Greg Ballard Redux
I sat down with the Mayor of Indianapolis this morning for the standard end of the year interview. Here are some of his thoughts local issues.
Biggest Accomplishment: An honestly balanced budget and being a good steward of the taxpayers’ dollars and saving them close to $50 million in his first year.
Crime: The city is working to get better. Homicides are up slightly over last year, but crime is down in other areas. Expect a big push for community policing in 2009.
Poor Relief: The county could easily take over poor relief in the event township government is eliminated.
Parks & Arts Budget: Although the parks and arts lost money, much of the parks budget for after school programs has been recaptured in the form of grant dollars. And when it came to the arts budget, the Mayor said he fought for arts funding, because there were calls to eliminate the funding altogether.
Lobbying: The Mayor acknowledges that some lobbyists have sat in on city staff meetings, however, they lobby for the city and need to know what’s going on to better advocate on behalf of Indianapolis.
Candidness: The Mayor acknowledged he can “think out loud” at times which has caused some misunderstandings with the public. He promises to be a bit more guarded in the future.
Economic Development: The Mayor says he’s continuing to work to bring companies, both domestic and international, to Indianapolis.
Vision: A safe, livable city.
