Jan
16
Local Legislators Embrace Bipartisanship
Filed Under Mitch Daniels, State of the State, property tax crisis, property tax reform | 2 Comments
I missed the Indiana State of the State speech last night — I had to work late at the office for some things I had on the agenda today and also had my first radio interview around the time Mitch Daniels was speaking.
By the time I got home, I was distracted by Batman Begins on cable. By the time I flipped on the radio before falling asleep, the talk was about the Michigan results.
OK. I admit it. I probably wasn’t going to watch the State of the State anyway. The last time I watched a State of the State speech was back in 1992 when I was an intern working at the Statehouse during a short session. Let’s give thanks for all of the reporters who do all of the hard work and cover these things so that citizens can keep informed about what’s happening in Indianapolis.
But here’s a quick recap as the speech applies to Northwest Indiana.
Mitch Daniels is pushing forward on his property tax reforms and has called out to legislators to embrace in a showing of bipartisanship. It seems that Northwest Indiana legislators have no problem going “bi” — bipartisan that is.
Writes Patrick Guinane of the Northwest Indiana Times:
Other Northwest Indiana legislators praised the tone and message of Daniels’ speech, including Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso. Both region lawmakers were part of the group that escorted the governor into the House chamber.
“I thought he hit a home run,” Soliday said of the speech. “I thought he made some major efforts toward bipartisanship.”
Jan
3
My Man Mitch
Filed Under Mitch Daniels, television | 8 Comments
After years of watching satellite television, we’ve switched back to cable.
I’ve noticed something since switching back — I see Gov. Mitch Daniels on television a lot more than I did with the Chicago-centric satellite local television station package we had before.
Mitch is running up the Statehouse stairs telling people to stop smoking and shape up before they are rounded up and shipped to Wisconsin.
Flip to another channel and Mitch is talking to a WSBT television reporter about how Indiana’s time is now coordinated with the rest of the civilized world that has adopted daylight savings time.
Mitch is doing something here and something there and there are cameras following him around.
For years, I thought my man was Gov. Rod Blagojevich a/k/a “I’m not Public Official A.”
Maybe it is because Blago lives 1/2 hour away in Illinois’ capital city Chicago. So I don’t mess up people’s already weak geography skills, Illinois’ capital is really Springfield, but we all know all the real governing work in Illinois gets done in Chicago.
Mitch lives at least 150 miles away — a good 2 hour or so drive away. They always say we think of those who are closest.
While I still love watching the Chicago television news — especially since CBS 2 Chicago does a good job of covering Northwest Indiana — it’s nice to be able to flip over to WNDU and WSBT and get a feel for what is happening in the rest of Indiana.
I feel like a Hoosier again thanks to the miracle of television programming.
Dec
8
Daniels Slashing Lake Co. Funds
Filed Under Lake County, Mitch Daniels, taxes | 2 Comments
Figuring out ways to cut back government spending in the Region won’t just be talk when Gov. Mitch Daniels slashes state funding sent to Lake County.
Writes the Northwest Indiana Times’ Patrick Guinane:
Lake County will get no reprieve from the severe spending cuts local government would be forced to make under looming state property tax caps, Gov. Mitch Daniels emphatically declared Friday.
So-called circuit breakers already on the books for 2010 would sap an estimated $279 million a year from cities, schools and other taxing units in Lake County. Daniels wants to make those property tax breaks even sweeter, a move that would force the county to shave another $88 million in local spending.
“Business as usual would have to change in Lake County, but people have said that for a long time,” Daniels told reporters. “Even existing law will compel that. What won’t work is to continue on with 88 taxing districts doing their own thing, no cooperation, no consolidation, no economies of any kind and ask for a bailout from the rest of Indiana. That ain’t happening.”
Is the state going to force Lake County into “Unigov?”
Would creating consolidated fire, police, schools, and other tax districts be a good thing for Lake County?
