Tuesday,May 20, 1997 • Volume 3, Number 30 Page 1of8 1• • Id 'Bayhsm1th Truce' 1&:1•.•:U..... THE :=w-=--· comes to an end O'Bannon,Goldsmith sparring may be natural INDIANAPOLIS - From 1992 through 1996, there was a curi­ HOWEYT ous truce between Indiana's most dominating politicians in its biggest media market. It was the "Bayhsmith Truce?' From the time that Republican Stephen Goldsmith ascended POLITICAL to the mayor's office in Indianapolis, it meant that there were two big hats in a town where Democrat Gov. Evan Bayh had established him­ self as a true power. During those four years there was never a criticism launched REPORT between Goldsmith and Bayh. They seemed so much alike: both young, handsome and highly-ambitious men. Both had visions of the The Weekly Briefing On Indiana Politics White House tucked somewhere in the backs of their minds. Both were adroit at raising millions of dollars - much of it from vendors The Howey Political Report is published 40 times a year by who did business with the city and state. Both tended to eschew the NewsLink, Inc. Founded in 1994, The Howey Political Report is traditional building blocks of politics and centered their political an independent, non-partisan newsletter analyzing the political campaigns on mega-TV advertising budgets - the so-called "air war." process in Indiana.It neither endorses candidates nor advocates positions of public policy. So comparable in their styles and even their ideology that Harrison Ullmann of NUVO Newsweekly combined the two and they became Brian A. Howey the "Bayhsmiths." editor and publisher The reason the truce worked was that Bayh and Goldsmith The Howey Political Report Office: 317-926-1433 were on different timetables. Goldsmith envisioned his succession of 2625 N.Meridian St., Suite 1125 Fax: 317-254-2405 Bayh as governor.Bayh would move on to the U.S. Senate in 1998 Indianapolis,IN 46208 [email protected] with a shot at the national ticket in 2000 or 2004. Goldsmith had his Daytime number: 317-254-2400,Ext 273 sights set on the Senate in 2000 or 2006, or, perhaps, the presidency NewsLink Home Page: http://www.inoffice.com/hpr in2004. The Bayhsmith truce was a subterranean story in Subscription information: $250 annually for 40 Indianapolis. Those outside the Bayh and Goldsmith circles in their editions via fax or first class mail Call 317-926-1433. respective parties always found the arrangement odd. Some Demo­ © 1997, The Howey Political Report. All rights reserved. crats felt that Bayh could have helped whittle down Goldsmith's Photocopying, faxing or reproducing in any form, in whol~ or in stature well before the 1996 election. part, is a violation offederal law and is ~prohibited without consent of the publisher. The truce between the mayor of Indianapolis and the gover- continued on page 2 ((QUOTE" OF THE WEEK INSIDE F E A T U R E S ''They're mad, they got out-foxed and they don't • Play of the Week: O'Bannon's shrewd move page 2 like it. .."' • Horse Race: Gauging the legislature, brains page 3 • HPR Interview: Remarks by Dr. Frank Luntz pages 4-5 -Speaker John Gregg, to the Associated Press, • Columnists: Wieland, Howey, Schneider page 6 n the amendment controversy over workmen's • Perhaps We Wander: Mike Bailey revisited page 7 compensation that n1ptured the special seul n. Page 2 of 8 Tueday, May 20, 1997 • been a vc la tile one in nodern Inc iana politics. TICIG:::R Mayor Riclhard Lugar :s1:iarred wi1ci1 Gov. Otis nor of Indiana has Jeen broken. Bayh is a ]p'ri­ Bowen oYer the Unigcrv l'!gislation1, to the point T A P E vate citizen. GoldsmiL1 is th:: stung loser a.s where Lugar public1zecl llowen's phone number • I""''ll""'I' Tl I - II_ Bayh's successor last year and is already trying in an attempt to turn 1.l it: masses into a huge ~- to position himsdf for a thilrd try at sta.ewide lobbying 1effort But 1.l"1a t was the only significant PLAY 1Qf THE WEEK: Go1f. !Frank office in 2000. That puts him on a collisiou bump in their relatio11 ! hip. O'Barnnon.ln what is trnl!y the course with Gov. O':Bannon and, thus, the Mayor William Hudnut always main­ shrewdest and potenti :illy dis­ dynamic has significantly changed on both ends tained congenial relaiior:iships with Govs.Bowen astrous move of his yo rn r g of Market Street. and Robert Orr. In thr.! 1;11st 20 years, Hoosiers administration, O'Bam· 11rn calls In April, Goldsmith lobbed the lfirst shot were used to seeing 1 ~hf'll governor and the in !the legislative speci.11~ sec­ when he accused the O'lBannon administrntion mayor exulting over 1~c:momic victories like lur­ tion without a deal! E~· ·1 