V16, N32 Thursday, April 21, 2011 Indiana’s new super ‘City Council’ Legislature waging home rule assault By BRIAN A. HOWEY PLAINFIELD - Most Hoosiers living in cities and towns probably believe their mayors and council members create their local ordinances. But the 2011 Indiana General Assembly has been on an as- sault of “home rule.” It goes far beyond the plea of cities for local taxing options. IACT, cringes when it comes to SB292 sponsored by fresh- Indiana’s emerging “City Council” at the Statehouse men Sen. Jim Tomes and Rep. Mike Speedy. It takes away is poised to take away municipal rights when it comes to the ability for cities and towns to regulate where individu- where weapons can be fired and carried, whether nursing als may carry and fire a gun. The bill was amended in the homes can be built, whether fire districts can be estab- House to allow certain local regulation of gun discharge. lished while one bill will prevent local apartment inspec- However, some are working to reverse the amendment. “I tions. really don’t care that people carry guns,” said Seybold. “But “In this era of property tax caps, for the most part when someone can fire a gun in their backyard and there’s cities have done a pretty good job of dealing with those nothing a city can do about it, that’s a problem. That might cuts,” said Matt Greller, executive director of the Indiana be OK in a smaller rural community, but let them debate Association of Cities and Towns. “Cities are finding efficien- that and make that decision locally.” cies. There have been consolidations and cost cutting. Un- Seybold, a Republican, is concerned that cities fortunately this year the legislature has taken a city council won’t be able to keep guns out of city halls or parks. approach to cities and towns. They are really cutting us off State Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, authored S.B. at the knees, taking away local control and home rule.” Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold, who is president of Continued on page 3 Gregg goes exploring By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - John Gregg was nervous. Last night he would announce the formal establish- ment of a gubernatorial campaign “The problem in America isn’t committee as he was faced with a Planned Parenthood. It’s different audience. He had been doing Jefferson-Jackson dinners unplanned parenthood.” in rural counties. But Wednesday night he was addressing the Wash- - John Gregg, in declaring ington Township Democratic Club the formation of a gubernatorial ex- in Indianapolis. This is a mostly ploratory committee Wednesday educated, professional group. Would they buy into the HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, April 21, 2011 www.HoweyPolitics.com Howey Politics Indiana is a non-partisan newsletter based in Indianapolis. It was founded in 1994 in Fort Wayne. emerging campaign of the man from have you ever looked and seen about Brian A. Howey, Publisher tiny Sandborn? Planned Parenthood? Have you seen Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington After 30 minutes, Gregg re- what they do? They do health screen- Jack E. Howey, editor ceived a standing ovation. ings, birth control, counseling. They Beverly K. Phillips, associate While he talked about the do cancer screenings for women and “opportunities” of clean coal technol- men, a preventative measure. I’m editor ogy, methane gas and 20 to 40 acre going on seven years of being cancer agricultural greenhouses all within 500 free due to early detection.” Subscriptions miles of markets in Atlanta, Detroit “Frankly,” Gregg continued, $350 annually HPI Weekly and Kansas City, he met many of the “I’m insulted they want to take away festering issues head on. preventative health care from people. $550 annually HPI Weekly and “What about FSSA?” Gregg That’s just not right. We don’t do that. HPI Daily Wire. asked. “They were going to privatize These are for people who can’t afford 'Call 317.627.6746 it. It was another one of their great to go anywhere else. That’s not an op- switches. They tried it. They pulled it portunity. We need to be concentrat- back. Now we have a billion dollars of ing on jobs. But they don’t want to do Contact HPI pending lawsuits. Those are misguided that because it’s the same old wedge Howey Politics Indiana opportunities.” issue that they’ve had for years. They 6255 N. Evanston Ave. Gregg turned to abortion. “I don’t want a lot of these wedge issues Indianapolis, IN 46220 want to share with you something you to go away.” www.howeypolitics.com may already know,” he began. “I’m in Asked if he would push anti- the minority of our party on a social abortion laws, Gregg said that as [email protected] issue dealing with choice. I am one of speaker he did not hand down a single 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 those pro-life Democrats. The great abortion bill. “The U.S. Supreme Court 'Washington: 703.248.0909 thing about our party is we invite ev- has made it the law of the land.” 'Business Office: 317.627.6746 erybody in regardless of where we are Gregg talked about the GOP on that issue. We agree on about 85 “attacks” on unions and public educa- percent of the issues. But they want tion. © 2011, Howey Politics Indiana. to talk about that issue. And now they “They want to make it a All rights reserved. Photocopy- want to talk about Planned Parent- Right to Work state,” he said. “They ing, Internet forwarding, fax- hood. The problem in America isn’t are settling old scores. They were do- ing or reproducing in any form, Planned Parenthood, it’s unplanned ing the wedge, the fear, the divide, the whole or part, is a violation of parenthood.” conquer.” The crowd of about 100 As for public education, Gregg federal law without permission laughed and applauded. appeared to evolve. “We’ve been a from the publisher. v “It’s unplanned parenthood,” little lax at time,” he said of Demo- Gregg repeated, taking aim at U.S. crats. “I’ve got to be candid. Some of Rep. Mike Pence, his probable op- our public school systems have some ponent. “For those who don’t know, major problems and we’ve probably HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, April 21, 2011 been a little wrong not to admit that and not to look at nor needs to be working with all the people in the state. He ways to solve that. I truly think we have been. But they needs to make jobs No. 1. The second thing is jobs. The want to dismantle it with a voucher system and solve it third thing is jobs. We’ve got to work together. We need to with a charter system. They only serve 2 percent of the have a big table.” students. We need to concetrate on education. We need “They want to talk about radical. I’ll tell you to take that great teacher and we need to empower them. what, I’m radically reasonable. I really am. That’s what we We need to get them more involved. We’ve got to help the all need to be. We’ve got to work together. The next gover- poor teachers. And you know what? If they can’t get better nor ought to unite us, not divide us.” He noted that during they need to go somewhere else.” two of his six years as House Speaker, there was a 50/50 Then Gregg described a culture of fear. “They split. “For every bill that passed out of the House, we had always do fear, they always do wedge. They demonize us. to have at least one Republican,” Gregg explained. “How We’re not going to let them do that anymore. I’m not going did we get it? We worked together. We worked together to let them define me and I’m not going to let them define and we can work together. We’ve got to find our common you.” ground and be radically reasonable with this.” “You want to talk about a social issue? Here in “I am convinced I can help people get together. Marion County tonight there are going to be 25,000 kids I’ve given it some serious thought and I will announce in who go to bed hungry,” Gregg said. “That’s a social issue. May an exploratory committee for governor. I’m excited You know another social issue? Nine percent unemploy- about it,” Gregg said. ment. They aren’t doing anything about it. The next gover- Indianapolis Democrats were, too. v “We’re going too far to the right,” McDermott said. Cities, from page 1 Seybold is unsure where Gov. Mitch Daniels stands on the issue. “We’ve talked to the governor’s legislative 292 to eliminate what he calls a “patchwork of rules across team,” he said. “I don’t think he’s really been engaged on Indiana that can land law-abiding, licensed gun carriers in the bill yet. They are looking at whether they can live with trouble.” Speedy explained, “These local this.” SB 292 has passed the House ordinances never stop the criminals, and Senate, has been returned to because criminals by their very defini- the Senate amended and is awaiting tion are intent on breaking the law action there. and harming others. Often feel-good Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill in ordinances do impinge upon this right.” 2010 that keeps companies from dis- State Rep.