The Howey Political Report WASHINGTON - from the Outside Looking In, Rep
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Thursday, January 20, 2000 ! Volume 6, Number 19 Page 1 of 8 Pease retirement The sends shock waves Howey !&0$.+5#$K1+.8$T#182$30$.85$1388+8C By MARK SCHOEFF Jr. The Howey Political Report WASHINGTON - From the outside looking in, Rep. Ed Political Pease (R-CD 7) seemed to have the world by the tail on a downhill drag. On Saturday, he suddenly let go. The highly regarded congressman had distinguished himself with his work on impeachment and highway funding. He served Report as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House and won re-election in 1998 with nearly 70 percent of the vote. Then he shocked the Hoosier political community by walking away one month !"#$%&'#($)&*+,+-.*$/#0&1,$+2$034*+2"#5$4($6#'27+89 :8-;$<&385#5$+8$=>>?@$!"#$%&'#($)&*+,+-.*$/#0&1,$+2 before the campaign filing deadline. Pease, who was first .8$+85#0#85#8,@$8&8A0.1,+2.8$8#'2*#,,#1$.8.*(B+8C$,"# elected in 1996, also removed himself from consideration for 0&*+,+-.*$01&-#22$+8$:85+.8.;$ the post of president of Indiana State University, where he served as vice president for development before being elected !"#$%&'(&)*+,-.&/012#34," to Congress. 5$"6&784*,99&:"(.&;$34#%<=*%&+"#=," "Ed Pease would have been re-elected," said Brian Kerns, :$86&>(&)*+,-.&,?#=*" who was Pease's chief of staff and is now running for his boss' seat. "It was clearly a personal choice he made for a number of !"#$%&'#($)&*+,+-.*$/#0&1,$$$$$$$$$$DEE+-#F$G=HAIJ?A=JGG reasons, some of which he's shared and some of which he )D K&L$?MINJ <.LF$G=HAIJ?AI?MJ may want to keep to himself," Kerns told HPR. :85+.8.0&*+2@$:6$$?NI?MAMINJ$$$$$$$$"&'#(O8#,5+1#-,;8#, Pease made his retirement announcement at Rose Hulman +++(4*+,-/*2#=#83(8*@ Institute of Technology on Saturday and has not been available for comment since. P.2"+8C,&8$&EE+-#F$IMIAHHJAGI?I While in Washington, Pease was a robbery victim and had K32+8#22$DEE+-#F$G=HAIJ?AMJGJ;$).C#1F$G=HAGIMAIHII to undergo surgery to remove an arterial blockage in his heart. In Q.(,+R#$83R4#1F$G=HAIJ?AI?MM@$SL,;$IHG his retirement statement on Jan. 15, Pease said health worries did- n't factor into his decision. "I know myself well enough to under- 70138"#/=#*%3A&BCDE&$%%0$22-&F#$&,G@$#2&*" stand that I find joy in the direct service of community volunteer- 9$H(&I$22&JKLGCDMGKDJJ( ing, and that the best way for me to serve others is to find a pos- © 2000, The Howey Political Report. All rights tion that is either directly involved in such work or allows me the reserved. Photocopying, Internet forwarding, faxing or time to do so." reproducing in any form, in whole or in part, is a viola- One of his colleagues anticipated Pease's retirement, but not tion of federal law and is strictly prohibited without consent of the publisher. Continued on page 2 “He’s saying we just have to tweak the manu- Ticker Tape: Borst, governor meet p. 2 Columnists: Brown, Shores, Smith p. 4 al we have now, so I told him, ‘Well, go Perhaps: Seth Denbo chairs a feud p. 5 ahead and put into writing what tweaking Horse Race: FOB, McIntosh, Price is...” - Gov. Frank O’Bannon, on his conversation money totals; Sabatini aims at with Sen. Borst over new tax code rules, in The McClain; Arena to challenge Times of Northwest Indiana. Dan Burton in 6th CD p. 7 Thursday, January 20, 2000 Page 2 of 8 in favor of all four articles of impeachment. Pease, from page 1 But that wasn't good enough for Hess. "He the timing. "I was surprised but not surprised," made the lawerly argument," Hess, 26, said of said Rep. Steve Buyer (R-CD 5). "I thought Pease. "I would have liked to have seen him Ed would do one more term. His leaving is a speak out more about the situation." real loss for Indiana and the country." Hess, an Indiana State University grad- O’BANNON, BORST MEET: Pease's thoughtful, intellectual uate who works at Ivy Tech in Columbus and The Times of Northwest approach to legislating and his gracious man- lives in Indianapolis, didn't offer any other Indiana reported that Gov. ner sometimes clashed with the harsh political criticisms of Pease. "I would leave it at that," O’Bannon and Senate climate of the nation's capital. Washington is he said. "I'm shocked to hear that he pulled Finance Chairman Larry "a false world. Ed Pease struggled with that, out of everything, but I do wish him well." Borst met in an attempt to and it bothered him," said Buyer. "He longed Hess said he will focus on education, health reach an understanding on for the