At this point four years ago, now-Gov. Mitch Daniels had started outlining a platform based on revitalizing
the economy.
The economy had been headed south since the â??70s and had taken another beating early in the decade. Voters
were only too…
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership CEO Mark Miles will lead the city’s attempt to land the Super Bowl in 2012, according to a source familiar with the matter. The announcement of Miles’ selection is expected this week. The source, who asked not to be named, said Miles will oversee initial research as well as assembling the […]
While the rest of the state struggles to hold its own through the national housing downturn, the Columbus area is thriving. Bartholomew County, where Columbus is the seat, saw the median house price rise 8.7 percent, to $139,000, in the third quarter, according to The Republic, the city’s daily newspaper. Nationally, the median price fell […]
Judge to settle mayoral dispute MADISON COUNTY – A judge in New Castle has been appointed to oversee a challenge brought by five Anderson residents over the eligibility of Kris Ockomon to serve as the city’s new mayor. Ockomon, a Democrat, upset incumbent Kevin Smith, a Republican, in the November election. The five plaintiffs filed […]
Two bills in the Indiana Legislature would require utilities that operate here to supply up to 25 percent of their electricity from renewable resources such as wind, landfill gas, and plant and animal waste. Backers say utilities need more incentive to diversify from coal-based power generation.
Northwest Airlines flight 1829–stranded on a Detroit taxiway for seven hours with lavatories overflowing and the 198 souls
aboard without food or water–has now landed at the Indiana General Assembly. Two Republican lawmakers have proposed creating
an “airline consumer advocate” to resolve disputes on behalf of passengers who’ve endured poor service.
On the presidential campaign trail these past few weeks, the dominant exit-polling insight seems to be that Americans are hungry for change. Voters have told interviewers they’re weary of the direction we’re headed, tired of the politics of the past and eager to forego the status quo. And so the presidential candidates, Republican and Democrat alike, have jumped on the change bandwagon, ridden it from Iowa to New Hampshire, and tried to explain why they’ve been, are, or could be…
Lawmakers had their individual and collective eyes opened last summer by scores of organized and impromptu property tax rallies across Indiana. While many who carried a sign, marched in the streets, or wrote a letter to the editor about the situation simply thought their individual taxes were too high, a good number of them (and several of the organizers of such events) had a special goal: the elimination of property taxes. Even after the municipal elections woke up the few…
Here’s a political hot potato that so far has received little discussion in the rancorous debate over property-tax reform:
Should the enormous costs of helping impoverished Hoosiers continue to be funded county by county, or spread to taxpayers
statewide?
Indiana’s friendly economic development rivalry against Michigan and Illinois is heating up. Confident that its business costs
are lower, Indiana has begun a six-month advertising campaign designed to attract companies across the state line.
Mayor Greg Ballard has less than a week under his belt of taking on a city that is both on a roll and full of challenges. It’s an exciting time to be mayor. An unknown commodity, Ballard has some big shoes to fill with little experience in government to help him out. (Note to self: That’s not necessarily a bad thing.) Indianapolis has been blessed with strong leadership for the last 40 years, beginning in 1968 with Republican Richard Lugar,…
The Republican party dominated city government here in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, and for much of that time it was assumed that the party’s lock on city hall was tamper-proof. Voters proved that theory wrong in 1999. Whether it was changing demographics or the fatigue that sets in when one party rules for too long, the public turned the mayor’s office over to Democrat Bart Peterson. Four years later, Peterson easily won re-election and the Democrats won the City-County…
Democrat Bart Peterson leaves office in early January after two terms as mayor of Indianapolis. Succeeding him will be Republican Greg Ballard, a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps who parlayed property-tax outrage into a surprise win. As Peterson, 49, prepared to leave office, he sat down with IBJ. The following is an edited version of the interview. IBJ: You didn’t expect to be stepping down this year. What was the most significant priority you had planned for…
In early 2007, many expected Marion County Republicans to punt on the chance to unseat Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson. After
all, the two-term incumbent had high approval ratings and a campaign war chest of $2.5 million. Attractive GOP candidates
willing to embrace the challenge were in short supply.
Noble Roman's Inc. wrote an impressive comeback story by selling its home-grown pizza and subs concepts to hundreds of
gas stations, bowling alleys and food courts. But the Indianapolis company’s push to add stand-alone restaurants across the
country isn’t going as smoothly.
With little encouragement and less financial support, mayor-elect Greg Ballard was forced to campaign as a longshot outsider. But his surprise election turned the tables. In the last six weeks, he’s been embraced quickly by Marion County’s Republican elite. And his transition team is stacked with insiders. To prepare an administration in less than two months, Ballard assembled a transition team of 24 local leaders, who then pulled in 150 volunteers to examine the current shape of city and county…
Mayor Bart Peterson’s plan to permanently settle Indianapolis’ massive liability for unfunded police and firefighter pensions will not be completed before he leaves office. Peterson, who approved a local income-tax hike this summer in part to underwrite nearly $500 million in pension bonds, told IBJ in an interview that Mayor-elect Greg Ballard will decide whether […]
State Sen. Luke Kenley, the Noblesville Republican who this summer chaired a legislative committee to study the property tax issue, wants tighter controls on tax increment financing districts and property tax abatements, reports The Times in Munster. For years, the incentives have been offered to entice businesses to relocate to or expand in Indiana. Critics […]
No wonder investors are jittery. The housing slump is stinging companies of all stripes these days, even those that would seem to be safe havens. A case in point: mall developer Simon Property Group Inc., which surprised investors this month by announcing it was taking a $26 million charge to write off its entire investment in what was to become a huge Arizona housing development. “Frankly, we had forgotten they had this Arizona thing,” said Lou Taylor, an analyst with…
Just when you thought plans for a new downtown convention hotel were set to go forward, four City-County
Council members want the full council to essentially force the new hotel to employ union workers after it
opens.
The City-County Council, which…
