Monday, September 22, 2014

Ballard's Record Of Dozens Of Tax and Fee Increases


He may have run on an anti-tax pledge in 2007, but as mayor, he has been the biggest tax and spend mayor in the City of Indianapolis' history. Fellow blogger Paul Ogden has a summary of all the tax and fee increases enacted by Mayor Greg Ballard, along with a few he proposed that didn't become law here.

Democratic mayoral candidate Joe Hogsett is already planning to replicate the gubernatorial campaign he helped run for Evan Bayh in 1988 against Lt. Gov John Mutz (R). In that campaign, Bayh and the Democrats ran to the right of Mutz, attacking the 8-year record of the Orr-Mutz team raising taxes and supporting big spending programs. It worked like magic. Yes, Joe Hogsett will run to the right of the Republican mayoral candidate in 2015, which probably won't be Greg Ballard.

6 comments:

Paul K. Ogden said...

That's also the successful strategy Hogsett employed against Hudnut in the Secretary of State's race

Gary R. Welsh said...

Remember the new state courts center that was supposed to be built north of the State House that Bayh lambasted Mutz over during that campaign? It's still never been built.

Gary R. Welsh said...

The whispering campaign about Hudnut's alleged immoral sex life despite being an ordained minister hurt him outside of Indianapolis as much as any issue.

Anonymous said...

the Secretary of State can raise taxes?

Gary R. Welsh said...

Bill Hudnut was running for secretary of state while he was still Indianapolis mayor. Hogsett made an issue about the number of times he raised taxes in his successful campaign against him, which was the beginning of the downfall of Hudnut's political career.

Paul K. Ogden said...

I have to disagree, Gary. Nothing hurt nothing more than commercials Hogsett ran saying, accurately, that Hudnut tripled the local income tax. The rumors about Hudnut's sex life was more inside baseball.