Thursday, January 28, 2016

More Republican Party Caucus Shenanigans

Advance Indiana previously told you about efforts of Marion Co. GOP Chairman Jennifer Ping, Perry Township Ward Chair Kay Spear and other Republican leaders to slate former City-County Councilor Jefferson Shreve in the state senate district now represented by Sen. Brent Waltz (R-Greenwood) over City-County Councilor Jack Sandlin, a former Perry Township trustee and retired Indianapolis police officer. Shreve is a Bloomington businessman who only changed his voter registration to Marion County a short time before he was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Jeff Cardwell resigned to accept a job in the Pence administration. Cardwell, of course, has since become chairman of the Indiana State Republican Party. There are more developments that have come to Advance Indiana's attention.

Ward Chair Kay Spear has started retaliating against folks who aren't toeing the line. Sandlin's daughter, Carrie Coulter, is an incumbent member of the Perry Township Advisory Board. She learned only this week that Spear has fielded a candidate to oppose her for re-slating at this Saturday's slating convention. Spear's handpicked candidate to take on Coulter is Tim O'Connor, who owns Blue Line Security Systems, Inc. By coincidence, Blue Line Security Systems is a client of Spear's husband, attorney and Perry Township Small Claims Court Judge Robert Spear. Interestingly, Spear also recently secured the appointment of O'Connor to fill a vacant PC slot in Sen. Pat Miller's district. Spear is backing Rep. Cindy Kirchofer in her bid to succeed Sen. Miller. Kirchofer is facing off in slating against City-County Councilor Aaron Freeman, who is supported by Sandlin.

Spear has also found a candidate to challenge another township advisory board member at slating. That would be Michael Kalscheur, the same guy who infuriated Speak and other Marion Co. GOP leaders when he refused to step aside and let the long-time Bloomington resident Shreve be anointed as a member of the City-County Council after he showered a bunch of campaign contributions on various Republican candidates and committees. Shreve, a liberal Democrat, had previously made large campaign contributions to Democrats like Evan Bayh, former Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez and Linda Pence, a former candidate for Attorney General. It really became personal to Spear after both Coulter and Kalscheur both opposed a pay raise sought by her husband for his job as small claims court judge. And then folks wonder why so many long-time Republicans are getting turned off by the actions of their party's leadership.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...


As a former Marion County GOP and FORMER REPUBLICAN who knows some of the people mentioned in your report, no one in their right mind would associate with these old guard, crony, despicable (IMHO) persons like Jennifer Ping and Kay Spear and their ilk who are far more interested in their little fiefdoms, their own political and financial advancement, and their tin horn, delusional "importance" than they are in doing what is right for the Marion County taxpaying voter. The blog report recounts the same old tired persons who have been clamoring at the public trough for quite some time.

People like DB, TJ, and before them RE, used Marion County and the politician chess pieces they fronted as their personal ATM to ring up wealth for themselves and their pals. To be fair, the Democrats are not one bit different. Marion County is now a dead county hollowed out as the producers fled to the contiguous counties and the ex-urbs.

I self-selected out of the sham that the Hoosier political system is evolved to; I refused to register when I moved.

All of these people - crony RINO Republicans including the stingy liberal Democrats- remind me of High School megalomaniacs running for those completely ineffective student governments. These adult political office seekers were all persona non grata back then, hungering for "votes" so that they could "be somebody", and every one of these little children continue to do it in their adult lives.

Anonymous said...

Lots of long time Republicans are like dogs returning to their vomit.

Anonymous said...

Carrie Coulter IS Jack Sandlin's daughter, not his daughter-in-law. Ms. Spear is the wife of Judge Spear. City-Councilor Sandlin and his cronies tried unsuccessfully to dis-credit and remove the Judge from office. Sandlin was a pal of former Perry township Constable Roy Houchins.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Again, Anon. 9:58, My point in these discussions is to draw attention away from efforts by party leaders to rig the choices we have at the real elections where real voters are allowed to cast votes. The ballot box becomes meaningless if the choices we're given are pre-determined by backroom shenanigans.

Anonymous said...

