Broad Ripple Random Ripplings

Brought to you by:

Everything Broad Ripple Home

Random Ripplings Home

2007 11 02

Random Rippling

Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v04n22)

Absolute Choice: The power of voting in local elections

posted: Nov. 02, 2007

The 2007 Municipal Elections will be taking place on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. The deadline for circuit court clerks to receive absentee ballot applications from confined voters or voters caring for a confined person is Monday, November 5, 2007.

The Indianapolis Government website has set up a convenient polling locator, which can be found at http://imaps.indygov.org/PollingLocator/.

While there is a saying that there is "no such thing as an Indianapolis Republican," this is the chance to attempt to make a difference in what happens in the city on a day-to-day basis.

It can be argued that for some people, local elections not only have more impact on their lives, but are also much more important for the overall standing of Indianapolis as a city.

The Gazette has done some research on local area politicians (attempting to cover those in Broad Ripple and the surrounding areas) and has also provided some background and research on the Mayoral race.

Quick Facts:

-Municipal elections include Mayoral, city-councillors and city-councillors at large for Indianapolis.

-Most of what is considered Broad Ripple is contained in County-Council District 3. The boundaries for District 3 roughly include 96th St. to the north, 51st St. to the south, Spring Mill Rd. to the west and Keystone Ave. to the east. The surrounding districts include Districts 2, 4, 8 and 9.

-To find your polling site, go to http://imaps.indygov.org/PollingLocator/. You may also call the Marion County Election Board, local political party headquarters or the Indianapolis League of Women Voters to find your polling place location.

-Be sure to bring your voter's registration card and a valid Indiana I.D. on election day.

Broad Ripple: Your Councillor Candidates--District 3

Ryan Vaughn, Republican

Occupation: Lawyer

Background: Wabash College, IUPUI School of Law. Former political director of the Marion County Republican Party.

Vaughn on Property Taxes:

"It's very important for government to address the structure of property taxes. We, as a government, cannot continue to put an individual's home in jeopardy with an unfair and unpredictable property taxing system. However, adjusting the taxing structure is only one step in addressing the tax problem.

At the end of the day, we raise and lower taxes based on what government spends. The past few years in Indianapolis, we have seen our budget grow from approximately 750 million to 1.1 billion. We must work to restore fiscal accountability at all levels of local government. The budget of our city cannot grow faster than the budgets of its citizens."

Vaughn on Safety Issues:

"What was once the revolving door of the jail house is now the revolving door of the court house. Many repeat offenders are being released back into the community or placed on 'alternative programs.' Now the community is housing criminals that should be in jail and that has a direct impact, not only on the quality of life of a community, but it also increases the demand on other public safety resources. We simply have to remove the criminal influence from our neighborhoods before we can begin to make headway on preventative measures and that means we need more jail space. This is an issue of crime fighting that has been largely ignored and it's crucial to our success."

Cody Kendall, Democrat

Occupation: Lawyer

Background: Ball State University, Indiana School of Law. Former Democratic General Counsel to the Indiana Election Division.

Kendall on Property Taxes:

"An antiquated tax system and irresponsible spending have combined to double or even triple the property tax bills of Hoosiers in Indianapolis and throughout the state. This is not a Democratic problem and it is not a Republican problem. It is an Indianapolis problem. There are many steps the Council can take. The Council needs to engage in responsible spending. We need to make sure that the money is spent in the best way possible. That means belts need to be tightened to keep spending under control. As Councilman, I will work to make sure all branches of local government are run as efficiently as possible to keep budgets as low as possible."

Kendall on Safety Issues:

"As a new father, I realize that nothing will be more important than the safety of our children. The safety of our children will be my top priority.

In order to have a world-class city, Indianapolis needs a world-class police force. By consolidating the forces we have created a Police Department that is more streamlined and efficient, but there is still much we can do.

In order to succeed in the battle against crime, we need as much manpower as possible. We need more police officers out patrolling the streets and fewer officers assigned to a desk. Second, it is nearly impossible to overestimate the value of neighborhood watch groups."

City-Wide Candidates

The Mayoral Race

Bart Peterson, Democrat

Occupation: Current Mayor

Background: Peterson worked in the private sector prior to being elected Indianapolis' 47th Mayor in 1999 and again in 2003.

In his two terms as Mayor of Indianapolis, Bart Peterson has introduced numerous initiatives to improve the quality of life in Indianapolis. In light of recent events involving property taxes, Mayor Peterson has written a 2008 budget that cuts property taxes by $50 million, implemented a hiring freeze, frozen salaries and saved money via the consolodation of local police departments and two fire departments

For more information, check out www.bartpetersonformayor.com.

Greg Ballard, Republican

Occupation: Former Marine

Background: Ballard served 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, holding leadership and staff positions in wide ranging disciplines,

From Ballard's website: "Eliminating property taxes is really not a radical idea. Many scholarly people have studied the idea and most fall on the side of reform, but as I have learned from many years in the government, a government program's main function is to grow. You can't just reduce its influence, you must eliminate the program."

For more information, check out www.ballardformayor.com

City-County Councillors-at-large

Lonnell Conley, Democrat

Ron Gibson, Democrat

Rozelle Boyd, Democrat

Joanne Sanders, Democrat

www.marioncountydemocrats.org

603 E. Washington St., Suite 100

Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317) 637-3366

Michael Hegg, Republican

Ed Coleman, Republican

Kent B. Smith, Republican

Barbara Malone, Republican

www.indyrepublicans.com

120 East Vermont

Indianapolis, IN 46204

No phone provided

Brought to you by:

Brought to you by: