Indiana

Checking In

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

I was planning to wait until tomorrow to scribble a few thoughts on some city matters, but Wednesday is all day spa day, so I figured I’d better do it now.  My two thoughts are on the proposed transfer of the water company and waste water facilities to Citizens Gas and negotiations between the Pacers and the Capitol Improvement Board.

Mayor Greg Ballard is making a big pitch tonight for the deal and a city-county Council committee may vote on it as well.  The plan does have its critics, but they are about as organized as the anti-Wishard folks and the people who fought against local school board referendums.  More significantly though for the critics, is one question they have to answer; if you don’t like the deal, fine.  What’s your alternative?    Right now rates are going up and you’re getting nothing for it.  Under this scenario your rates don’t go up as much and you get roads, streets and sidewalks fixed.  So once again, if you don’t like the proposal, what are you bringing to the table in it place?

Now on to the Indiana Pacers and the Capital Improvement Board negotiations.  As the negotiations continue, a new report is out saying that if the Pacers left Conseco area governments would lose $17 million in tax revenue and $55 million would be drained out of the local economy.   Now I’m not one to dispute the study per se,  but I also think that assumption is made on the Pacers actually having a winning record.  Since I’ve taken some time off, I’ve been chatting with a number of vendors in the downtown area near Conseco.  They’ve told me that the best thing the Pacers could do to help the economy is start winning.   Right now they see a little more activity on game night, but it is not like it used to be when the Pacers were winning.   Maybe someone should have taken that into the equation as well.

Later this week I’ll pontificate on Monument Circle and closing libraries.  Back to staycation, I’ve got a massage and wax appointment later this morning.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on May 11, 2010 (boomark / email).