Talley’s Out! Gray’s In! And you’ve crossed into the the Twilight Zone!!!
As someone who covers the Indianapolis City-County Council allow me to offer a thought or two about the presidential election in the largest county in Indiana…
The facts, on their face, are simple. Current City-County Council President Steve Talley decides his personal commitments are too much for him, so to focus on family and other pressing matters he steps down from his position. Monroe Gray, Majority Leader, steps up to fill the void. He wins on a party line vote. Like I said, on the surface, the facts look simple. Now peel back a layer or two and things get a little more complicated.
For a while I had been hearing grumblings that Democrats were not happy with the Talley’s leadership. The smoking ban, police consolidation, the human rights vote, etc. But I know what you’re thinking, “Abdul, these items all passed, right?” Yes they did, albeit police consolidation and the human rights vote on the second go round. And you can also throw in the increase in the County Option Income Tax for the jail and public safety. Taking steps toward fixing this city’s antiquated sewer system. And there were a few other items. So if all these things were going well, why would the Ds be upset? Good question.
Ask them publicly, or privately, and everyone sticks to the same script. “Steve served us in difficult times, and we appreciate his service.” He even got a standing ovation. However, I had heard prior to the vote, Talley was having a lot of trouble garnering support. The GOP that helped put him in office wasn’t there this time. Nor were the four Democrats who supported him either. I know several Democrats who expressed concerns about his leadership following the first failed police consolidation vote, others were upset about the smoking ban compromise and the delay in its implementation, others were still holding a grudge that Talley maneuvered to get Roselle Boyd out of office from his last council seat. At least one had an issue with the human rights ordinance. Add them all up (13, by my count) and you see where this is going. Almost all the Democrats were mad at Talley about something and they all got together to vote on it.
I can’t say whether Monroe Gray is up to the task. I don’t know him that well. What I do know, I learned though reputation and rhetoric. It has been long rumored that Gray may have some questionable activities lurking around which could come back to haunt him if someone really started digging around. The longest conversation we ever had was shortly after the first police consolidation vote, which failed (Sharon Franklin being the lone Democratic “no” vote.) He told me that the fundamental job of any leader is to maintain discipline in the ranks and if they can’t then what’s the point of leadership. Prophetic? Everything looked at via hindsight is 20/20. What a Monroe Gray presidency will look like what remains to be seen. There are some difficult issues on the horizon and Gray does not strike me as a policy wonk.
However, I can’t help but think of the third season Twilight Zone and the episode entitled “The Mirror.” In it a Latin American revolutionary overthrows the current dictator. And as he takes over the office the dictator warns him that the mirror will show him the face of would be assassins. Over time the revolutionary sees his close associates in the mirror and has them executed. Until finally at last the face in the mirror is him and he ends up causing his own demise. Now I am not saying Monroe Gray is a Latin American Revolutionary with a magic mirror in his office, but I just can’t help but wonder if under his leadership the next several hundred votes taken by the City-County Council will take place in the Twilight Zone.
