The ability to have paragraphs or any separation of text would improve the readability of the above post. I'm waiting for this to be fixed...

These are his campaign promises, lets make sure we hold him to them:

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As Mayor, I will:

1. Lobby the state legislature to pass a constitutional amendment eliminating property taxes in Indiana. I believe that with the current makeup of the legislature, 35-40% of legislators approve of such a measure.

2. Failing a state constitutional amendment, I will find an acceptable mix of taxes within Marion County to greatly reduce the influence of property taxes in Indianapolis. This will help bring the middle class back to Indianapolis, increasing the overall tax base and reducing the tax burden on the poor.

3. Execute the Fiscal Policy Council. This was a good idea of the Mayor's but it does not meet and subsequently does nothing. It was intended to corral and monitor the 40+ taxing agencies here in Marion County. Many of these taxing agencies are unelected (a disaster waiting to happen) or have little oversight. The collective effect of these taxing agencies can be devastating to a homeowner. Each taxing agency has its own agenda, largely unmindful of the cumulative effect. I will take a serious look at the need for all of these taxing agencies, with an eye toward consolidation or some other oversight.

GREG BALLARD'S 5 POINT PLAN TO FIGHT CRIME:

Accountability for Public Safety.

* I will make it a priority to petition the Indiana General Assembly and the City-County Council to place operational control of the police department back in the Mayor's office where it belongs. No longer will elected city and county officials be able to blame each other for shortcomings in fighting crime.

Community Policing.

* I will give the police department the staff needed to put police back into the communities, allowing law enforcement to prevent, rather than react to crime.

Broken Windows.

* I will apply the Broken Windows Theory, a program successfully used in other cities, to clean up the appearance of blighted neighborhoods, raise property values, and eliminate petty crime. This includes shortening the time frame with which to deal with abandoned homes.

Front Porch Alliance.

* I will restore this project which was successfully used in Indianapolis before Mayor Peterson dismantled it in 2000. The Front Porch Alliance will reestablish necessary ties between the Mayor and the neighborhoods of Indianapolis.

Honesty with the Public Safety Budget.

* The law enforcement shell game will be over. I will be honest with the citizens of our city about what we have and what we need in order to get crime under control.

In addition to this five-point plan, this city must address the huge problem of ex-offenders returning from jail. The Mayor and his people publicly recognize this problem but fail to address it. They have no plan. I will put in place a program to provide job skills and social help so that these returning parolees have a useful skill that will benefit society and the strength to stay away from those people and scenarios that got them in trouble in the first place. This program will provide a significant reduction in our crime rate going forward.

The citizens of Indianapolis deserve better than they're getting from the public safety apparatus in this city. It's structurally broken and in need of repair.
What will I do?

1. I will cut the non-public safety budget (about 700 million dollars) by 10% by the third year in office or I won't run for re-election). That may sound a bit dramatic but I want to drive home this important point. I mean what I say.

2. I will have quarterly, open-to-the-public budget reviews for all departments. This will allow for transparency in the budget as the citizens have a right to know where their money goes. The budget process in this city is closed and lends itself to "who you know" instead of "what's best for Indianapolis."

3. I will not issue bonds to pay for current operations unless we have exhausted every other measure. We have too much debt in this city and it becomes a crutch for everyday governing versus being used as a last resort. We all pay for this additional financial burden.

4. Once my administration is in place (with fewer deputy mayors, assistant mayors, deputy assistant mayors, etc.), I will institute a hiring freeze until we have the budget under control. The current administration uses hiring for high-level positions as favors or paybacks. I don't have any political cronies, nor do I have an organization to which I am indebted. I will just hire the right people for the right job. All of my hires will be with the understanding that we work for the citizens of Indianapolis, and not to protect our own power or that of any organization.
   I will be proposing a public-nonprofit partnership to complement the schools, not replace them. Any marketing expert can tell you that niches are becoming more prominent and this is exactly what we need to do in education. Different kids need different help. Educationally-oriented nonprofits usually operate separately, but we can form a coalition of them with help from the United Way and the Central Indiana Community Foundation. We can unify these educationally-oriented nonprofits and give each child or group of children the extra help they need. This can be after school, at home, whatever is needed. In addition to the aforementioned nonprofits, the faith community would greatly welcome such an approach.

