Of bagmen and mad hatters -- or, the business of electoral residency?

A reader writes:

I see David Duggins bought a house across the street from you. Do you think he's trying to establish residency to run for office?

Somewhere in this question, there is impenetrable satire on the topic of property values, but in spite of my reputation, I seldom drink whiskey before breakfast. Let's play it straight. Following are two passages from the 2015 Indiana Candidate Guide.

It makes no mention of term limits for bagmen.

Does HWC Engineering do rehabs?

What they're saying: Coffey, Bagshaw, McCourt, Knable and Staten.

As the weeks go past in route to May's primary election, I'm providing periodic candidate statements of substance, mostly unretouched, as lifted from social media and news reports. Familiar gems such as "yard signs win elections, not people" and "donate to my campaign first, and maybe I'll have something of merit to say much, much later" will be omitted. That's because it is my aim to determine whether our declared candidates have anything to say at all, and I'll quote all candidates, from any and all parties, whether or not they're in a contested race. Just promising change and new ideas without divulging them won't cut the mustard, aspirants.

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Let's lead off with Dan Coffey. The 1st district incumbent has retrofitted his previous Facebook county commissioner's campaign page into one touting his city council candidacy: Coffey for 1st District City Council.

At Dale Bagshaw for City Council New Albany district 3, the Republican candidate spots a flaw in the farmers market buildout.

I see that the farmers market project has started and again there are no public restrooms planned. We build public places like bicentennial park and now the farmers market without public restrooms. I suppose we will have porta-potties here also. We want a friendly walkable city but don't install restrooms or trash containers along the new Main St. Project.

On Thursday, 6th district city council Republican candidate Noah McCourt had this to say about his party's Lincoln Day Dinner.

Tonight is the Floyd County Lincoln day dinner. In concept I think the event is rooted in customs and is a great fundraising opportunity. However I disagree with it in principle. I think it serves to endorse the stereotype of the Republican Party is for the "rich people." New Albany has a very diverse population and I understand that many residents would most likely rather not spend hundreds of dollars on a single event. Abraham Lincoln came from a very rough poor background. He had no formal college education and yet his presidency is one of the most loved and best remembered. I run my campaign and I refer to myself blue collar. For me to attend while the city continues to spiral into debt and as I observes residents, including my own family financially struggling would be slightly hypocritical. Abraham Lincoln said "Important principles may and must be inflexible" and so tonight I stand on principles and will not be in attendance at the dinner tonight. Instead I will be spending my time continuing to speak with residents, attending an event at IUS and continuing to work towards a better future for the city of New Albany.

McCourt's 6th district Democratic counterpart, Dr. Cliff Staten, indicates his support for the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation's referendum.

In addition to the primary elections for the city on May 5th, there is a referendum on the capital projects proposal by the School Board. As a lifelong educator, I urge all of you to support the project...as I have said before...elections are about the future and the best way to have a positive impact on the future is through your support of public education...and, if you are concerned about the "bottom line" I note that this will NOT cost you extra on your property taxes...to put it in simple terms, "This is a no-brainer..." For more information: Families for Floyd County

Al Knable, Republican for council at-large, agrees.

I'll be voting YES on the NAFC School Corporation's referendum on this May's ballot.

My wife Jessica and I have been strong supporters of public schools since graduating from NAHS back in the 80's. When it came time to decide a route for our children's education the quality and diversity offered by NAFC schools made our decision easy.

We respect the fact that for many conscientious families a public education is not the best choice. We also realize that although it was the best choice for our four kids, many parents don't have the luxury of options.

Whether or not you choose to send your children to public schools- indeed whether or not you have children- it is in the best interest of the community to have a strong public education system in place.
For the past five years I have served on the board of the NAFC Education Foundation, as President for the past two. During that time the Foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help support our public schools. For me, this service has provided valuable insight into how fortunate we are to live in New Albany/Floyd County. I have witnessed the dedication of our administrators, Board, support staff and above all the teachers, in and out of the classroom, that makes our schools special.

