Misplaced Priorities
As much as I really love this city, there are days when its citizens disappoint me as much as its football team. Usually it’s the people who defend Indianapolis Public Schools, township government, or latch on to the race hustlers when they come to town to stir things up while lining their own pockets. This time my disappointment goes to two issues taken up at Monday night’s City-County Council meeting; the resolution opposing the renaming of Georgia Street and the city’s $1 billion budget.
The renaming of Georgia Street has been one of the most ridiculous controversies I’ve ever witnessed in this city. In the wake of redevelopment the city looked at the possibility of renaming the street, which you think someone would have told a bunch of pre-schoolers that there was no such thing as Santa Claus. Hundreds of people signed up on Facebook, the news media got excited and even a resolution was passed. The problem is I doubt most people could name three businesses on Georgia Street, Hooters doesn’t count.
Fast forward to the city budget, the nice little $1 billion spending document that impacts every man , woman and child in the Indianapolis. How many people showed up Monday night to offer public testimony? None. How many people showed up to express their concerns to make sure public safety is adequately funded? None. How many people showed up to make sure that the public works budget stays on track even though there are hundreds of millions of new Rebuild Indy dollars? None. Parks? None. Metropolitan Development? None. The list goes on and on.
Now to be fair this was the second public budget hearing so you could argue that everyone who needed to show up and express an opinion actually did. You could argue that, the problem is at the last public hearing less than 10 people showed up to testify and half of them were hotel workers union supporters talking about an issue that had nothing to do with the budget.
So let’s recap. Renaming a street that 95% of the people in this town have never visited draws out the torches and pitchforks. Discussion over spending $1 billion that impacts not only 100% of the people in this town, but a good chunk of the ones who live right outside its borders; not a peep. What really is the most ironic about all this is that opponents of renaming Georgia Street argued there wasn’t enough public comment and input. I guess those same people decided showing for a budget hearing was too much work.
