City Hall Needs Vision, a Real Plan, and Good Old Common Sense

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The opinions expressed in these articles and features are those of their author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of McANA or the opinion of its Directors or Officers.

"City Hall Needs Vision, a Real Plan, and Good Old Common Sense"
by Greg Jordan
[this is an invited editorial]

As I have traveled around our city during this campaign, I discovered two things. Indianapolis is made up of great neighborhoods with residents who love their community. I also discovered that we share a fundamental concern that the city is moving in the wrong direction. The city lacks a clear vision to reverse our economic decline, put Indianapolis citizens back to work, and strategically prepare for a 21st Century economy with strong neighborhoods.

Our citizens feel betrayed and skeptical toward government over staggering increases in property tax bills due to the double digit spending increases by local officials. There seems to be a serious disconnect between the decisions made in City Hall and the citizens most affected by those decisions.

Mayor Peterson’s support of I-69 through Perry Township is an example of that. His decision shows reckless disregard to economic reality and demonstrates why economic development efforts should be back in the Mayor’s Office as I proposed this week.

The state’s I-69 plan, with Peterson’s approval, may affect up to 500 parcels in western Perry Township with an assessed value of over $125 million, depending on the final right-of-way requirements. It could take $3 million away from local property tax rolls. More importantly, it would destroy numerous businesses and homes – all at taxpayer expense.

Someone has to stand up for the men and women who live and work along this route – and for all taxpayers – and put a halt to this nonsense. I have written to Governor Kernan and the Indiana Department of Transportation to ask them to reverse their decision.

A closer look at the process this project has taken in City Hall reveals the systemic problems that exist within City Hall. No overall economic vision, no coordination among agencies, and no coordination with state government. We have a case where one department of city government issues a building permit to develop a $22 million apartment complex, while another approves a measure—the I-69 route--that would destroy it. Why doesn’t the right hand know what the left hand is doing? Or do they know, but just don’t care?

This happens when you don’t have a sustained plan to maintain a thriving economy and strong
neighborhoods. That will end with a Jordan administration.

This week I announced my 10-point Jobs Plan aimed at turning around the local economy and putting Indianapolis back to work. My chief goal is to improve the local jobs climate and put Indianapolis in the top tier of biotech centers.

But first, the city must abandon its current economic development approach. There is no plan, as promised, and no action steps. That’s why unemployment has doubled in four years and why we find ourselves ranked second in the nation by the U.S. Department of Labor in lost jobs. The consequences are being felt by our citizens. We outpace all cities of our size and many larger cities in home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies. Housing starts are down for the second year in a row.

Jobs must return as a top priority in City Hall. I will appoint a Senior Deputy Mayor of Economic Development to oversee economic strategy and coordinate a “jobs” component in other agencies of city government. While Indianapolis must support a regional effort, we cannot rely on that as our only strategy. We must protect Indianapolis jobs and grow the local economy. A small business ombudsman will help protect small business.

If elected Mayor, I will concentrate on our two most pressing issues: record job losses and runaway spending by local government that caused skyrocketing property tax bills. We must put Indianapolis back to work and restore fiscal integrity and accountability to city government. And we must return common sense to decision-making at all levels.

On November 4, voters will go to the polls to cast their vote for the future of our great city. They will have a choice: the Peterson Plan that has ignored average citizens and given us exploding tax increases and record jobs losses. Or a return to the kind of visionary leadership and stewardship of City Hall that we saw during 3 decades of Republican Mayors that put Indianapolis on a course of prosperity and national prominence.