GOP Council Diversity Drops 50%

Kent Smith, the African-American GOP At-Large City-County Councilor, announced today he's resigning because a new Department of Defense directive precludes active duty service by elected officials. In Smith's statement, he said he could pursue a waiver that would allow him to continue, but his current duties with the Indiana National Guard are too time-consuming.

It will be interesting to see who the GOP throws into this spot, which they will want to keep African-American for reasons I'll discuss in a post later this week. Aaron Williams, the son of Deputy Mayor Olgen Williams, was already looking at an at-large run in 2011. It would certainly help his chances if he can get his feet wet now.

The only other GOP African-American whose name I've heard is Ike Randolph. Randolph, who currently serves as Governor Daniel's Executive Director of Faith-Based Initiatives, was a counselor until 2007. However, he filed a Statement of Organization on January 15, 2008, as a candidate for Council District 1, which is currently held by Democrat Jose Evans. Randolph also filed a year-end 2009 campaign finance report, but that report did not list anything under "Office Sought."

By accounts I've heard, Aaron Williams is an engaging guy and young and energetic is the new in thing in politics, but I'm not sure how having Williams as a city-county councilor isn't like having the mayor on the council himself. Seriously, how hard could the younger Williams buck the Mayor on an issue with his own father serving as Deputy Mayor? That could make for a pretty awkward Christmas.

GOP Council Diversity Drops 50%

Richard Mourdock Using the New Math?

The late and legendary comedian George Carlin has a great bit entitled "People I Can Do Without." That list includes, among others, "a dentist with blood in his hair," "a proctologist with poor depth perception," and "a pimp who drives a Toyota Corolla."

If I had such a list, it would definitely include "a state treasurer who can't add."

Republican incumbent treasurer, Richard Mourdock, has the following figures on his 2009 year-end campaign finance report:

C-O-H at the beginning of the reporting period: $34,351

Contributions raised: $175,780

Adding what you gained to what you had seems pretty easy, and it's clear our answer is $210,131. So, um, why does Mourdock's report show only $194,422?

Richard Mourdock Using the New Math?

Addendum to Councilors & Tickets Post

I received a thoughtful e-mail from City-County Councilor Angela Mansfield. She is not one of the councilors who received Superbowl tickets from the Colts for face value. She took great care in point out that she made no judgment about those who did take the tickets and noted her belief that each councilor had to agree to not sell the tickets for above face value. She also noted that it is disrespectful to assume a councilor would try to profit of of the tickets, regardless of contractual restrictions.

Councilor Mansfield is right, which is a recurring phenomenon for her. For me to so assume perpetuates the very cynicism I seek to eliminate. For that, all councilors have my apology.

But the councilors who took the tickets know they got something not available to the general public, and that's my point and nothing more. I never said it was unethical to take them.

Respectfully, whether something is illegal or unethical is not the ceiling I want for my party's elected officials. It's the floor. If you disagree, tell me.

But as I told a good friend of mine recently, before Andy Jacobs, Jr. retired, I went to his office in D.C., and as I walked through the halls, I saw names of representatives everywhere. Outside of Jacobs' office, though, it said only "10th District of Indiana." When I went inside, the receptionist was answering the phone the same way. I told the Congressman he was really losing out on the opportunity to make a positive name association with every call, and he responded, "I just don't want there to be any confusion on who owns this seat."

Whatever people may have thought about his politics, Andy Jacobs, Jr. lived his congressional tenure as a true servant-leader, and I see our current Congressman moving in that direction. My hope is that the Democratic Party can be imbued with that spirit, and if periodically, I have to ask them to live up to higher ideals, I won't hesitate.

Addendum to Councilors & Tickets Post