Marion County Democrats

Marion County Republican Party leaders kept their distance from a GOP city-county councilwoman's recent comments on education after Democrats seized the moment to paint the GOP with a broad brush.

During a Sept. 24 forum for at-large council candidates, Republican incumbent Barb Malone said consolidating Indianapolis Public Schools and Marion County's 10 other public school districts into a single district was a reform worth considering.

Five days after the candidate forum, the Marion County Democratic Party issued a news release with the headline: "Making IPS Only Public School District in County Will Be Priority for Republican Council."

Not so, said Kyle Walker, the GOP chairman, noting Malone was speaking only for herself.

Malone suggested consolidation at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Though the councilwoman reached her time limit before she could flesh out the idea, she did take time to say: "If you read about the history of education in Indianapolis, I think you would be rather surprised that we never wanted to support public schools in Indiana, and it was the good people from the East Coast who said that 'you guys need to be educated, in spite of whether you're going to till the farms.'

"But I think without consolidation . . ." The moderator then cut her off.

The Democrats took the opportunity to refer to Malone as a tea party Republican and noted the "extraordinary disconnect between tea party Republicans and the educational challenges facing the city of Indianapolis and its students." Chairman Ed Treacy opined that the "Tea Party takeover of the Republican Party" was vanquishing sound judgment.

Malone often is a dependable vote for Republican Mayor Greg Ballard's agenda. But a tea party acolyte? Even Indy Democratic blogger Jon Easter described that as "a bit of a stretch."

Walker told us via email: "Her statements reflect only her opinion and not that of the Marion County Republican Party, Mayor Ballard, or any other City-County Councilor. It is interesting that the Marion County Democrat Party is taking exception to her comments since Melina Kennedy is clearly implying that, if elected, she will select the teachers in each and every school in Marion County."

OK, OK . . . you have to give Walker credit for engaging in his own little bit of hyperbole at the expense of Ballard's Democratic opponent.