Ballard: 100 Days of Broken Promises April 9, 2008
Indianapolis– Mayor Greg Ballard spent his first 100 days in office breaking some of his most important campaign promises, Joanne Sanders, the Democratic leader of the City-County Council, said today.
“The first 100 days for a Mayor should be a time to make a fresh start and set a strong agenda for the next four years,” Councillor Sanders said. “Unfortunately, the first 100 days of Mayor Greg Ballard have been disappointing, to say the least.”
“He ran for office promising Indianapolis the world, and sadly, it’s taken him less than 100 days to break most of them. The Mayor needs to live up to his promises or admit it was simply campaign rhetoric meant to win an election.
“So far, the only promise he’s kept is taking over the police department, and everything else he has announced – programs on abandoned houses, ex-offenders and Peace in the Streets – were cut and pasted from the Peterson Plan.”
The list of broken promises in the first 100 days includes:
No Lobbyists or Cronies on City Boards.
Promise: Ballard promised not to appoint registered lobbyists to any city boards or commissions that directly affects or deals with their lobbying or financial interests.
Broken: In one of his first moves as Mayor, Ballard appointed Bob Grand, one of Indiana’s most influential, big-money lobbyists, as president of the Capital Improvement Board.
Broken: He appointed Randall Tobias, a former George W. Bush administration official, to lead the Airport Authority Board. Tobias has been linked to a Washington D.C. escort service which is currently under investigation. According to the IBJ, Tobias may be called to testify as a part of the investigation.
Promise: “Everyone likes the Super Bowl, but it makes no sense for the mayor to spend money, time, energy or political resources on a do-over on a failed Super Bowl bid when we have a serious police shortage and rising violent crime,” said Ballard.
Broken: No new police officers have been added, but Ballard went forward with the Super Bowl bid anyway.
Promise: Ballard promised to have an office with “fewer deputy mayors, assistant mayors, deputy assistant mayors, etc.” “I believe there are cuts to be made in city-county personnel, beginning right at the top in the Mayor’s executive office.” (Indianapolis Star, 9/23/07)
Broken: Ballard has hired the same number of deputy mayors and PR staff, and created a host of new positions in his office, including a chief-of-staff for his wife, a position that never existed before.
Broken: According to the IndianapolisStar, he spent more money on his staff than his predecessor did.
Quarterly, public budget reviews for all departments
Promise: Ballard promised he would have quarterly, open–to-the-public budget reviews for all city-county departments. “The budget process in this city is closed and lends itself to ‘who you know’ instead of ‘what’s best for Indianapolis,’” he said last year.
Broken: The first quarter of the year has come and gone and there has been no step toward this process – even though he has had nearly six months to prepare.
Campaign Plan: “Fiscal Accountability.”
Repeal Property Taxes
Promise: Ballard promised that he would lobby for the elimination of property taxes Indiana. “If you don’t cut the head off the snake, it just grows back again.”(Star, 7/16/07; Campaign Blog, 7/24/07.)
Broken: Not only are property taxes still law, but he failed to take a single step to push for repeal. What’s more, property taxes are still expected to be a problem for homeowners in many parts of Marion County.
No Cronyism
Promise: “The current administration uses hiring for high-level positions as favors or paybacks. I don’t have any political cronies, nor do I have an organization to which I am indebted.”
Broken: Since taking office, he has appointed political insiders to boards and former employees of at least four elected Republicans to his staff.
Broken: He also promoted his key ally and supporter Councilor Lincoln Plowman, an IMPD officer, within IMPD days after Plowman was elected Republican leader of the City-County Council.
Broken: Ballard gave no-bid lobbying contracts to the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg, which employs Joe Loftus and Bob Grand, two of his biggest supporters and the men who led his transition.
Campaign Plan: “Fiscal Accountability.”
Flip-Flop on State Bailout
Flip: When referring to the ongoing property tax crisis, Ballard stated: “Bart Peterson's plan is to wait for the state to bail him out. How many times have we heard Mayor Peterson blame state government for his fiscal problems?"
Flop: Ballard gladly took credit for a $30 million pension bailout from the state, a plan proposed years before he took office.
Flip: Ballard repeatedly called on the prior administration to drop the idea of an income tax increase, which was primarily aimed for paying public safety pensions.
Flop: Despite getting the state bailout, Ballard has avoided talking about repealing the tax hike and has refused to take any steps toward repeal.
Promise: On numerous occasions, Ballard accused the previous administration of having $70 million in “fluff” in the city budget, which he would cut in three years. “I know it’s in there,” he said. (Star, 9/7/07).