banks of the Wabash, with the Syca- care, Social Security and crime in his race. property tax reform tobacco mores, not the banks of the Potomac, with the Hess' critical tone is an unusual com- settlement money. Borst rhetoric." mentary on Pease. He is almost uniformly called it “a very good con- praised. Buyer was effusive in describing versation” after complaining Opponent on attack Pease's role in changing the gas tax formula to that the governor hadn’t for- Although Pease would probably have increased significantly annually the amount of mally met for discussions. cruised to victory this year, he did have one federal money Indiana receives to build roads. “I don’t know why he says official opponent, who seemed intent on In 1995, Buyer introduced the formula-alter- that,” O’Bannon said. “Let attacking him. Just before Pease retired, Doug ing legislation. In 1997, after his election, me first say that I’ve Hess entered the race. Hess also ran against Pease was appointed to the House Transport- received several letters from ation Committee. Sen. Borst and I’ve seen Pease in the primary in 1998. In a statement released when he filed on Friday, Hess said he Buyer was the author of the highway him many times and talked legislation, but he didn't served on the critical to him many times. On other offered CD 7 voters "a choice that closer committee. Pease's being appointed to the occasions, I’ve been with reflects the issues and family values of the transportation panel was "a major coup for him many times. He’s a people of the 7th District." Indiana. Ed was a master in consensus-build- good friend.” Borst says he Hess told HPR that his "family values" ing in his work with the House and Senate," favors a one-year delay in theme related to the impeachment proceedings said Buyer. "It's one thing to introduce a bill. the state property tax against President Clinton. Pease, a member of It's another to champion it." The funding has reassessment. O’Bannon is the House Judiciary Committee which brought the charges against the president for allegedly helped support the construction of the Hoosier Continued on page 3 covering up a White House sex scandal, voted Heartland Corridor in northern Page 3 of 8 Thursday, January 20, 2000 Indiana and the extension of I-69 in southern would serve the district in this new role very Indiana. well," Pease said in a statement issued on "While you're driving around Indiana Monday. over the next few years, smile and think of Ed Pease had amassed more than $150,000 Pease," Buyer said. in campaign funds before retiring. He could form a political action committee with the Kerns Off to Fast Start money, send it to national or state political pushing for a two-year delay. On reassessment, Kerns, 42, wasted no time in kicking parties, give it to charity or refund it to O’Bannon said Borst “says off his campaign to succeed his boss and donors. He is limited to $1,000 contributions when (the tax plan) gets emphasized road funding as an important directly to candidates in each election cycle. passed out of the House, issue. Other Republicans checking out the race he’ll look at it and then put include former state senator Dick Thompson, Democrats Have Uphill Battle his ideas in it, whatever State Rep. Matt Whetstone, and Lafayette The candidate who emerges from the they might be at the time.” Mayor Dan Heath. Republican primary will be the favorite to win As for O’Bannon’s favoring The Vigo County resident, who has the general election, in this heavily a wholesale change in the been with Pease since 1996, announced his Republican district. But Pease's retirement tax rules, the governor said candidacy in Terre Haute, Indianapolis and does give the Democrats one more chance to of Borst, “He’s saying we Lafayette on Tuesday. He has converted a bed- overtake the Republicans for control of the just have to tweak the man- room in his home into a campaign office, House of Representatives. The Republicans ual we have now, so I told installing extra phone lines. He has made hold a five-Member majority. him, ‘Well, go ahead and put bumper stickers and buttons and has been Democrats currently considering the into writing what tweaking doing a raft of media interviews. race include 1994 nominee Mike Harmless, is.’’’ He has hired the Washington fundrais- 1996 nominee Bob Hellmann, State Rep. Sue ing firm Hammond and Associations and has Crosby, and 1999 Lafayette mayoral candidate COUNTIES SEE BURDEN: signed up Deal Productions of Cincinnati to Eileen Hession-Weiss. County auditors are saying do his media work.