Friday, November 02, 2007

Patrice Abduallah Never Lived In District 15

Adding more fuel to the swirling controversies this election season is a bomb shell report by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz that District 15 Councilor Patice Abduallah never lived in his district. Abduallah resigned his seat in August after Advance Indiana reported on the fact that he was not currently living in his district. At the time Abduallah resigned, Marion Co. Clerk Beth White's office acknowledged it knew last January when Abduallah filed his statement of candidacy declaring his address on Warman Avenue, outside his district, he didn't live in District 15. Now, Shabazz discloses that an official address list prepared for City-County Council members in December, 2003 listed a home address on Wheeler Avenue for Abduallah, in addition to his Sheffield Avenue address in the district--a home which was in such a state of disrepair it could not have been occupied as a residence.

A person with first-hand knowledge recounted to me an occasion last year when this person gave Councilor Abduallah a ride home one evening. The home, according to this source, was located in an area on the city's northeastside, far away from Abduallah's district. According to his source, the residence is where Helen, Abduallah's significant other or wife, resides. It's odd because nobody can seem to agree whether Abduallah was married to Helen or just living with her. The Wheeler Avenue address on the official council document is located in Councilor Oliver's district.

So why does this matter now? A taxpayer lawsuit, upon which there was a hearing before the Indiana Tax Court this week, is considering, among other things, whether Marion Co's income tax increase is invalid because Abduallah's vote provided the 15th vote needed to pass it. Plaintiffs argue that, because Abduallah acknowledged in a public document he had vacated his district prior to the tax increase vote, he could not legally cast a vote as a member of the council. Interestingly, Fred Biesecker, an Ice Miller attorney working for the City, for the sake of argument conceded Abduallah had vacated his district prior to the vote and that officials in Beth White's office knew this. Biesecker's argument is that it was essentially "harmless error." He says the vacancy can't become official until a citizen challenges it, even if people in the Clerk's office knew he no longer lived in his district. This outcome is necesssary, he argues, because of the resulting chaos and confusion which would ensue if Abduallah's tax increase vote and other ordinances which passed by only one vote with his support were invalidated.

My whole point all along has been the fact that Beth White's office knowingly allowed Patrice Abduallah to defraud his constituents by falsely claiming to be a resident of District 15. This whole story grows by leaps and bounds now that we know the City-County Council has known all along Abduallah never lived in his district from day one. My district essentially had no true representative on the council the last four years. This is also further evidence that Andre Carson's presence on the council now is illegitimate. The Democrats have been defrauding the voters of my district for the past four years. They were then allowed to conduct a caucus meeting at which Carson was chosen to take Abduallah's place on the ballot, even though the deadline for filling vacancies has already passed. Note, Beth White's office refused to allow an independent candidate to file for the office at that late date. Adding further insult to injury, Democrats allowed Abduallah to vote in the caucus at which Carson was chosen. He could not have been legally holding down the precinct committeperson position to which he had been elected under false pretenses.

Republicans should have legally challenged Carson's placement on the November ballot, but since they seem determined to ensure a Democratic-council majority, they did nothing. The irony is that Abdul Hakim-Shabazz is "of counsel" with Marion Co. GOP Chairman Tom John's law firm. If Shabazz has had this document proving Abduallah never lived in his district all along, why wasn't it used by John to prevent Carson's placement on the November ballot? And by the way, Tom John knew before the deadline for appointing a Republican candidate for District 15 there was a question over Abduallah's residency.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Abdul knew. He did not act. Therefor, we must assume collusion.
I do enjoy Abdul's blog but one cannot dismiss the fact that he likes to hang with the "in movers and shakers". Call it burning the candle at both ends so to speak.
I have a penchant for fine food, fine scotch, fine cigars, fine women, fine surroundings and the like too but I don't let those things cloud my judgement.
Ah, the price one must pay to feel they are on the inside.
Oh well, nothing here that a grand jury can't sort out.

Anonymous said...

When I ran for City-County Council 8 years ago, walking door to door, several neighborhood people told me that Patice Abduallah did NOT live where he said he did.

It has been common knowledge for at least 8 years, but no one in this corrupt democrat administration would do the right thing. Why should we expect anything different?

Anonymous said...

Sorry folks, but I got the document this week, long after Carson was appointed. No conspiracy here. Today the cigar is just a cigar.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Abdul, I was listening to your report this morning. What you are now claiming contradicts what you said a little more than an hour ago.

Anonymous said...

Gary, I listen to Abdual religiously and I remember him talking about that very council document months ago when the Abduallah residence issue first arose showing this different address. Sorry Abdul, I'm a big friend but you aren't being straight with us on this.

Anonymous said...

When I was trying to connect the dots with the way Abdul runs his show and blog I just seemed to not put them all together. Now the Abdul and Tom John connection plus a few other dots now complete the picture.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Now that's a cigar you can smoke.

Anonymous said...

The FACT is that Abdul DID KNOW!

Blogger like Abdul work two ways:

1) They can distribute information
OR
2) Collect information

Abdul "in box" is much more ripe with information than his "out box".
I'm not sure how they play that game in Illinois but working both side against the middle will squeeze you real tight in Indiana.
A man is only as good as his word.

Anonymous said...

Your assumption is that Tom John is a smart politician.

Which, we're seeing in spades, is not true.

Anonymous said...

I'm not an Abdul fan though I don't dislike him either. Let's not turn this blog into a referendum on him. Let's focus on the real issue: corruption and collusion in our local government. I suggest you cast your votes on Tuesday, accordingly.

The Amazing Abdul said...

Gentlemen and Ladies,

Allow me to make something a little clear. The Council frequently updates its phone and address listings. The one I sighted today was from December 2003. The I had a few months ago was from January 2007. Hope that helps clear up any confusion you might have.

Abdul

Anonymous said...

Is everybody clear by now that Tom John is working for Peterson and the Democrats? They pay him with money from their friends in Lake County, specifically with large legal contracts from (of all places), East Chicago (the last bastion of a real democratic machine in the country despite all the federal indictments)and Gary. Republicans don't get contracts like these up there!

Anonymous said...

See U.S. v Noxubee County, MS Democratic Party

Anonymous said...

Gary -- does anyone know if Andre Carson has always lived in this district or did he move in to run? Did the Democrats keep Patrice in the seat until Andre met residency requirements/

Anonymous said...

1:10--you ascribe a whole lot more brains to the Democratic powers than they have.

There was no Machiavellian plot to keep Patrice in the seat, move Andre into the district, and get him qualified to take over.

It'd make a good novel, though...by one vote, a tax passes, and the one vote is possibly tainted.

I, for one, think my friend Beth White was obligated to do more than just stand idly by when she learned of this. She did take an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the state, which laws require certain residency for council candidates.

Hot rumor of the day: she'll resign after this election. To do what...is uncertain. But she is fed up and think s the job is basically un-doable (elections).

Mike Bowman said...

"Hot rumor of the day: she'll resign after this election. To do what...is uncertain. But she is fed up and think s the job is basically un-doable (elections)."

Like Super Chicken said to Fred - You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.

Anonymous said...

The job is undoable for Beth White because she is an ignorant, arrogant know it all.

Anonymous said...

If all of you knew that Abdullah did not live in his district, all you had to do is take the info to the election board.....I dont like him and am glad he is gone but had no idea where he lived......