BART v. BART & BALLARD v. BALLLARD
At last Sunday’s tax forum at Light of the World Church we interviewed Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and his Republican challenger Greg Ballard. Both candidates were asked about taxes, crime and economic development. You can hear both their responses here.
After talking to both men, I’ve concluded that their main opponents aren’t each other, but themselves. For the incumbent, he has to prove that after eight years of his leadership, the city is on the right track and voters should entrust him with another four. This is going to be pretty difficult with a climate that is filled with rising crime, taxes, home foreclosures and a decreasing quality of life. However, the Mayor’s best friend is voter apathy. If not enough people care and stay home, he cruises to victory.
For Ballard, it is not enough to say Peterson is a bad mayor, but why he would be a good mayor. He needs to get a lot more aggressive and start appealing to the masses. Speaking to small groups off the radar screen of the mainstream press is one thing, but now he needs to get ready for prime time. However, for Ballard, his best friend is voter anger. If he can tap into that anger by getting more aggressive with the mass appeal and asking if voters are better off than they were four years ago, he can give the incumbent a run for his money.
If this were any other election, and if either man had another opponent, this race would be over. However in this climate with taxes, crime and other news it will be the events that drive this campaign and not the candidates. And for each candidate to truly take advantage of those events, they will have to overcome their biggest hurdles, themselves.
