Local Government
There’s No “We” in Mitch Land…
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on December 7th, 2011
When Steve Goldsmith was Mayor–talking incessantly about government’s “customers” while shifting costs from the operating to the capital budget in order to “reduce” taxes (i.e., push the costs to the next administration)–I used to grouse that his vision of the ideal government would be one that eliminated all municipal services so that the City-County Building [...]
Continue reading...
The Devil You Know….
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on November 9th, 2011
A couple of political truisms–which I have always accepted as “givens”–went up in smoke last night. The first was that at-large candidates win or lose based upon the performance of their party’s mayoral candidate. The second was that in close races, victory is largely a matter of getting your vote out. In Indianapolis yesterday, the [...]
Continue reading...
Did Not! Did So!
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on October 31st, 2011
Ah, budget battles. This morning’s Star detailed the back and forth political arguments about whether the Ballard Administration actually made the budget cuts the mayor promised during his campaign. Their independent analysis amounted to: who knows? That’s not a criticism of the reporters–it’s a reflection of the games public managers play. This actually began back [...]
Continue reading...
Politics and Policy: A Cautionary Tale
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on October 29th, 2011
I’m sharing my next column for the IBJ, which expands upon my earlier post, and considers the policy issues that the Litebox blunder illuminate. How did we get from “Enterprise Zones” to Litebox? Back in my Hudnut Administration days, I remember enthusiastic discussions about Enterprise Zones–a new tool promoted by then-Congressman Jack Kemp to [...]
Continue reading...
Questions
Posted by Sheila Kennedy in Local Government on October 29th, 2011
I get tired of beating the same dead horse, but the Star’s story this morning about the Litebox episode–a piece of real reporting that is becoming increasingly rare–raises additional questions. The story makes vividly clear how slapdash the City’s vetting process has been, and how politically motivated the decision to announce “job creation.” But the [...]
Continue reading...
Recent Comments