   I would focus it on the 1st through the 8th grades and provide character education starting in the fifth grade. If we can get these children to high school reading and writing at an acceptable level with a solid basis in character, then we will be well on our way.

5. Eliminate Duplicative Township Government. Townships are a fundamental government entity, serving as the local government for those who do not live in incorporated areas. However, with Indianapolis' and Marion County's consolidated city-county status, a traditional township government is duplicative and wastes taxpayer dollars. I will work with state and local leaders to eliminate the following township offices or combine them with their corresponding Marion County or Indianapolis services:

   Trustees Township Boards Assessors Courts Constables Fire Departments

Unlike Bart Peterson's plan, my plan will include the elimination of the Center Township Trustee's office. All of these government reforms will save taxpayers the costs of salaries, benefits, and duplicative overhead.

1. Sell Unnecessary Township and Duplicative Property. With truly consolidated city-county government, there is a great deal of property (buildings, equipment, etc) that can be sold. The sale of these properties will reduce costs of upkeep and maintenance and the proceeds can offset other government costs or pay off city debt. I will ensure that local government does not hold on to unnecessary property and overhead.

2. Eliminate Taxing Authority of Unelected Boards. Our forefathers called this "taxation without representation." It is wrong and irresponsible for unelected bodies to be able to impose taxes or increase levies. Taxpayers deserve accountability, and when it comes to taxes, that accountability should take place in the voting booth. I will work to enact laws that ensure no tax or levy can be implemented or raised unless it is voted upon by an elected official. Appointed boards should not be able to raise taxes.

3. Institute a Coordinated Fiscal Policy. As a principle of leadership, no official should ever use the excuse that it does not know what is occurring from entities within its province. I will coordinate fiscal policy with all taxing entities and use the bully pulpit when necessary to ensure that all of Marion County government puts taxpayers first.

As an incentive for veterans to open up their businesses in Marion County, I will propose a three percent contracting goal for veteran owned businesses that do business with the city. This is a modest goal, but one that could bring in additional businesses to the area, businesses that are well run, do things the right way and are a credit to the community.

Rumor has it that this will be fixed with a few other upgrades tonight ...

I disagree. He posted it in the right place; paragraph issues just need to be fixed on the site.

Hey clone,

You should post that instead of leaving it as a comment.

I saw Bart Peterson at the Harrison Art Center this last Friday. He was pressing the flesh, talking to the artsy people. They are all Democrats right? No really, it would be nice to see political figures at art openings more often, not just at election times. So here is an invitation to the Mayor Elect Mr. Ballard; Our hands may be paint stained and sometimes we can only afford patchouli oil because deodorant is so expensive but, as artists and everymen we are your all-seeing window to the times and environment of this city. So, shake our hands, see our works, ask us questions, get us involved with change.

His stance should reflect what the people of the city wants. Why should he proposed spending billions if it's not something people want?

Hopefully Mr. Ballard changes his stance on the current mass transit situation in Indianapolis. "Hoosiers love their cars" isn't going to cut it in this growing city.

WORD!

It's not about want, it's about need.

It's supposed to be about democracy..

Since when do people know what's good for them? Leaders are there to yes, do what the people want, but to also have the wisdom and foresight to do what's best for the people that elected him or her. At least, good leaders do.

The people have shown that they don't want to pay more taxes. It would be political suicide.

It's also supposed to be about not letting the city fall further down the toilet.

People shouldn't assume that there isn't the money to fund certain projects just because it's been hidden or misappropriated. How much did those jail beds cost again?

Hey, if it can be done without raising taxes, I'm sure more people would be for it.