http://www.indy.com/posts/1434 en-us frogmajik I agree that we all must do our part to help the City stay clean,we must show pride in our community. We can't expect the Government to really get any thing done.Maybe it's a good thing the new Mayor has no experience then again maybe not. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:13:33 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5212 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5212 doug.hineline I pretty much think that there won't be any discernable changes in any spectrum. I say this because there is only the constant bad mismanagement time and again. My prediction: Even more cool people will flee to a better place, leaving Indiana more drained and disadvantaged. My hope: That we figure out a way to fix financial and socio-economic issues to a point where there isn't a constant drain on the human capital of this city. We have all we need as far as amenities. We need more 'high value' individuals. Companies go where the talent is. The talent goes where it doesn't suck, and most of the country sees Indiana as a truly boring place to live. Preconception is a pain to overcome, and having a completely worthless political apperatus really isn't helping. I recommend we all start making it our own responsibility to fix our communities problems, instead of half-heartedly placing our hope in someone who is a politician on any level. Recent history teaches that you should NEVER EVER TRUST OUR GOVERNMENT TO DO ANYTHING CORRECTLY. Even local governments. Get out, see shows, BUY ART, use the library, pick up trash when you see, say hello to everyone you meet, give change to the needy, volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, clean up your yard and recruit lots of creative people into the city. But don't expect the local government to suddenly come about and work, they never really do. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:55:43 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5203 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5203 indyclone The new Mayor had no published agenda when it comes to arts funding, but I like his position on the following: http://www.ballardformayor.com/rules/Pages/default.aspx Citizens are proud of their city, but they live in their neighborhoods No matter where I was stationed in the Marine Corps (1978-2001), I was always proud to call Indianapolis "home." I can sense that most people in our city feel the same. We have a proud history with basketball and all that game means to us, our engaging downtown envisioned decades ago by our forefathers, the Indianapolis 500, and so many other aspects of our city that we talk about to others. However, when we go to sleep at night, we think of our neighborhood. Is the school system providing for our children? Are our streets clean? Do our neighbors keep up their property? Is there a strong threat of crime? Does the city care about my neighborhood? A great city is a collection of great neighborhoods. If the city administration is disconnected from its neighborhoods, as this one is, the quality of life will decline in those neighborhoods. Despite the attempts to revive areas of our city, our neighborhoods continue to suffer. The Fall Creek development won awards but it shut out the middle class. Downtown is now a collection high priced condominiums, often with slums and high crime less than a mile away. Meanwhile, despite superhuman efforts by neighborhood advocates, the Eastside continues to limp along and Lafayette Square, just a few minutes from my house, can't rid itself of its unsafe perception. Indianapolis previously had a very successful neighborhood program called the Front Porch Alliance. Statistics show that neighborhood associations increased by 300% while the Front Porch Alliance was in place. Mayor Peterson dismantled the Front Porch Alliance in his first year in office. He's been trying to catch up ever since. Just recently, he instituted a neighborhood program in six neighborhoods. He has lost connection with the neighborhoods and crime is one result. We need strong lower to middle class neighborhoods with good schools and a relatively low crime rate. We need the Mayor's office connected to the neighborhoods. Only then people will be proud of their city and their neighborhood. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:22:27 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5189 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5189 Christopher Lloyd Indianapolis is one of very few cities of size that give funding directly to artists and art groups. So you have to start off by recognizing that we've enjoyed an exceedingly rare situation here. I'd hope that line item won't go away completely -- if I've got my numbers right, it represents less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the city budget. But even if it does, our art community isn't going to pack up for Chicago or New York the next day. Creative energy is like water: it'll find a way to leak out of any construct we create to contain it. Things will just be a little bit harder, and some things won't get done, and that's sad. As for Fountain Square -- when I was looking to buy a house two years ago, I looked at one about a block and a half off the fountain. Across the street sitting on a porch in his underwear was an old man chewing tobacco. He was hunched over and staring at me with a baleful glare. He looked exactly like a cast member from "Deliverance." I said, "Boy, I'd really rather not look at that every morning and evening." As I was leaving, I was stopped by an impromptu parade of kids riding in the back of pick-up trucks led by a motorcycle cop. There was a bunch of mothers with them, and every last one of them was monstrously obese and wearing those house dresses that look like a flowered sack with armholes. I related all this to my agent and mentioned that the ad for the house said it was located "in the up-and-coming Fountain Square neighborhood." His response: "It hasn't gotten there yet." Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:03:49 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5182 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5182 Neal Taflinger Things were already on their way to hell because there weren't enough Democrats with principles and strong spines. I'd much rather take a step backwards in terms of city funding for the arts and greenways than spend money we don't have on anything. I don't forsee the city becoming culturally crippled but I do see Ballard finding ways to keep the city fiscally sound and running smoothly in terms of providing services to its citizens. That is a foundation everything else can be built on sustainably. