Indiana General Assembly: Time to create a legacy

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations when we've got to make hard choices - do the right thing or capitulate for strategic reasons.  The Indiana General Assembly is in that position now with both property taxes AND the local government reform measures released Tuesday by the Commission on Local Government Reform.  What a perfect storm for real, lasting change.

Once again, mega kudos to the Governor for his leadership in getting long-needed  recommendations to the public on a topic which affects them greatly:

• create a county chief executive
• create a single, unified county government structure
• eliminate township trustees (not their duties)
• establish a single, countywide public safety system
• consolidate schools
• move school board elections to November

These are but a few of the twenty-seven recommendations released yesterday.  The thing is, we can't really say that they are new and groundbreaking -- most have been studied for years.  Actually, decades.  It's just that someone (the Governor) finally said enough is enough and is going to drive the issue home.  This type of strong leadership on so many issues will be Mitch Daniels' legacy.

So what will be the Indiana General Assembly's legacy?  Ironically, on the issue of how our form of government should be structured (their own turf) they have consistently demonstrated a greater concern for upsetting the apple cart than making real change.  Whether mired in strings of bureaucracy or, as Speaker Pat Bauer was quoted as saying, political impossibility, the legislature has failed to act many times on real government reform.

It's not just the lobbying groups.  It's because many legislators THEMSELVES were either former local officials or their campaigns were fueled by them - they don't want to reach back and hurt those who have helped them in the political tradition.  I can't say that I blame them, but it has become the fox guarding the hen house and it has kept us stagnant, even fueling some of the property tax problems themselves.  It has got to stop with this plan.

This is a moment in history to move the state of Indiana forward and it is bigger than all of us.  Our government structure was formed in the mid-1800s and, because it is overseen by a politically-motivated system, we've added layers of band aids and bailing wire to hold it together over the years rather than reforming it to meet the real needs of the next few centuries.  Not the stuff the average voter thinks about (and still may not understand fully) but critically important nonetheless if you are a steward of the public trust.

It is time for the Indiana General Assembly to create a legacy, not shirk from the responsibility once again.  They are finally moved to do something with property taxes since the voters are so angry.  Sure, they're really busy next session trying to play catch-up on taxes and it will be hard to fit government reform in.  That's if they try to do it "the way we've always done it".  Instead, they should see a bigger vision, bite the bullet and usher in BOTH property tax and government reform measures -- they fit together.  And it's not like they haven't heard any of it before -- all that's left is to act. 

Legislators, it is time to do the right thing. 

Comments

[Student of Politics]

Great post. The Governor is sure leading on this one, along with former Gov. Kernan and Chief Jutice Shepherd....bipartisan, brainy and bold. That means Speaker Pat Bauer will stuggle to accept it.

[William G. Schneider]

I was really surprised to read "legacy". The book racks and shelves of nearly every government building in every state and county are lined with all kinds of studies that want to stream line government. Unfortunately, when a blue ribbon committee reports on some aspect to change government, what they really mean is to make it harder for freedom to be exercised by the taxpayer. One of the recommendations this committee came forth with was to elect a county executive who would replace a 3 member county commission. County commissioners serve as a legislative, judicial, and administrative heads of the county. Presently, they serve as an elected body to run the county, much as the mayor does for a city. To replace them with a county chief would place to much power in one person. The county chief would then appoint the county treasurer, auditor, assessor, sheriff, assessor, recorder, coroner, and surveyor and take those rights from the voter to vote for those offices. If I were power hungry, I'd be lobbying for that big time. If you ever needed to talk to any of those officials you would get the same thing as you get now when you try to call General Electric. Ten or twelve menus, and you are there!! In addition, most of the persons appointed to those positions will have a lot of political moxie. They will have staying power because of so much influence. It would take more than a normal election to remove a scoundrel who could foster power and corruption, none of which works for the voters. I have heard the utterances of even some conservatives who like the plans from the commission. Maybe it's time for another Ronald Reagan to post instructions to conservatives that would show them two stacks of proposals: one would say THIS PILE FOR CONSERVATIVES and THIS PILE FOR LIBERALS. pbschneider@comcast.net