Passage of this referendum will not only maintain but will spur further excellence.

Passage of the referendum will NOT result in a tax increase.

I pay a lot in taxes each year. If you don't believe me ask my accountant, Joe Brown. (He won't tell you how much but I give him permission to nod his head in affirmation.) Like you, I hate the irresponsible spending of tax dollars. I'm voting YES because I know where this money will go: new Greenvalley and Slate Run elementary schools, revamped Floyds Knobs and Greenville elementary schools and an essentially new Prosser Career Education (Vocational) Center. These build-outs will replace current inadequate, antiquated and in some cases dangerous facilities.

It is often said that "children are our future". True. But not some far off future. Our fellow citizens of 2016 and beyond are being educated NOW. I want them to be the best they can be.

If we won't commit to a quality public education for today's children, we will reap the decaying society we deserve in an all too near tomorrow.

As an aside: Will any candidates be voting no to the referendum?

What they're saying: Adam Keeler on young people and voting.

As the weeks go past in route to May's primary election, I'm providing periodic candidate statements of substance, mostly unretouched, as lifted from social media and news reports. Familiar gems such as "yard signs win elections, not people" and "donate to my campaign first, and maybe I'll have something of merit to say much, much later" will be omitted. That's because it is my aim to determine whether our declared candidates have anything to say at all, and I'll quote all candidates, from any and all parties, whether or not they're in a contested race. Just promising change and new ideas without divulging them won't cut the mustard, aspirants.

This edition of "What they're saying" belongs entirely to Adam Keeler, candidate for city council at-large as a Democrat, writing at his Facebook campaign page.

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Primary elections are now less than a month away and, if we maintain our current attrition, we will only see 21.5% of young people under the age of 30 vote. This is roughly 13% of the total voter amount, which is is proof that young people simply are not showing up to the polls. This is a major issue in the United States. We are going to inherit this country, and we need to make sure our voice is both heard and taken seriously. Today's youth is more informed than ever thanks to the social media and news aggregation sites like Reddit and Digg. We pay closer attention to new technology so we know how to utilize the capabilities of photovoltaics, emerging Artificial Intelligence, and robotic automation. With self driving cars, renewable energy, and 3D printing all poised to become staples in everyday American homes we must be prepared and understand the capabilities of these tools. These will save money, lives, and resources by allowing a lower cost of living and improved access to goods.

We cannot afford to sit idly by and allow our voices to be quelled. May 5th is approaching and we need EVERYONE to cast a ballot. If you have any questions about voting or how to file early, please send me a message and I'll do my best to make it convenient for you. Stop letting people you don't support represent you, speak up and let your voices be heard!

ON THE AVENUES: Meet the new reshuffle.

ON THE AVENUES: Meet the new reshuffle.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor.

"The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy."
-- Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards

Tuesday’s results proved conclusively that an independent candidate dares not defy the two-party political establishment, and cannot hope to win a contested race in the city of New Albany – in fact, an independent cannot even come close, even after planting more yard signs than his opponent and declaring victory two weeks prior to election day.

That is, unless the independent candidate is Scott Blair.

The local political lexicon is now enriched, because in the 6th district, “pulling a Blair” now means not “pulling” a straight party lever. This bodes well for the future. Straight party voting should be removed as a ballot option, and what’s more, local races should be rigidly non-partisan. If they were, we’d be spared the indignity of Republicans demanding recounts (I seem to recall them opposing the concept in Florida way back in the year 2000).

Will the congenitally ineffective GOP chairman Dave Matthews endorse my reverse historical analogy and scurry to the state attorney general’s office for relief if Diane Benedetti’s 21-vote lead holds? Let’s hope so, because I could use a laugh.

Or, perhaps Ed Clere will introduce legislation to redress the municipal voting imbalance by introducing a new, innovative, St. Daniels-approved user fee for voting, not a poll tax per se, but the joyful, semantic improvement offered by a Poll Toll: Buy a coupon book of existing Ohio River bridge crossings, and get a Republican ballot absolutely free of charge.