Ping is nothing but Walker 2:0, she lies right to our faces when she says it will be a fair slating, then she's out shilling for Democrat Shreve. Im not sure how Ping can justify slating a man who voted as a Democrat and gave money to Democrats. It is clear that Ping only does what she is told to do. The fact is that Ping has been working with the Spears to take out Sandlin since day one. Ping and Shreve are all about the money, she really could care less about he party. Its very sad when two people decide who will be the next State Senator...The PCs only do what they are told...our party in Marion County is now officially dead. We have loathe CCC, We have lost every county race,now Ping wants to loose the Senate race by slating a Democrat...Geee I wonder what little drone of Pings wrote the post at 10:08..hmmm, I think we all know who that is...

PING DID SAY THAT SHE DIDNT REALLY CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN JOHNSON COUNTY AND THEIR VOTES..THEY ARE "NOT HER PEOPLE" SHE SAID

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN MARION COUNTY IS NOW OFFICLAY DEAD.

Anonymous said...

It has been a horrible thing to watch over the last several years...The Perry Township Republican Organization used to be inclusive (not every body had to agree on every issue), used to encourage elected precinct committeemen, and used to recognize people for their hard work instead of how big of a check they could write. There was a time when there were regular precinct committeemen and ward chairmen meetings so that people could be heard and be informed on issues that effected the political community. I no longer participate in the Perry Township GOP organization, but I have it on good authority that there has not been such a meeting in at least 2 years. It has since turned into the personal vendetta arm of the Spears and the county organization. The only people who have a voice these days are appointed and swear loyalty to these despicable people. If they do figure out the truth about who is in charge and decline to tow the line they are quickly replaced.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Anon 11:45. Walker and Ping have killed the golden Goose. Walker raped our city and is moving his act to Hamilton county.Now that his gravy train is done, he has to make money off of Shreve and the folks up north. Who will want to run as a Republican now in Marion county? Walker has bankrupted the MCRCC, they have NO money now. Yes, the party is now dead. There are NO winnable elections in Marion county in the future as I see it. They took a good man like Brewer and lied to him, they chewed him up and spit him out. Ping will run the slating like Walker did, she will tell the PCs who to vote for. Its the way it is. Its a sad thing to see our party go down like this,but we allowed it to happen. The sad thing is that good folks like Sandlin get caught up in this evil process.

Anonymous said...

Just went over Shrives financials..he does like to give a lot of money to Democrats..It seems Ping, Kay Spear and Walker would rather have a Democrat elected so they can keep getting their paychecks.......The fact that Shreve voted as a Democrat doesn't seem to bother Pings as long as she's getting her $$$ from Shreve....The Republican party in Marion county is dead.

Anonymous said...

Anons 11:45 and 2:39... You are partially correct. I say partially because you are leaving out David Brooks who, in my opinion, was one of the nastiest, meanest, vile, most corrupt County Chairmen the Marion County GOP has ever suffered under. There are few attorneys who could bend and move the law to be whatever he wanted it to be for himself, his wife, and his pals.

"We" didn't allow it to happen. Rather, corrupt attorneys like David Brooks took over what was left of the Party and bastardized it with Ghost PCs and sycophant fools run for office (or appointed) to be pawns for Brooks to give voting and marching orders for his future "needs". He engineered Susan Brooks to the 5th Congressional office while doing no favors with his overly expensive precinct "alignment". Why members of the Marion County GOP still lionize this guy is totally beyond me.

Gary R. Welsh said...

David Brooks was never Marion County GOP Chairman, anon. 3:40; he was the Center Township Ward Chairman.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:40 here... Yes, I mistyped. You are right, Gary...Brooks was Center Chair.

And your observation of why the local Dems loved him is right on.

Pete Boggs said...

Whatever was pleasant about this association is long gone; a matter of ghost enjoyment...

Sir Hailstone said...

"David Brooks was never Marion County GOP Chairman" - he might as well have been Gary. He definitely held the leash on TJ and KW

Anonymous said...


Hailstone got it right. And I have little doubt David Brooks continues to tightly hold leashes on Marion County persons whether if be from his Carmel home or from the perch he has because of his Progressive Republican wife's Congressional Seat in DC.