Marion County Democrats

INDIANAPOLIS - Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Treacy released today the following refutations to claims made in the struggling Ballard Campaign’s most recent negative attack ad:

CLAIM: Mayor Ballard is responsible for lower property taxes in Marion County.

FACT: The Mayor of Indianapolis has no direct effect on property taxes, and Ballard has raised the taxes that he does control over 140 times since taking office.

Local Government 101: Control over property taxes is vested with the State Legislature.  Despite Mayor Ballard’s misleading claims that he is responsible for lower property taxes, the fact remains that he had nothing to do with the decrease, the first of which took place before he took office.  Property taxes are lower, but residents can thank members of the State Legislature, not a Mayor desperate to stay in office, for the change in what they are paying. 

Furthermore, Mayor Ballard has raised taxes, rates and fees more than 140 times since taking office.  He gave $33.5 million in taxpayer money to bail out the Pacers, and for the first time in the city’s history, diverted property tax revenue to the Capital Improvement Board instead of to schools and local infrastructure.  He has invested our hard earned money in risky downtown developments.  He raised the hotel tax to be one of the highest in the country, and he has doubled parking fees, leasing the city asset to Texas-based company ACS.  Mayor Ballard is the only candidate for Mayor who has ever had the authority to raise taxes, and he has done so time and time again.

CLAIM:  Crime is down.

FACT:  In 2010, Forbes ranked Indianapolis as one of the most dangerous cities in the country.

Forbes Magazine ranked Indianapolis as one of the most dangerous cities in the country (Forbes).  Aggravated assaults, like the crimes that occurred on the Monon Trail, are way up, and Mayor Ballard has moved away from community policing as a tactic to fight crime.  In the year since that designation was made, things have gotten worse.  Crime is trending up significantly and people all over our city don’t feel safe.

When confronted with the very real fears gripping many of our neighborhoods, Ballard has ignored residents, instead hoping he can hold on to reelection by cherry-picking the data that serves him best.  Just in the last year, as Ballard has changed policing tactics and eliminated community policing, homicides and overall crime are up. 

Confidence in the Mayor has fallen significantly, and in September of 2011, the police forced dropped their endorsement of Greg Ballard, choosing to stand behind Democratic Mayoral Nominee Melina Kennedy. 

The Mayor has said that Public Safety is Job #1, but has made clear that he has no idea what is going on with his Public Safety Department:

Miscommunication arises over IMPD recruiting class delays | FOX59

Ballard Unaware: had promised November academy training

Public safety director promises changes at top of IMPD command | FOX59

Mayor Ballard says he has not been told about the proposed changes

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“This Mayor has spent his entire campaign trying to run against the previous administration, rather than providing a vision for how our city can move forward,” said Chairman Ed Treacy.  “Melina’s commitment to education, to actually combating crime in our city, and to getting our neighbors back to work is exactly the kind of vision that stops looking back, and focuses on the future of Indianapolis.”