(Alas, it’s just bad karma to campaign on behalf of any candidate who feeds his sign-planting workers mega-chain pizza.)

Speaking of pervasive Daniels envy, what are the odds of Doug England’s ballot-box-enforced “retirement” being permanent?

I asked the Green Mouse, who took a deep drag from his unfiltered Kool before responding: Nothing possibly could exceed the entertainment value of Hizzoner declaring for the House 72 seat currently occupied by Ed Clere. With Irv Stumler as titular England campaign manager, the vicious and predatory atmosphere of an epochal presidential election year would be the ideal moment to call in every accumulated marker from a lifetime in politics, and use the money to hammer the Republican incumbent both personally and mercilessly. Of course, it would be utterly futile, and Clere would win big nonetheless, but generational scores finally would be settled.

If a miracle occurred and England actually won, there’s already a deputy representative in waiting.

England and Jeffersonville’s deposed Tom Galligan are larger-than-life personalities accustomed to giving orders, not taking them. Both returned from the political wilderness to serve additional terms, and neither brought their A-games with them for a third ride on the merry-go-round. Now they’re back on the outside looking in, which is a place neither of them has ever been comfortable occupying.

In Jeffersonville, Galligan’s canal-side EPA edification plan has been unceremoniously aborted. Here in New Albany, Democratic party chairman John Wilcox tells One Southern Indiana Newspaper that, “(England) has made a change in New Albany that has never been duplicated and probably never will be duplicated.”

But nepotism as governing principle seems constantly duplicable. How’s that “change” working for you, anyway?

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Once the new city council is seated, it would be unwise for anyone to bet against a resumption of the bile and acrimony engendered by the Greatly Unnecessary Smoking Debate of 2008. As I noted last evening, four of 2008’s anti-smoking voters return to their 3rd floor chairs. A fifth in favor of banning indoor smoking ban almost surely will be found among the three incoming rookie council persons. Jeff Gahan, who favored the smoke-out in 2008, now occupies the mayor’s office, meaning that another veto is unlikely.

Alas, the city’s cigarette smokers may no longer have friends in high places.

Speaking personally, I’ve precious little stomach for a return to the naked savagery of the 2008 scrum. Reviewing the written record of that time, I am surprised anew at the mutable shape of alliances on the smoking issue. Reliably as ever, Steve Price was against the ban, but Dan Coffey was for it. I pilloried council president Gahan for his pro-ban stance at the time, and then blackened his mayoral oval two days ago. Jack Messer opposed the smoking measure in 2008, and did not receive my vote for chief executive. Bedfellows seldom have been as strange as they were when indoor smoking was the topic, and when (not if) an ordinance returns to the floor, the sheets may rustle yet again. Don’t they always?

To Shirley Baird, Scott Blair and Greg Phipps: The door-to-door campaigning is about to return to your lives, except this time, it’ll be Tim Filler standing on your porches. I recommend slamming the door in his face.

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Well, well.

Coffey dominated the hermetic 1st, and Jessica Knable, while losing, closed the GOP gap in CeeSaw’s 2nd. With the advent of Greg Phipps, the 3rd district belatedly achieves recognition as part of the city. When outgoing uncouncilperson Steve Price casts his final “no” vote on December 15, he’ll be serenaded by a karaoke version of the Manic Street Preachers’ “If You Tolerate This, Then Your Children Will Be Next.” That’ll be me, on amplified kazoo.

Pat’s back in the 4th, and at the musty King Kochert Memorial Museum of Back Alley Garage Polling Stations, rusty pins are being jammed into a spandex-clad voodoo doll. Diane Benedetti found 52% unattainable in both her 5th district 2011 council races, and yet she remains standing, albeit (politically) wobbly, with or without her other, variably interchangeable family name. As previously observed, Blair cleaned house in the 6th, making future mayoral contests potentially fascinating – assuming, of course, that Blair’s smashing win came without the new mayor’s assistance.

