Except for a visit last night by Ian Roland and Jeff Krull, it was a pretty uneventful night to the casual observer. It was a a committee session with ordinances introduced, rationalized or explained by city officials and passed out of committee. The usual stuff with no great ideological or person skirmishes. Tom Smith was away, and Glynn Hines presided. Tim Pape barely attended. He arrived just in time for his committee bills to be read, whisked through them with abandon and then settled back into his chair as if having crossed a finish line.
What was noticed was a conditioned response that seems to becoming ingrained in city representatives: whether the vendor is local or not. One functionary last night, explaining a public works project chirped that the company selected to do the work had a local office and plans “to grow the office” here. She preemptively blurted out that “response” as one of the council members drew breath to ask said same question: are they local. Earlier this year, you might remember Karen Goldner and Tom Didier pushed “Buy Evansville” legislation. I jest. “Buy Indiana” was the essence of the ordinance backed by Mayor Henry, meaning that points would be given to bidders which are Indiana companies. That means a company located in Evansville has priority over a company located in Hicksville. Know anyone in Evansville? Well meaning, but not always in our best interest. The Goldner-Didier bill also gives priority to such Indiana companies as Toyota, Honda, IBM and a few others that one might not normal consider having deep Hoosier roots. But, like Pavlov’s dog who salivated at the ring of a bell in anticipation of food, city workers now quickly bark that a company is local or has a local presence as they face those parochial faces of our city council.
Perhaps Goldner should have gone one step further and required that only products totally made in Indiana, or even better, Allen County, could be purchased by local government and that magazines showing the innovations of companies outside of Indiana, or Allen County, should be prohibited. In fact, she could lead a small, symbolic book burning to rid government of outside influences and ideas.
Ian Roland and Jeff Krull showed up last night to pick up a check for $250K toward the establishment of the Lincoln collection at the Allen County Public Library. Their presentation was interesting in many ways. First, council members tripped over themselves to move and second the appropriation. There was rapt attention in the eyes of one rep and politeness abounded. Even Liz Brown was civil to the guests, or at least civil by her standards. One council member told me he cringed when she started a line of questioning. She has a reputation. Interestingly, in these tough-and-getting-tougher economic times the city managed to find the money to donate to the collection. In same spirit, Glynn Hines asked how the collection could be used to stimulate economic development and he got a satisfactory answer from Krull that conventions and workshops, visiting scholars and the like would be drawn to this rare, very rare set of documents. Tom Didier fumble around in a question until Krull tossed him a verbal lifeline; traveling exhibitions will be organized, he smiled. I agree with the council in the appropriation and have no qualms about paying that part , the levy for the library, of my sizeable property tax bill. The library is one of our greatest assets, a remarkable calling card and a treat to visit. The Lincoln collection will increase that reputation. One member rightly called this collection a “world treasure.”
It was an interesting night.
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Thanks, Jim for a “meaty” update. You save me so much time in not having to watch the meetings.
I would touch on one point about the Buy Evansville, er Buy Indiana ordinance. Perhaps the ordinance should be revised to restrict purchases to only products manufactured in Indiana, more specifically to products or services offered only by companies where Mayor Tom’s relatives or close friends, or Tim Pape’s law partners, have an equity interest. Then there would be no clamor about that pesky “transparency” argument, as it would be rendered moot. With this strategy, we voters/taxpayers could rest assured that corruption, or at least the appearance of such, is alive and well at City Hall, and we, the great unwashed and ignorant citizens, can refrain from “bothering” our City Council members with those blasted pain-in-the-ass emails that Council members complained, ad nauseum, about during the Calhoun Street Massacre.
Well, DBP, that would certainly save strain on the moral backbone. I notice that Tom, who once said he was neutral on gambling has become a convert and is happy that Toledo will soon have Casino Royale along their sad water front. Tom is a better man than he has seemed over these past 11 months, I think. He just doesn’t seem to understand how many people are paying attention and that most of them can put two and two together.
So…does this mean we can share revenue with Ohio’s Casino Royale, because Tom said we would do that with Angola? Is that what the whole Indiana business thing is about??OOps, I forgot…he’s the Mayor of Fort Wayne, not Allen County, or… not Indiana, or…..not the Midwest. Maybe there’s a misunderstanding here….I’m soo confused!