Fishers Reorganization, Part 1

In the wake of the lawsuit I participated in, and lost, against the Town of Fishers, the Town gained the green light towards placing two questions on the ballot. From the Town's website:

The questions will appear on the ballot as follows:

1. "Shall the Town of Fishers and Fall Creek Township reorganize as a single political subdivision?" (all voters in Fall Creek Township and all incorporated voters in Delaware Township will be able to vote on this question)
2. "Shall the Town of Fishers change into a city?" (only incorporated voters in the Town of Fishers will be able to vote on this question)

The following table shows which form of government you are selecting by how you vote on questions 1 & 2:

 

Question 1	Question 2	Outcome
No	Yes	Second Class City
Yes	Yes	Reorganized City
Yes	No	Reorganized City
No	No	Remains a Town

 

What do I favor? Question 1. Yes; Question 2. No.

Short explanations. On Question 1, for the reorganization, the functions of township government are minimal, can be easily enough absorbed into the Town without need to hire additional personnel, cost savings in the elimination of a layer of government, and that absorption does not worry me in the functions becoming too remote as to cause a lack of accountability. So, a 'yes' vote.

On Question 2, I have never been in favor of Fishers becoming a city, even while I was participating in the suit. My fears upon becoming a city lie with Carmel (esp) and Westfield- both former towns, both now cities, both now have a bloated executive branch with pet projects galore, and higher taxes to match. Proponents of Fishers becoming a city have touted checks and balances, and that could be a compelling argument, except for the real-life result that checks and balances are completely absent in our neighboring cities. The councils could not effectively thwart the spending on the arts and sports palaces, on TIF district issues, on bonding, on borrow and spend, etc. In fact, there was the recent episode in Carmel with the Mayor doing an end run around the city council. No thank you. So, a 'no' vote.

This will result in the Reorganized City. I could as easily accept a 'No-No' vote where Fishers remains a town, except that I prefer the reorganization of Fall Creek & Fishers together. My biggest fear, one that outstrips all other concerns by a country mile, is becoming the Second Class City, with the mayor a la Carmel's Jim Brainard.

At the end of the day, I had to look at what I thought would be the best form of government for Fishers given the choices available on this ballot.

Gary Johnson at IUPUI

As part of Johnson's National Campus Tour, he will stop at IUPUI in Indianapolis today, from 6-8pm, at the Lecture Hall Building, Room 101. Event details here.

Go there to hear him speak, then meet him at Rupert For Governor Headquarters for an after-party. Details here.

I wish I could go. I'd like to hear him one day after being excluded from the debates.

Not Watching The 'Debate' Tonight

This is out of disgust really, but is also equal parts preventative medicine. I think I know well enough about President Obama, Mitt Romney, and Gary Johnson and their policy positions, and certainly where I am going to vote, so as to render watching a fairly useless exercise.

I'm disgusted at the exclusion of Gary Johnson. I won't watch Obama and Romney absent Johnson in order to keep my blood pressure down.

I've experienced more than my share of incredulous disappointment over American politics in my life regarding the choices. Such is my lot as an idealist. But I'm going to steal a line I get handed by Republicans all the time and apply it to how I see things. Mainly, the choice between Johnson and Obama/Romney is so stark as to be night and day; and Obama or Romney may be different kinds of horrible medicine, but they are equal doses of horrible medicine all the same. The American people deserve to see and hear Johnson alongside the candidates of the pro-war anti-civil rights crony capitalist duopoly candidates.

Johnson is on the ballot in 48 states. The overwhelming majority of Americans will have the opportunity to vote for him if they choose. They won't because they don't know enough of what he stands for.

Is it the job of the debate commission to carry Johnson's water? No, but then is it the job of the debate commission to carry Obama's and Romney's? No. The debates are supposed to be much more than that. Without Johnson, they will be boring, scripted affairs that judiciously avoid certain issues. With Johnson, those issues would be addressed.

In being barred, Johnson is reduced to being online at the same time as the debates, chiming in with his policy positions, I guess in the down moments. Well, that could be the entire time. It sucks in any case, and I won't watch. We do debates only slightly better than the Soviet Union did elections.

More Important Things

I have been away from the blogging for the past few weeks as I have been helping to care for my mother in the wake of a serious medical development. I don't care to share the details, but I will say that she is doing well. It's so good to see her in better sorts.

The politics will return shortly.