Broken: Now, he is trying to include the $30 million pension bailout as a budget cut. If there was $70 million in fluff in the budget when he took office, it stands to reason that there is still $70 million of fluff. So far, the Mayor has made no word on substantial cuts.
Flip: Ballard stated last year: “I know many of you want a straight sales tax, but I’m not there. I think that on a state level, it is too regressive and would hurt the poor too much.”(Campaign Blog, 8/1/07.)
Flop: Ballard went on to embrace Governor Daniels’’ plan to hike the state sales tax by 17%.
Flip- Flop on “Out-of-Control Spending”
Flip: Ballard spent the campaign accusing the prior administration for “out-of-control spending.”
Flop: During this past winter’s pothole season, the administration did an about-face and accused the previous administration of “flat-lining the budget for potholes.” (WIBC, 3/12/07).
Ballard plays fast and loose with budget numbers Mayor fails to grasp impact of HB 1001
February 12, 2008 Contact: Terry Burns, 637-3366
During an appearance Monday before the House Ways and Means Committee, Mayor Greg Ballard made it painfully clear that he lacks a grasp of the city’s budget situation.
“With his evasive answers and tepid responses to questions posed by lawmakers, the mayor showed that he doesn’t have a clue about how his administration will handle the impact of House Bill 1001. Mayor Ballard looked like a deer in the headlights,” said Terry Burns, executive director of the Marion County Democratic Party.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is the same Mayor Ballard who recently stood alongside Governor Mitch Daniels to announce his support for the bill, even though it meant Mayor Ballard had to renege on a campaign promise to eliminate property taxes. Now it’s pretty obvious that the mayor had no idea in the first place exactly what he was supporting,” Burns added.
The mayor’s embarrassing performance was simply a continuation of his on-the-job training and Mayor Ballard’s failure to be straight with the taxpayers of Indianapolis.
“The General Assembly and the taxpayers of Indianapolis deserve straight answers from Mayor Ballard, and he needs to stop blaming the previous administration for what ails him. Mayor Ballard needs to get down to doing the hard work of being mayor,” Burns said. “During yesterday’s testimony, the mayor claimed that the city’s 2008 budget had a $22 million shortfall, but if I recall correctly, this was the same person – who as a candidate – said the city budget was bloated and that he’d cut $70 million or not run for re-election.”
“Here’s my question to the mayor: What happened to those $70 million in budget cuts you talked about or is that just another broken campaign promise?” Burns said.
Another Republican operative cashes in on the Ballard campaign John and Vaughn among those benefiting from mayoral connections
February 11, 2008 Contact: Terry Burns, 637-3366 INDIANAPOLIS – Marion County Republican Party Chairman Tom John has joined a growing list of GOP officials who are cashing in on their connections to newly elected Mayor Greg Ballard.
According to yesterday’s Indianapolis Star, John has announced that he is leaving his own law firm to join the influential Ice Miller LLP. This comes on the heels of Republican City County Councillor Ryan Vaughn announcing that he was leaving his current law firm to join the politically connected firm of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Not surprisingly, both law firms do extensive and lucrative business with the City of Indianapolis and the additions of John and Vaughn are expected to solidify the political connections each firm has with city government.
John and Vaughn, however, aren’t the only Republicans benefiting from their ties to the Ballard administration. The mayor recently appointed Bob Grand, one of the city’s most influential Republican dealmakers, to head the Capital Improvement Board (CIB), which manages, among other things, Lucas Oil Stadium and Conseco Fieldhouse. Not coincidently, Grand’s law firm represents the Indiana Pacers, the major tenant at Conseco Fieldhouse.
“It is not unheard of for people who work hard in getting someone elected to earn the spoils of victory, so I congratulate Chairman John for his success in helping elect Mayor Ballard. It is also unfair to expect Mr. John or Mr. Vaughn not to do what is in the best interest of their families, especially if a larger paycheck is involved by taking a new job,” said Terry Burns, executive director of the Marion County Democratic Party.
“But what is important to point out is that Mayor Ballard touted his ethics proposal early and often in his campaign, not by contrasting any accusations of wrong-doing by the prior administration but simply to state that his administration would be free of the kind of outside influence that now seems to be infiltrating it,” Burns said.
“As we have seen time and time again, most of what Ballard the candidate told us prior to the November election does not hold up in the actions of Ballard the mayor. He has violated his own ethics policies in making board appointments, he has backtracked on his promise to fight for the elimination of property taxes and he has increased the size of the mayor’s staff, not cut positions as promised. What we’ve learned so far from the Ballard administration is that promises ring hollow when compared to the actions taken so far in office,” Burns said.
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