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Your right to choose
Hoosiers Favor Keeping Government
Local
It appears Hoosiers favor retaining
township government, according to a statewide
poll conducted by the Indiana Township Association.
Woopsiedaisy!
Highway Hire Resists
Press-Ganging
Nashville - May 29, 2008 - The Republican
County Commissioners are at it again. This time they've reportedly hired someone
against his will.
At their May 20 meeting the Commissioners
announced they were hiring an individual for County Highway Superintendent to
replace their earlier hire, who they just fired. Trouble is, they didn't first
make sure their chosen one really wants to work for them.
He doesn't.
Maybe the local party of Lincoln has forgotten
slavery has been outlawed and plans to make him serve anyway. Of course,
everything the Commissioners have been up to recently must have Honest Abe
rolling in his grave.
Even the hiring process was interesting.
Commissioner Bill Austin formed another of
his endless series of advisory committees to help him through the difficult and
complex process of deciding who he felt was best qualified for the job. But he
then forgot to make a motion to hire his choice.
The first of the lame duck commissioners
then moved to re-advertise the job, but he couldn't get a second. The second
lame duck moved to hire the unwilling applicant, and her motion was seconded by
the first lame duck. The ducks voted for the hiring. Austin, without the benefit
of a committee or the time to blame it consult with it, voted
against the hiring.
And we're not making this up.
UPDATE: At
their June 2, 2008, meeting, the commissioners decided to re-advertise for
applicants. Sure, it's not like they actually hired somebody, but they did
actually make a decision.
Rumor has it they are looking for
applicants with experience. So, if you've ever driven on a county road, dust off
your resume. That'll probably be enough experience for them.
Congressional update
Baron Hill Hosts Town Hall
Meeting
Nashville
- May 29, 2008 - About 30 Brown County residents attended a town hall meeting
with Congressman Baron Hill in Nashville May 28.
Congressman Hill discussed legislation
that had been passed by the Democratic-led 110th Congress. Highlights included
increasing the minimum wage, the largest funding increase for veterans' health
care in the history of the VA, lobbying and ethics reform, conducting oversight
of the executive branch relating to the Iraq war, and energy independence.
The Congressman highlighted passage of
provisions he had sponsored requiring automakers to increase gas mileage on
their products, strengthening penalties for persons who smuggle undocumented
workers into the United States, providing a federal income tax deduction for
property taxes, providing a tax credit for those who send care packages to
troops through the America Supports You program, and authorizing a public
awareness campaign to provide parents tools to
keep their children safe from internet predators.
Following the update, Congressman Hill
opened the floor to questions, many of which related to global warming and
energy independence, and providing health care for all Americans. The
Congressman indicated he was gathering as much information as possible.
Congressman Hill reasoned that careful
study of energy and health care is necessary since actions taken by Congress in
those areas will have sweeping and long-term effects, and it is vital to our
nation that the decisions made be the best ones possible. He encouraged people
to
contact him with information they would like him to consider.
Repubs fall flat
Democrats Nominate Strong
Candidates for County
Nashville - May 6, 2008 - The voters spoke
at the polls during this year's primary election, and the Brown County
Democratic Party has nominated a strong field of candidates for the general
election in November.
Information about candidates for county
offices can be found by
clicking here. Primary vote totals can be found by
clicking here.
The public also spoke clearly about the
performance of the two incumbent Republican county commissioners. They were
roundly defeated in their primary contests. Guess the "rancorous few" (see
Fire District Lawsuit Commenced story below) turned out to be the "voting
many."
Primary open in other races
Democrats Endorse Tona Martin
Nelson
Nashville - March 5, 2008 - Brown County's
Democratic Precinct Committeepersons voted unanimously to endorse
Tona Martin
Nelson for Brown County Treasurer in the May 6 primary election.
"Tona Martin Nelson has
excellent qualifications for the office and will
work in a spirit of cooperation with other county
offices for the benefit of all Brown County
citizens," said County Chairperson Kurt Young. The
party encourages its voters to support her in the
May 6 Democratic Primary Election.
All other primary races were
left as they were, open and without endorsements.
The party believes the
endorsement is necessary because the county is still
suffering from the reassessment mess created by the
former assessor, who has filed her candidacy in
opposition to Tona Martin Nelson.
"Local government units have
been forced to take out loans and incur interest
payments that would not have been necessary had
Tona's opponent properly done her job," said Young.
"We did not endorse the former assessor during the
last election because of her abysmal performance in
office, and we will not in this election. We believe
it would be extremely unwise to place her in another
position of public trust, particularly the office of
Treasurer," Young concluded.
Incumbent Council Member
Changes Parties
David Rudd Joins Democrats
Nashville - February 7, 2008 - The Brown
County Democratic Party is pleased to welcome incumbent at-large Brown County
Council member David Rudd, who announced today that he is running for reelection
as a Democrat.
The full text of Rudd's statement:
"I would like to announce that
I am seeking reelection to the office of County Council at large.
I have made the decision, after
much consideration, to change my party affiliation to the Democratic Party. I
have spoken to many people in the community who share my grave concerns about
the current leadership of the Republican Party in Brown County and, most
importantly, the actions of many Republican officeholders.