As expected, John Gonder and Kevin Zurschmiede resume their at-large council careers. They are joined by Shirley Baird, whose life lesson in very narrowly losing an at-large nomination to the superannuated Jimmy Hollis in the 2007 Democratic primary was to bind herself as tightly as possible to the party establishment. Now, having triumphed, she can be expected to follow the direction of the party establishment, which never exists in any substantive way once the last vote in any election is counted. With Jethro gone, who will she turn to? Only the Green Mouse knows, and he isn’t talking.

Mayor Gahan’s 64% appears impregnable, and will remain so until his 7-1-1 council majority turns on him at the second meeting in January. Then, at last, we can begin drinking heavily in preparation for the four-year siege of underachievement about to come. At least we’ll have our River View for consolation.

All four of my votes were cast for winning candidates.

Is that good, or bad?

Here are the 2011 winners.

Winners in bold (official)

NEW ALBANY MAYOR

D Jeff M. Gahan

R Dale D.M. Bagshaw
I Jack Messer
L Thomas Keister

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
(Precincts New Albany 1, 17, 21, 23)

D Dan Coffey (incumbent)

R Eddie Hodges

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
(Precincts New Albany 16, 18, 19, 22, 29)

D Bob Caesar (incumbent)

R Jessica Knable

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3
(Precincts New Albany 3, 5, 6, 7, 10)

D Greg Phipps

R Jameson Bledsoe

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4
(Precincts New Albany 11, 12, 13, 20, 24, 25)

D Pat McLaughlin (incumbent)

R John M. Hiatt

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 5
(Precincts New Albany 9, 14, 15, 26, 28, 40)

D Diane McCartin Benedetti

R Tonye A. Rutherford

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6
(Precincts New Albany 27, 41, 42, 43, 44)

I Scott A. Blair

R Matt Oakley
D Suellen Wilkinson

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NEW ALBANY COUNCIL MEMBER AT-LARGE
(Precincts New Albany 1,3,5,6,7,9 through 29 and 40 through 44)

D John Gonder (incumbent)
R Kevin W. Zurschmiede (incumbent)

D Shirley Baird

D Doug England

R Steve Burks
R Harry T. Harbison

Snailmailer thoughts as the election day flushing sound draws ever closer.

The three Jeff Gahan for Mayor (D) snailmailers received thus far at the Confidential household have been scanned and posted:

Gahan campaign mailers (1): Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Gahan campaign mailers (2): Education.

Gahan campaign mailers (3): Lee Hamilton endorsement.

We received one mailer from D. M. Bagshaw (R), and the Jack Messer (I) campaign attached a bag to our door with a brochure (unfortunately misplaced, sorry) and two pens. No litter-in-the-making has been generated by the Thomas Keister effort, and for that we sincerely thank him.

Finally, we got two England for Council (D) snailmailers a couple of weeks back, and a pamphlet for 3rd district hopeful Greg Phipps (D) was left on the front door.

What does it all mean?

Well, nothing changes for me. I'll still be voting for Gahan, Phipps and at-large incumbents John Gonder (D) and Kevin Zurschmiede (R). The claims of any candidate, including my own choices, to magically impel the private sector to create jobs or singlehandedly slay the stumblebutt deforms of state bureaucrats like Tony Bennett must be taken with massive blocks of salt.

That reality duly noted, I appreciate Gahan's positive snailmailer tone. Coming after the epic slimings-enabled by-far-off-money in the last two House 72 races, it's a pleasure to get a piece of mail that isn't oozing bile. I suspect that in the final analysis, a victorious Gahan will be judged by his appointments alone. Will he, or won't he, perpetuate the crony-laden nepotism of the current administration?

Also, don't forget that council candidates Steve Burks, Bob Caesar, Diane Benedetti and Tonye Rutherford did not return their OSIN surveys. Really? While imperfect, the newspaper's survey is a cost-free chance at something remotely resembling substance, and in addition, we'd really like to know if you are literate and can write above the paper's target level, although it's true that ghost writers are waiting for their cell phones to ring as we speak.

