On January 3, 2000, the first business day of the Peterson Administration, Katherine Davis, then City Controller, signed off on a contract between the City and I-69 Mid-Continent Highway Coalition (I-69 MCHC). This was the beginning of 3 one-year contracts whose terms were never fulfilled, yet the contracts were renewed. The I-69 MCHC netted $60,000 of taxpayers money.

I-69 MCHC is pro-I-69 lobbying group which is well known to support new terrain I-69. James Newland, Executive Director of I-69 MCHC, has written at least 5 Letters to the Editor since 1996, advocating for what turns out to be route 3c that INDOT hopes to plow through Perry Township.

McANA filed a Freedom of Information request in late 2002 asking for the contract(s) and any materials submitted to the City by I-69 MCHC. What we received was stunningly little.

The contracts were all the same; for $20,000 per year, payable in 4 installments, I-69 MCHC would provide to DCAM (later DPW) information about the alignment of I-69 points of contact within Marion County, an initial briefing and quarterly updates due on specific dates, attend meetings with staff (as requested), and attend up to four public hearings per year (as requested).

What did I-69 MCHC provide the city in fulfillment of this contract? Copies of I-69 MCHC’s newsletter, newspaper clippings, a letter to the Star Editor by Newland, and readily available federal studies on the NAFTA highway.

There was only ancillary mention of Marion County and no information about possible points of contact within the County. Not once was the City provided with information about the inclusion of the Mann Road corridor as a possible route option. There was no mention of the effect of I-69 on Indianapolis. There was only one indication of a meeting with staff in the 3 years. There was no mention of any public hearings held by INDOT or others and the public participation that was overwhelmingly anti-new-terrain-I-69.

What the City got was I-69 propaganda and invoices submitted months prior to the contractual quarterly dates. Of interest, also, is the fact that the city could only locate 3 invoices, all submitted in 2002.

June 3, 2002: along with the invoice for $5,000 was “the Coalition’s most recent Information Newsletter ‘Interstate 69—High Priority Corridors 18 and 20’ The Highway That is Meant To Be, for your information and files. Please draft the No. 1 check and forward to my office…” Due date July 1, 2002.

Aug. 15, 2002: along with the invoice for $5,000 was “the Coalition’s most recent Information Newsletter and copy of ‘Letter Spotlight’ which appeared Sunday, Aug. 11 in the Indianapolis Star for you information and files. Please draft the No. 2 check and forward to my office…” Due date October 1, 2002

Nov. 19, 2002: along with the invoice for $5,000 was “the Coalition’s most recent information and copies of the Oct. 6 edition of the Hoosier Times (Bloomington Herald-Times) and an in-depth interview of The Harold-Times with J. Bryan Nicol, Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner for your information and files. Please draft the No. 3 check and forward to my office…” Due date January 1, 2003.

In all McANA received 2.2 pounds of paper for its Freedom of Information request. I-69 MCHC was paid $60,000 over 3 years. Of the information we received, 77 pages were authored by I-69 MCHC or may have been authored by them. That comes to $714.29 per authored page.

>Jim Newland, Executive Director of I-69 Mid-Continent Highway Coalition

>Joyce Newland, Transportation Planner, Federal Highway Administration, Indianapolis office

>Mark Newland, Program Director for Intelligent Transportation System, INDOT

Jim Newland is the father of Mark Newland who is the husband of Joyce Newland.