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Friday,Jan.31, 1997 • Volume 3, Number 19 Page 1of8 O'Bannon's in for =:.: .= == --·1Y..·:. a real honeymoon THE -- State of the State address a hit at Statehouse INDIANAPOLIS -Yes, there was a prop. That was a pressing question in the press corps prior to Gov. HOWEYT Frank O'Bannon's first speech: would there be a prop, always a favorite tactic of Gov. Evan Bayh and Presidents Bush and Reagan, who used guns, bags of crack cocaine and pictures of family and crime victims to get their policy points across. POLITICAL O'Bannon used a book, but not just any book as he spoke to a statewide audience Tuesday night for the second time this month. Holding aloft a blue book, O'Bannon intoned, "This book contains the REPORT regulations the state imposes on every Indiana public school. It's a wonder students ever learn anything when regulations bog schools down in bureaucracy:' The Weekfy Briefing On Indiana Politics "For example:' O'Bannon explained, "did you know that our The Howey Political Report is published 40 times a year by state regulations require that a minimum of two percent of a school NewsLink,Inc.Founded in 1994, The Howey Political Report is building be set aside for general storage - including 'shelving, racks, an independent, non-partisan newsletter analyzing the political bins and other devices?' It's time to end this absurd micromanage process in Indiana.It neither endorses candidates nor advocates ment and focus on what really matters: improving student achieve positions of public policy. ment." Brian A. Howey In touting his 21st Century School Improvement Plan, editor and publisher O'Bannon said, "This new approach to state education will require The Howey Political Report Office: 317-685-0883 that the Department of Education take on a new mission: rather 200W.Washington St., Suite M-1 Fax: 317-692-1032 than monitoring schools for regulatory compliance, it will mentor Indianapolis, IN 46204 [email protected] them to meet higher standards. I am looking forward to working with Superintendent Reed as we transform her department into a NewsLink Home Page: http://www.inoffice.com/hpr corps of master teachers committed to change, local decision-mak Subsaiption information: $250 annually for 40 ing and excellence." editions via fax or first class mail. Call 317-685-0883. With that, O'Bannon glanced upward to Supt. of Public © 1997, The Howey Political Report. All rights reserved. Instruction Suellen Reed, seated in the balcony near former Govs. Photocopying, faxing or reproducing in any form, in whole or in Robert Orr and Bayh. Reed, a Republican, nodded back in apparent part, is a violation offederal law and is ~prohibited approval. without consent of the publisher. O'Bannon is seeking to become Indiana's "Education continued on page 2 ((QUOTE" OF THE WEEK INSIDE F E A T U R E S "Frank O'Bannon is a fine man and he'll make a • Play of the Week: Rex Early in the gallery page 2 grea t governor.... Ill • Horse Race: Sizing up the GOP Senate derby page 3 • HPR Interview: Fort Wayne Mayor Helmke pages 4-5 -State Rep. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, who • Columnists: Shields, Smith, Geyer, Cook page 6 heads up the conservative GOP wing in the House, • Under the Dome: GOP reacts to O'Bannon page 7 after Gov. O'Bannon's state of the state address. Indiana's fastest growing source ofpolitical news -------------------- Friday, Jan. 31, 1997 Page 2 of 8 O'Bannon urg1~,c1 more road construc O'BanDOlk, from page i ~f'ICKJ:~R tion, telling the legislature he intends to take Governor" and he att,empted to further that $54 million in gasolini: sales tax revenues and T A p E notion by asking legislators to "lift the bu rdtn use them strictly for rnad construc:tion, as • llli- of textbook rental costs off tr.; shoulders of opposed to putting lit in the general fund. "I pub]ic school parents:' have long believed thl(ls e funds shoulld be seen PLAY Of THE WEEK: Re1,r Early, Reiterating a 1:ampaign theme, as a user fee paid by notorists for road mainte who may have been t~1 E' first O'Bannon called for a plan to forgive college nance and improvemmt.lt just makes good vc1nquished gubernatorial pri loans to high school students with a B average if economic s,ense;'the goYernor said. mary candidate from lh'e they live and work in Indiana for five years after Ot'Bannon 2il!llo 11:iroposed a $25 court fee 0~1position party in Ho,o$ier graduating from college. that will fund 500 n ~w police offic·ers over the history to be publid) ~ntro On taxes, O'Bannon hit another cam~ next fouryears."Robe1 t Kennedy once said that duced to a joint sessfon ,Df the paign theme: restrucLuring Indiana's system of every community get~ the kind of law enforce le!