Uncategorized

Handling immigration’s local impacts

immigration

Whether as a participant or an observer, I’ve taken part in any number of ceremonies and events over the decades. The one that touched my heart the most was when I was lucky enough to witness a naturalization ceremony at Union Station in Indianapolis. I was there to watch our high school’s We The People … Read more

We just love to raise your taxes!

raise taxes

Many people don’t realize there’s a profound difference between ignorance and stupidity. Ignorance is when you’ve never had access to a particular piece of knowledge, so you’re not to blame for not knowing it. But stupidity … that’s when you do (or should) know better, so you make yourself look like a complete idiot. Take … Read more

The town is pushing this project!

town project underway

Of all the nonsense that pops up on local social media chatter pages, one of the most dependable appears every time someone intends to convert open land into some kind of development. An announcement that the town’s (or county’s) plan commission will meet to discuss the proposed project appears … and current residents instantly lose … Read more

No, you can’t have a Trader Joe’s

Trader Joes Chattanooga, Harrison Keely photo, Wikipedia Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

One of the most misunderstood areas of local government revolves around the concept of economic development. Residents seem to believe that their town (or county) council is in charge of deciding which restaurants, stores, and other employers will open their doors locally. It’s as though they believe there’s a menu local officials order from. “Yes, … Read more

Let’s get rid of school buses!

school buses

I’ve got a great idea for reducing your property taxes. We’ll just get rid of your community’s school buses. We won’t have to buy any more of those overpriced things, we won’t have to pay drivers and mechanics, and we won’t have to buy all that fuel that just keeps getting more expensive. Seems like … Read more

Declawing the Feds

declawing feds

It’s a commonly repeated myth that makes me cringe every time I hear it. Interestingly, I’ve never heard it from people who define themselves as liberals or moderates – only from those who insist they’re “strong” conservatives. They’ll claim that local governments like school boards and town councils are so stinking greedy and foolish that … Read more

Boards aren’t monoliths

board meeting

Across my 23 years as an elected school board member, noting bemused me more than the people who’d say, “Well, the school board thinks …” Because, you see, school boards don’t think. Their members do. And while the popular perception is that board members think and act in lockstep, nothing could be further from the … Read more

The General Assembly giveth …

property tax

(From early 2025.) Our friends in the Statehouse are in their budget session with a brand-new Governor who won an election in which the perceived excess of property taxes was a key issue. I say the perceived excess because despite what most Hoosiers believe, Indiana’s property taxes are far below what folks in most other … Read more

The parent panic

parent panic

You never forget your first fender-bender. For a pair of teenage drivers, theirs happened in the high school parking lot before the bell. One became “a little shook up,” as people say. Just to be on the safe side, the police officer requested an ambulance for a checkout, and the school’s office immediately notified their … Read more