r 1 of wasting money with ithe Jlep Inc. welfart' pro­ ing the Colts to the dlor1· ·or the United Ailrlines Thursday evening it lo~1l~ed gram. O'Bannon rietalliated afoer the regular ses­ maintenance facility 10 tne airport. like a collossal mistake 1,11ith a sion of the Indiana General As:;embly ended by The Bayh-Goldrnn1ith dynamic was the legislat111re adrift and l.J~(ker­ vetoing the Marion County innkeeper !.ax 1hat first in modern times r,,rhere the t~No most con­ ing.By late Thursdai1,a b1Jdget Goldsmith sought for expansion of the RCA spicuous offices in a rni:, lia market that reaches acceptable to O'Bannc'~~ ·was Dome and the Indiana Conven1tion Center. The 45 percent of the state 1•11~re split between the produced.And now he ~ l'ts to returned volley seems to have caught Golld>mith two parti1es.So the ironr is that t11e Bayhsmith watch Indiana Hous 1e ~l'E'llUbli­ off-guard Truce lasted so long <!Tld went so ~.moothly,par­ cans fight an epic Milmi·r11aire As we've reported before, the O'Bannon ticularly when partisarn on both sides felt that Sports Team Owners v. Ultle veto was not only a11 au.empt a. leverage over both men could have g:iined some political Guy with House Demo(rnts Indianapolis House R1epublicams who were advantage by competil11 g, when they reconvene mi May holding up the biennial budget, but also a slap The O'Bannon-Goldsmith confrontation 27. at Goldsmith. It was the R1ep ubJcan who may simply signal a mnre traditional dynamic charged during the campaign that O'Bannon between not only polern al rivals, but between had never met a tax he didri'lt hike. In e.sserrrice, the two parties that 1·viJl continually seek advan- • How did House•n• Speake1r !Daul the O'Bannon veto might hmre been the first tages on defending and seizing the governor- Mannweiler react to th e 'out­ volley in a potential 2000 rematch. ship. foxing?"He told the Asi.odated The relationship between the mayor of Continued m1 page 3 Indianapolis and the govemor has not often Page 3 of 8 Tuesday, May 20, 1997 Political fallout from HQ RSE R A ( E TICKER legislature undetectible T A P E . TRENDLINE: If a legislative body committed to making outrageous fools of itself states something, but nobody else around the state is paying any attention, was there actually Press,°! think a number of a sound? Republicans around the state have gone home in disgust." • The l lOth Indiana General Assembly:••• This is a political report, not a gauge of intelligence, so Horse Race can't jump to any instantaneous conclusions about the fallout from Indianapolis Mayor Stephen the three-ring circus on Market Street.We do know this,however:.House Republicans and Goldsmith met with Gov.Frank Democrats deserve each other.. O'Bannon late last Thursday And after reading press coverage around the state, one thought comes to mind: night to discuss the impasse Hoosiers and those who report the news to them are readily willing to believe the worst when involving a new Pacers arena it comes to the Indiana General Assembly. and the Indiana Convention · Think about it. This session has included months of little action, the slap on the Center renovation. The South wrists from the House Ethics Committee of State Rep. Charlie Brown,totally weak (and uncon­ Bend Tribune's Susan Dillman stitutional) campaign finance reform, the indictment of former Ways and Means Chairman reported, "Goldsmith, on Sam Turpin, an overtime period to get the budget done, and then the Democratic "double­ emerging from a near-mid­ cross" (or "out-foxing; according to Speaker John Gregg) on workmen's compensation. There night meeting with O'Bannon, is nothing there to inspire any real confidence. cautioned that if the The workmen's compensation fiasco that blew the lid off last week's special session Indianapolis measures fail, the was another example of payback time. Democrats insist it was only fair since Republicans whole state loses money." sprang prevailing wage reforms on them in 1995. Dillman added that the "dash The problem with this kind of logic is that should the Republicans regain control of pits not only Democrats v. the House in 1998, there almost assuredly will be another stunt pulled that will have Republicans, but the House of Democrats outraged and forlorn. Representatives vs. the state The bottom line to all of this is we don't see any clear political advantage emerging Senate; labor unions vs. man­ from this session.Perhaps one will if, say, one entire caucus is transported to the Statehouse in agement; out-state legislators limousines. Then the other caucus can cry, "Limos for Influence?' vs.