~islature by a Speak~r of tlhe ~ation."ln the next few weeks, I will appoint a ment it insists on.As g'wernor,I will insist on Hcmse. This haippenedJ ruesday Citizens Commission on Taxes. This group, more police throughout this state:' ni1~ht j11st prior to Gov. f1rank including Hoosiers from all walks of life and He called for more prison ,construction, O'IBannon's State of th~ State corners of the state, v1rill examine our entire ta:ic saying the state needs Ji ,400 new beds now. address. Even more sl"l1>i:kingly structure, top to bottom.Everything is on the "Once someone bm k, 1·.he bonds that hold us fu11my was that Speak1er ·Gregg table, from our assessment system to eliminat together, he must pair i 01· his act.A violation of ahnost forgotto intro id 11 ce ing whole categories of taxation. anyone's JPersonal security violates us all. Senate 1Presid1ent Pro l1em Bob "Overhaulim &o·Jr wr system cannot be On c:ampaigtt fo: mce reform,O'Bannon Garton. Of course, yoL 'v~~ got done piecemeal in a politically charged atmos urged action, saying,, ''The skyrocketing cost of to remember that tlhis was a phere. We must have time to look at the issues - political contests in r:n:liana is threatening our Southern Indiana thin1g.1But the many issues - together~' bond with the peopl ~and we mus: act to restore what a gas! He added tlliat Hoosier families ne~:ded their confidence.Campaign finance reform "real tax relief - now?' He spoke of another cam must be enacted by th: s General Assembl)~' paign theme, property tax relief via income tax The governor er led his 25-minute • credits for homeowners and renters, a welfare speech by urging volu11 t:!erism."Jud.y and l,as Gh•e Go\r. Frank O'Bann lPll to-work income tax credit for those making I ::ss well as Joe and Mag~,ie Kernan, know· communi- credit for one 1>f his op~m1ing than $10,000 annua:ly,and a ti~hter clamp on ty service is a way of li(e. My admin 1stration Continued on page 3 property taxes. will lead by both example and by policy, encour- Page 3 of 8 Friday,Jan.31, 1997 Handicapping the GOP HORSE RA c E TICKER 1998 Senate derby T A P E TRENDLINE: Mike McDaniel said it wasn't until he was a teenager that he learned that the word "Democrat" didn't have two really bad words preceeding it.My thoughts exactly lines in the State of the State as I stand here with the blacksmith pounding nails into my new shoes, which is only slightly address. He spoke of LG Joe more hellish than being locked up in a stall for several hours with a bunch of nags.Anyway, Kernan and said, usome of you the Republican Senatorial derby is coming out of the first straightaway and heading into the may know that Joe recently first turn, so what better time than to handicap the steeds. had hip replacement surgery ••• and that new hip was made • David Mcintosh: The front runner, if he gets in. Reasons are his dashing good right here in Indiana. When it looks, cool, effervescent wife, cutting edge conservatism and, ah, his ability to raise mega-tons comes to job aeation,Joe told of cash.All indications are that Mcintosh is giving this race very strong consideration.Chief of me he not only talks the talk, staff Devin Anderson has been back in the state several times to keep his ear to the ground. he walks the walk." How serious is Mcintosh? So serious that discussions with party leaders even include talk about a potential 2000 gubernatorial run if he doesn't whupBayh.Nomination odds: Even. Aguaranteeduargument • Sue Anne Gilroy: She has opened up a campaign office in Indianapolis and a sec starter"in the U.S. House, ond will open in Fort Wayne soon. But her press release doesn't say what she's running for.All according to Washington polit indications are a Senate bid looks virtually certain if Mcintosh bugs out. Gilroy is a popular ical analyst Charles E.Cook,is Republican who will be running for the first time without the Lugar Team umbrella that the 1984 Indiana 8th CD race helped her carry almost a million votes in 1994.Nomination odds: 2 to 1. between Democrat Frank • Paul Helmke: We know Paul Helmke pretty darn good, and he's running. This guy McOoskey and Republican Rick is a walking-talking Hoosier political history whiz who points out that a mayor (Vance Mdntyre.As HPR has done in Hartke) defeated a sitting governor (Harold Handley) for the last open Senate seat in 1958.