One last thought: How can any conceivable outcome to an election be all that bad, when Steve Price remains among the forcibly retired?

Huzzah ... huzzah.

Burks, Caesar, Benedetti and Rutherford did not return their surveys.

I must admit: The newspaper's Voters' Guide 2011 is probably the most thorough ever.

Unfortunately, when it matters most, some of the candidates don't feel the need to be informative. Bear their reluctance in mind when considering a vote for Burks, Caesar, Benedetti and Rutherford. Perhaps I should have sold my services as ghostwriter-for-hire.

When your candidate pops up, just double down.

One Southern Indiana Newspaper's Daniel Suddeath briefly surveys the city council field in numbered districts. Remember to activate your pop-up umbrella before visiting the site.

Coffey, Caesar hoping to retain council seats in New Albany ... Bledsoe and Phipps vying for New Albany’s District 3 post

Parks, council health insurance among top issues for New Albany council candidates ... Seats in Districts 4, 5 and 6 up for grabs

Quartet of unendorsed at-large council hopefuls: England.

NAC previously has considered the depressing slate of at-large council candidates, three from each major party. Will Doug England, the current, former, and soon to be former former mayor.

I’ll freely acknowledge supporting England when he stood for election in 2007. Today, as precisely and as free from polemics as is possible given my usual proclivities, I will try to explain why I do not support his candidacy for city council at-large, even if I continue to suspect he’ll be one of the three chosen, along with incumbents John Gonder (D) and Kevin Zurschmiede (R) – such is the lamentable state of the slate.

Mayor England’s first-ever bid for a city council at-large seat is, and also is not, a referendum on his performance as mayor during the past four years. Insofar as it is, and since it is my view that the most benign assessment of England’s record the past four years is “underachievement by comparison to what was promised,” a look at his 2011 council campaign mailer is instructive.

It is almost identical to the “England for Mayor” brochure mailed in 2007, and in like fashion, his yard signs have been creatively doctored and reused to suit the changed direction. As such, it’s fair to ask: Did he achieve these goals during his most recent term?

Occasionally he did, but far too often England displayed an inexplicable and uncharacteristic inertia bordering on outright meekness in the face of opposition. Time and again, he issued warnings and threats against a recalcitrant council before opting to back away, rather than lead. Plainly, the old fighting spirit deserted him, although unfortunately, the nepotism fetish did not.

This begs a second question: Has England re-articulated his stances on the above issues with specific application to what is required to be an effective council representative, as opposed to what is required to be an effective mayor, and explained how his presence on the council might make it less adversarial for the next mayor?

Unfortunately, no -- unless one charitably accepts the England pre-primary master plan, wherein handpicking a successor from the other political party and switching jobs from mayor to councilman somehow would break the impasse of an 8-1 council majority for the Democrats. It was a “solution” so patently self-serving that even the city’s Democratic voters wouldn’t accept it, opting for Jeff Gahan rather than Irv Stumler.

What’s harder to explain is why, having rejected Stumler, Democrats in the primary gave a Teflon-coated England – Stumler’s obvious patron – the highest vote total among at-large aspirants. It would seem to suggest that they found his performance as mayor worthier than I did … but if so, wouldn’t they rather have Doug England as mayor, alone, pre-eminent, than sitting on the council, his voice dulled in proximity to eight other crazed agendas?

Or does anyone give a damn?

All these considerations point to the single biggest cause of genuine concern with England’s campaign for a council seat. To be blunt, is he genuinely interested in being an effective council person, and committed to putting in the time required to perform effectively? Or, is it that he can’t let go?

After all, countless times have I and many others heard the mayor say that his “real” motivation for swapping the mayor’s chair for a council seat is his deeply felt desire to step away from the 24-7-365 grind of the executive office, and devote more time to his family. In a personal sense of one’s home and hearth, this is admirable, except that we cannot ignore what is being implied: Council service is far easier, a part-time job that takes less time.

