expect this from somewhere like Chicago or Detroit, but not
here in Indiana...WAIT! Bart, Sweet Pea and Julia "I am MIA" Carson were trying
to turn Indy into Detroit! Sweet Pea lost his 'solid' footing in that district
by only getting 57% of the vote, down from the better than 70% he had last
election.

Anonymous said...

Wilson, fair enough comment regarding proof and a system to handle the allegations. I for one will now monitor very closely your posts on others to see if you extend this same courtesy. Somehow I remember posts that suggest you operate with a double standard. But then I could be wrong. We'll see. Integrity is tough to fake, over time.

Anonymous said...

Are you saying Carl Brizzi has the same cojones as Melina Kennedy?
Yeah, like Melina (what a hot babe) Kennedy wold have done anything about it.

I'm neither judge nor jury
But yet you are so eager to judge the Republicans and hang them out to dry.
Brizzi is a TOTAL WATSE of taxpayer money. He sucks as a prosecutor.
You may not be the judge or jury, but you are a hypocritcal jerk.

Anonymous said...

Brizzi is a jerk...he could have put an end to the MOnroe GRay gravy train a long time ago.....

Anonymous said...

Brizzi is a jerk...he could have put an end to the MOnroe GRay gravy train a long time ago.....