The Census Bureau reconfirmed this week that Indianapolis holds its position as America’s 11th largest city with an estimated 2014 population of 934,243.
It’s the Indianapolis 500/Memorial Day Weekend and our lame duck Mayor, Greg Ballard, hasn’t yet given his State of the City (SOTC) speech.
I have a theory about this delay. I suspect Ballard wanted to use approval of the controversial Justice Center proposal as his 2015 SOTC speech centerpiece.
But the fierce controversy surrounding the project’s financing model, coupled with the administration’s refusal of an inclusive, open planning process doomed the plan and Ballard’s crowning achievement.
But this is not the only Ballard initiative which is turning sour.
In his 2014 SOTC speech, Ballard bragged about new shiny skyscrapers coming to downtown. Especially plans for an upscale apartment building with curved glass walls where apartments would cost more than Carmel house mortgages.
A year later, that skyscraper called “360 Market Square” has been delayed. A Sunday Indianapolis Star story pointed out the delays and the risky financing that includes millions from the city and the disturbing reliance on a controversial Federal program which provides “green cards” for foreigners who invest millions in real estate projects in American communities.
Local blogger and Ballard critic Gary Welsh questions if the project will be profitable and whether the Ballard Administration’s involvement was wise.
In last year’s SOTC address, Ballard bragged about his “Live Indy” scheme—an appeal to residents to remain in Indianapolis while encouraging others to move from the suburbs to enjoy what Indianapolis’ urban living has to offer.
The mayor and his minions have been conspicuously silent these past months about “Live Indy.” Not a peep about the plan. Ballard also boasts his “Freedom Fleet” plan of weaning the city off gas-powered cars into electric-powered ones is the envy of the nation.
But the deal with the previously unknown company Vision Fleet has ignited harsh criticism from both Republican and Democratic City-County Council members.
Worse, city’s lawyers admitted last Friday they made mistakes in creating a flawed contract with Vision Fleet. Many believe this deal, which commits Indy to spend millions with Vision Fleet to buy and maintain electric cars the city could’ve bought itself, is absurd.
The mayor’s vaunted Your Life Matters program and its alliance with the Obama Administration’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative is floundering, not because a coherent plan of action wasn’t developed. It was.
It’s floundering because Ballard’s failed to personally lead efforts to secure funding and support for the initiative’s bold action steps.
It’s amazing. Outside Indianapolis, Ballard has created this aura and image of a Republican big city mayor who gets things done.
But, of America’s 20 largest cities, only San Diego, Indianapolis and Ft. Worth are headed by Republicans.
Ballard’s been the beneficiary of municipal affirmative action. Because there are so few Republican big city mayors, national media and civic groups tend to provide them outsized publicity. The sort given to endangered species.
But national praise obscures Ballard’s laggard leadership here at home. Ballard hasn’t used the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee to help forge bipartisan and community-wide consensus on major issues facing the city.
Other than Pre-K, Ballard has refused to personally engage the business, private and non profit sectors in his initiatives to improve the quality of life of Indianapolis residents.
Despite playing footsie with some faith leaders, Ballard has pointedly refused to engage the faith community, of various races, ethnicities and faiths, to help him move forward on initiatives for the good of the city.
Even Ballard’s efforts at helping ex-offenders, proclaimed in his 2008 inauguration speech, have fallen by the wayside, with no mention of it in last year’s SOTC.
I assume there’ll be a SOTC Speech before the end of Ballard’s term. But the extraordinary delay is bizarre and reflects our mayor’s sluggish, don’t really care, final year.
What I’m Hearing in the Streets
Substandard passing grades in the third grade IREAD tests for two Indy charters are causing concerns. Andrew J. Brown, a mayor’s Charter, had just 34.7 percent of their students pass IREAD. Long troubled Imagine West had just 41.3 percent passing.
The mayor’s Charter School office, which has been quick to put poor performing charters on notice, is concerned about the deteriorating academic performance at Andrew Brown, a charter created by a cross section of African-American community leaders 12 years ago.
Devotees of Andrew Brown should be concerned about the school’s fate if academics don’t turn around, as the state graded the charter an “F” last school year.
In my view, Imagine should’ve been shuttered years ago because of academic shortcomings.
In the “about time” category, GOP mayor candidate Chuck Brewer tweeted Sunday he visited Purpose of Life Church. That’s Brewer’s first mention of a Black church visit. And it’s a key church, as its Pastor is Dr. David Greene is president of Concerned Clergy.
See ‘ya next week!
You can email Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
