In his [Aug. 27] column, Bruce Hetrick challenged us—the opinion leaders of the Indianapolis community—to do more to encourage voter participation, and he has good reason to be concerned. According to the Indiana Civic Health Index, the Hoosier State ranks 48th in voter turnout and 43rd in voter registration. Some might be disappointed in our ranking, but I see this as a call to action.
Plato said, “The penalty good men pay for inattention to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” In Carmel, [Sept. 17 Styring column] we have chosen commerce over the constitution, the rule of man over the rule of law.
While I agreed with almost every point [Styring, Sept. 17] made, there is one that I must vehemently object to—specifically his statement that “I don’t question the mayor’s honesty or good intentions.”
Who are you [Sept. 17 Styring column] to pretend to know what Carmel residents want?
Any successful revitalization of the Market Square Arena site demands restoring the former City Hall as the public’s house. City Hall’s decaying grandeur casts a long shadow over the neighboring parking lots created by the implosion of MSA 11 years ago and is probably overwhelming the facile designs associated with redevelopment proposals.
Recently, all eyes have been glued to developments in the presidential race and to Indiana’s campaigns for governor and U.S. senator. We’ve paid less attention to the folks running for seats in the Indiana House and Senate.
I’ve avoided talking politics for several weeks now, but I just can’t avoid it any longer.
In a former life, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard was a real estate attorney. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that splashy development projects have been a hallmark of his four terms as mayor.
I’m willing to irritate my colleagues in human resources and bet that they aren’t asking all the questions they should ask of candidates.
Our “big-picture” views can be shaped and influenced by experiences, reading, television and other external media. We can even be persuaded by the opinions of others.
If schools are to get better—and they must—we’ll have to ask more of teachers, parents and students as well as taxpayers.
Our experience has been that corporate restructuring often creates market inefficiencies, allowing us to buy at a significant discount.
A reader recently suggested that I write a critique of corporations akin to that offered for unions. That is a fine idea, so I will begin with a couple of points:
Even before you deliver your prepared message, your physical presentation has a real impact on whether others will accept or reject your ideas.
At the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, we agree with David Harris [Sept. 3 Forefront] that Gov. Mitch Daniels is in an exciting position to reform teacher preparation at Purdue. Some steps have already been taken there, with the governor’s endorsement.
I finished reading the [Sept. 3 Forefront column] from Samuel Odle and couldn’t agree more that the abandoned homes issue poses many challenges for the neighborhoods, residents and overall Indianapolis community. However, I felt compelled to offer a fourth solution.
The challenges facing the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra are now widely known, but many still struggle with how that can be, especially when you look out at the sea of people in attendance at some of our Symphony on the Prairie performances. But facts are facts.
The most revealing Democratic National Convention speeches were by Presidents Obama and Clinton. Let’s start with the incumbent.
Learn some Indianapolis lore and be entertained by Dick Cady’s book, “Scavengers: A True Story of Money, Madness & Murder.”
We applaud the move by certain Democrats on the City-County Council last month to advance a proposal to expand the downtown tax increment financing district. Now we’re counting on the full council to pass it when it’s eligible for consideration at the council’s Sept. 17 meeting.