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:05:09 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5170 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5170 kimikokopuffs I don't see the city getting any greener or artsier or "world class"-er under this new administration. I'm pretty disappointed about the whole thing and the night the of the election resolved to leave before things go to hell. Pathetic. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:51:32 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5163 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5163 Neal Taflinger Because the problems that the merger created weren't necessarily the fault of the merger. Stupid redistricting, unresolved contract disputes, IMPD officers stuck with old/broken gear, and a Sheriff who is perceived to be content with how things are as long as he is raking in 300 large a year, collecting more medals for his uniform and gets to stay in control. I'd like to see the elected position of Sheriff dissolved in favor of a meritocracy a single UniGov "top cop." Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:31:24 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5161 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_5161 DigitalEvolution All dude has to do is cut government spending, pure and simple, oh and repeal the 65% tax income tax increase. Johnson County here I come! Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:06:59 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4994 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4994 Matt.Gonzales Okay. Fair enough. But I don't see how returning control of IMPD to the mayor's office is going to translate into better policing. Or how it will lead to community policing, and David implied. It's not like Ballard going to be out there with a clipboard and mirror sunglasses, transforming the force from a bunch of lazy, bumbling Michael Winslows and Steve Guttenbergs into a team of crime-stopping bada**es. I'll admit I'm a little out of my depth here, but I don't see how this is going to translate into less crime in Indy. Crime had been going down in the months leading up to the election anyway. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:01:51 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4992 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4992 Neal Taflinger It's emotionally charged but accurate. Peterson ceded control of IMPD to Sheriff Anderson because that's what it took to get Anderson's support. Now that Ballard has Republican numbers on the city council he'll likely try to return control of the city's police to the Mayor's office. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:41:51 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4950 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4950 baggles I think that Ballard is going to try to cut taxes as much as he can get away with. This means he will most likely be cutting funding for many things, art included. I don't think Ballard will do much to make Indy greener. However, I do think overall there will be more energy efficiency from individuals (hybrid cars, compact flourescent lightbulbs, etc). And I do agree about Dunkin Doughnuts, ;) Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:13:51 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4939 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4939 Essex Drowning in Dunkin Doughnuts? One can only hope! Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:27:57 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4904 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4904 Were_Going_Streaking We will be drowning in Dunkin Doughnuts. and Indianapolis will annex Carmel. Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:50:10 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4836 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4836 Jolene@foodiemom.com A greener Indianapolis is good for all the residents. Support of the arts is good for all residents, as is support for central city neighborhoods and public schools. These aren't luxuries and extravagances. They are vital to the continued growth of Indianapolis. We should not have to sacrifice the Cultural Trail for better streets and more police patrols. Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:41:09 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4823 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4823 getstumpy Oooh, I love this argument. Let's expand David's logic further: add snark Need roads to drive on? Build your own! If the public wants it then let the public pay for it, not the government. House on fire? Build your own fire station! Stop waiting for government to do it for you. Terrorists sniffing around your doghouse? Pay for your own mercenaries. I hear Blackwater is looking for new contracts. Self=good. Other=bad. Rugged individualism all the way, baby! Doing something for the greater good just makes you one step closer to a socialist, right? end snark Taxes are collected to protect and improve an entire community. The arts are proven to have a positive impact on a community's intellectual, psychological and aesthetic well-being. The greatest cities in the world have a thriving arts community. Will the new city government take exception to me planting a tree on public property? Let's see if the Ballard administration has David's self-reliant attitude when it comes to corporate welfare. Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:12:23 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4814 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4814 Matt.Gonzales David M wrote: "I see Mayor Ballard taking back the police department to the Mayor's office first and foremost." The new mayor is going to "take back" the police department? This reminds me of the "Take Back The Night" marches that Feminists For Action would do when I was in college. It's emotionally charged language that sounds good and riles people up, but doesn't really mean anything at all. Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:35:20 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4802 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4802 DavidM I see Mayor Ballard taking back the police department to the Mayor's office first and foremost. I see community policing coming back to Indianapolis. I see in the very near future that spending will be under control and major pork spending coming to a end. Arts will be included in this cut. If the public wants "arts" then it is up to them that want it to pay for it. I also see more money will be spent outside the downtown areas which have been way overdue. Taxes come from all over Marion country, not just those who live in the downtown area. I can see no more tax abatements for those who want to buy a condo in the downtown area; this only takes taxes that we must all pay in the end. If you want a greener Indianapolis, why don't you get out and plant a tree or two instead of waiting for the government to do it for you? Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:04:06 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4793 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4793 smallbox Expect the same lack of imagination to come out of the Mayors office that we saw during the Goldsmith administration. Say what you want about Bart, Indianapolis is a much better city because of his leadership on the arts and cultural efforts over the last 8 years. I remember the 80's, they were not good times for arts and entertainment. Downtown was dead, nobody would go to Fountain Square. I don't want to see the city go back to that. And I don't want to see Carmel become the leader in arts and entertainment for the region, I won't go! Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:34:32 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4786 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4786 archetype Fountain Square won't "happen" in 2008. It will continue to evolve, succeed for some, burn money for others, be a safe home for some, and a little hell for others. For Fountain Square to "happen" will require a long term vision and persistance in developing the neighborhoods as safe, self-sustaining places. Creating that and the destination businesses is a lengthy process: this same vision for Massachusetts Avenue took about 30 years to get it to where it is today. Go back to 1997 and it was a small association of business people and near residents working on a plan for revival. Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:53:01 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4764 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4764 Dads56 Jamba Juice... dang... I was sorta hoping for papaya king Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:08:56 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4720 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4720 benjamindy Jamba Juice will open it's first location in Indianapolis! Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:49:13 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4682 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4682 sherri.pfouts All good points. I've been waiting for Fountain Square to become something for a long time. And with every new business, I get a little more excited for its potential, so I hate to say this, but will 2008 be just another 2007 for FS ... and for other parts of the city waiting for a boost? Will the businesses moving in find there's not enough traffic still to warrant their staying? Maybe. As Jolene pointed out, there's a lot more to making neighborhoods thrive. Other predictions for the new year? Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:43:25 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4670 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4670 benjamindy The cultural trail will help with the "quick connection" FS is only about a mile from the center of the city.. The real issue with pedestrian traffic is all the dead space between. Not enough businesses/attraction in between. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:22:23 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4589 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4589 Jolene@foodiemom.com Fountain Square has plenty of potential, and the immediate "fountain" area is certainly coming along. But to be a premier locale for anything, the surrounding residential area will need considerable help. And gentrification brings its own challenges. More restaurants and galleries sound great, but Fountain Square needs more nice stuff for the people who live there, not just good restaurants for people who drive to a destination. Parks, popular schools, nice neighborhood amenities like supermarkets. Look how long it took for the Lockerbie area, for example, to get a supermarket and a hardware store and a great public school that people want to send their kids to, things that developing neighborhoods really need to make people willing to live there. Plus, Fountain Square needs a quick connection to downtown -- it seems more separate, farther away, than it really is. I hope the city continues to focus on rebuilding city neighborhoods, like the Mapleton-Fallcreek redevelopment. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:27:15 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4576 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4576 Matt.Gonzales Although I doubt it will transform into a bustling, high-traffic destination overnight (or even over-year), I think Fountain Square will make yet another baby step toward becoming what it's destined to (some distant day) become: The city's premiere locale for art, culture and music. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:28:33 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4514 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4514 sherri.pfouts Anyone else? Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:29:23 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4509 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4509 indyclone if the next proposed development on the old MSA site is going to be condos, it will be a while until the demand for condos downtown will be great enough to build them. The last proposal that won approval from the city tried both somewhat affordable condos, and a redesign for more luxury condos, and neither option received very many deposits. They needed to book at least 50% to build, and didn't come close. Ballard had mentioned expanding the City County building or a new building... and that's right next door, but I doubt that would win approval. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:46:35 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4472 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4472 benjamindy The MSA site will finally be developed. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:01:59 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4469 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4469 DigitalEvolution I see the 65% income tax increas being repealed! I also see Chocolate covered streets and fluffy cotton candy clouds raining skittles! Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:31:31 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4409 http://www.indy.com/posts/1434#comment_4409