Pals Take Precedence Over Good Policy; Taxpayers are Punished

Colleague Mark Lawrance, the Chamber’s point person on local government reform efforts over the past half-dozen years, started off his description of the ambush of reform efforts in the Indiana Senate this week with an homage to Buffalo Springfield: "There’s Something Happening Here and It Is Exactly Clear."

Lawrance offers a synopsis. First, the opposition to these recommendations is highly focused and mobilized. Second, those special interest groups strongly prefer to keep the status quo and not embrace any of the changes with our fragmented local government system. And third, many of the local people who are involved with townships, county government, libraries and the school systems are also part of the local political system that elects the legislators.
 
What that means is some members of the Senate are playing political games. They’re ignoring the facts (read Kevin Brinegar’s committee testimony a week earlier or watch the latest MySmartgov.org video) to protect their cronies. They’re doing so at the expense of your money and your right to an efficient and effective local government system.
 
Don’t stand for it. Let your legislators know business as usual simply isn’t good enough.