During the debate on the fire
district, Commissioner Bill Austin said, 'if the Republican Party is the party
that is going to take this approach' of not listening to the public, 'then I
don't want to be a part of the Republican Party.' I have decided to take his
words and put them into action.
Ultimately government is about people, not politics, and I had to decide which
party shares the same philosophy I do when it comes to respecting and listening
to our community. In Brown County, that party is the Democratic Party. I
appreciate your continued support as a Democratic candidate for county council
at large in 2008."
The statement by Austin referred to by
Rudd was reported as follows in the September 5, 2007, Bloomington Herald-Times
newspaper:
"'We are setting a pattern of asking the public what they want and then
ignoring them,' said Bill Austin, the commissioner who initially pursued the
idea of a fire district then changed his mind after a committee of firefighters
came out against it. 'You have made this an issue of whether we will listen to
the public, not whether there’s a (fire) district.'
He went on, denouncing his fellow commissioners, Stephanie Yager and Blake
Wolpert. 'If the Republican Party is the party that is going to take this
approach to politics, then I don’t want to be part of the Republican Party.'"
The start of a long road
Fire District Lawsuit Commenced
Nashville - October 6, 2007 - A group of Brown County
property owners has filed a lawsuit to stop the creation of a county-wide fire
district.
The suit, filed September 11, 2007, alleges that the
Republican-dominated Board of Commissioners of Brown County failed to comply
with state statutes, which require petitions from property owners to start the
process of creating the district.
On September 4, 2007, the commissioners, over the
objections of a large number of citizens, including the majority of the county's
fire departments, passed an ordinance to create the district. No petitions for
the district had been received, and petitions submitted against the district
were not considered by the commissioners.
At the September 4 meeting, one of the three Republican
commissioners, referring to his cohorts' refusal to listen to their
constituents, said, "There comes a time when integrity outweighs and position we
want to take." He added, "If the Republican Party is the party that is going to
take this approach to politics, then I don't want to be a part of the Republican
Party."
Also during the debate, a local resident told the
commissioners, " I resent your arrogance and your ignorance." He also referred
to an August 29, 2007, letter written by one of the Republican commissioners to
The Brown County Democrat newspaper describing opponents of the district
as a "rancorous few; those who disrupt and instigate and stand for nothing." The
resident pointed to the firefighters throughout the room and said, "Tell these
people that they stand for nothing."
The vote to create the district was 2-1.
UPDATE: On
February 8, 2008, the special judge appointed to hear the case ruled against the
citizens who filed the suit. However, on February 11, 2008, the citizens filed a
notice of appeal. the case will now be heard in the Indiana Court of Appeals.
The citizens, who strongly disagree with both the result reached and the
reasoning used by the Bartholomew County judge who heard the case, believe their
position is sound and that the Court of Appeals will reach a different result
when it considers the case. The case was fully briefed on May 5, 2008, and it is
before the court for a decision.
To Contact State Senator Vi Simpson
Senator Vi Simpson, who represents Brown County, may be
contacted at 1-800-382-9467 or by visiting her
State Senate web page. She can also be contacted through the
State Senate Democratic Caucus web site,
which contains additional legislative links.
To Contact State Representative Peggy Welch
Representative Peggy Welch, who represents Jackson
Township Precinct 4 in Brown County, may be
contacted at 1-800-382-9842 or by visiting her
State
House web page. She can also be contacted through the
State House of Representatives Democratic Caucus web site,
which contains additional legislative links.
Public Access Counselor Available
For information on when executive sessions are proper
or whether records should be available, visit the
Office of the Public Access Counselor.
You can also download the
Public Access Handbook prepared by that office and
ask the
Public Access Counselor a question about the Access to Public Records Act or
the Open Door Law.
Should you decide for any reason you would like to file
a formal complaint,
click here for a form you can download.
To Contact Congressman Baron Hill
Contact information for Congressman
Baron Hill:
223 Cannon House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5315 Fax: 202-226-6866
320 West 8th St., Suite 114
Bloomington, IN 47404
Phone: 812-336-2692 Fax:
812-336-3355
279 Quartermaster Court
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Phone: 812-288-3999
Fax: 812-288-3873
Congressman Hill's web site:
http://baronhill.house.gov/index.shtml.
Voter Registration Open
You may now register for the November 4, 2008 general
election.
IMPORTANT:
Voters should be aware that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has revoked the drivers
licenses of many Indiana citizens whose names differ from their Social Security
records. Remember, Indiana still requires citizens to show some form of ID (most
often a drivers license or state-issued ID card) to vote. Since the State of
Indiana seems determined to do all it can to disenfranchise its citizens, be sure to check with
the Clerk to see that your registration is still on file. If your drivers
license has been cancelled because of a mismatch with Social Security records,
you should also consider contacting the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, which is
challenging the action of the BMV. The ICLU telephone number is (317) 635-4059.
GUARD YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!
Click here to download the registration form. For more information contact
the Brown County Clerk's Office at (812) 988-5511.
Insure your right to vote! Register today!
Absentee Ballot Applications Now Available
Absentee ballot applications are now available from
the Brown County Clerk's Office. The applications are also available on our
website at the Absentee Voting tab.
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