Indy Works; Part III
First there was Indy Works, then came Indy Works, Part II; The Mayor Strikes Back. Now Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson is getting ready to go back to Indiana General Assembly and ask for Indy Works, Part III; Return of the Mayor. After two semi-unsuccessful bids to get his plan through the Mayor is heading back to the other end of Market Street.
Peterson told me in an interview on Wednesday that he plans to craft a new plan that calls not only for consolidation, but more home rule for the city of Indianapolis to look for revenue to solve its own problems.
The dynamics are somewhat different this time as the Mayor not only has the usual financial pressures over his head, but now he’s also got the added weight of the crime issue to deal with. A also with a record homicide rate on his hands, an angry Black clergy in the wings and a possible re-election bid against someone considered to be a credible challenger in the wings, the Mayor can ill-afford a loss in this area.
However, unlike last year where the Mayor had to deal with a Republican-Controlled General Assembly, this time he may have friends in the House of Representatives with Democrats in control. They could leverage the Mayor’s proposal when dealing with the Governor and the Republican-controlled Senate. It’s also a budget year which adds to the mix. And with Ft. Wayne Republican David Long (also a big believer in consolidation) looking more like the next Senate Pro Tempore, it could make things even more interesting.
The criticism against the Mayor will likely be he already has consolidation power if he were to go out and sell his proposal to the Marion County Township residents. This could be easier to lobby that criticism if the Mayor’s allies score victories in Warren, Lawrence and Perry Township.
Either way, we get another sequel. It can either be Star Wars, The Return of the Jedi or Superman III; Just for the record, Superman III was the worst film. Hopefully, the Mayor will have better luck because if he fails, the next sequel could be Indy Works IV; Randolph’s Rage.