If England thought a council seat would involve as much work as being mayor, his reason for swapping one for the other would be moot, and presumably, he’d not be running. Maybe I’m the only one to feel this way, but frankly, it’s an insult to all the other candidates for the city council.

At the same time the electorate increasingly grasps the complexity of a council person’s job, and sees that effectively doing the job requires time, effort and study, England is expressing a preference for the council for no other reason than the ease with which he imagines he’ll toy and dabble with it, and precisely because he won’t have to work as hard as he did before, as mayor. Sorry. That's not enough for 2011. In spite of it all, apart from politics, I like the man.

But isn’t it time for a clean flush?

Please?

Quartet of unendorsed at-large council hopefuls: Baird.

Last week, NAC surveyed the November 8 slate of at-large council candidates, including three each from the two major political parties. We found incumbent John Gonder (D) to be the best and most obvious pick, with Kevin Zurschmiede (R; incumbent) also serviceable. We remain unimpressed with the four remaining aspirants, and are inclined to vote for only these two, but there'll be a third seat holder whether we like it or not. Assuming Gonder and Zurschmiede pass through, who will the other winner be?

Perhaps it will be Shirley Baird, who was defeated in the 2007 at-large primary by a whisker before claiming third place in this year's springtime culling of candidates.

She's attended numerous council meetings and maintained a blog, although curiously, her blogging largely ceased when the 2011 political season began. A Facebook page has been maintained with occasional postings. Rather, Baird has enthusiastically emulated Bud Frump and pursued her seat the old-fashioned way, through the rapidly decaying but still periodically functional labyrinth of the internal Democratic Party structure, which almost certainly implies her dropping any strongly felt viewpoints in favor of the tried-and-true Dixiecrat backscratching preferred by behind-the-scenes, supposedly Democratic local power brokers.

Speaking personally, in all the years I've been reading Baird's blog postings and observing her council interactions, my viewpoint has not changed. Contrary to what she probably believes, I both like and respect her as a person, and she has come perilously close on numerous occasions to grasping the bigger local picture, only to fall safely back into ideological trappings of StevePriceIsm when the final bell rings. I wish she could make it over the top in terms of political stances, and yet I doubt she will.

You may feel differently. If so, let us know.

Quartet of unendorsed at-large council hopefuls: Harbison.

Previously, NAC considered the underwhelming slate of at-large council candidates, three apiece from the two biggest (and almost equally irrelevant) political parties, advising that while voters may opt for as many as three, the pickings are slim past incumbents Gonder (D) and Zurschmiede (R). There'll be a third winner whether we like it or not, and so who will it be?

Republican Harry Harbison, maybe? Consider this comment from Libertarian mayoral candidate Thomas Keister on Facebook after last week's downtown meet and greet:

"At the meet the candidates reception at La Rosita last night, I found out that Harry Harbison and I have now both filed for office four times ... would that make me the "Junior Perennial" in the city of New Albany?"

Only four times? Surely that doesn't include primary elections. But wait ... I invariably forget that Republicans seldom have primaries here in New Albanian. Instead, there are appointment campaigns in leftover phone booths. Saves on signage, I reckon.

At any rate: What can be said about Harbison's candidacy? He lost his most recent bid for office in 2007, when Bob "CM CeeSaw" Caesar handily triumphed 66%-34% in the 2nd. To be sure, Harbison has won at least one race, serving as at-large council person for one term during the dawning years of the first Reagan administration -- although we cannot rule out he was appointed then, too.

In short: Can't the Republicans do better?

Quartet of unendorsed at-large council hopefuls: Burks.

Previously, NAC considered the woeful slate of at-large council candidates, three apiece from the two biggest (and irrelevant) political parties, concluding that while voters may select as many as three on their ballots, only incumbents John Gonder (D) and Kevin Zurschmiede (R) are genuinely worthy to serve. That said, there'll be a third seat holder whether we like it or not. Assuming Gonder and Zurschmiede pass through, who will the other winner be?

Perhaps it will be Steve Burks, a Republican. His Facebook campaign page has been actively updated, and surprisingly, not too much time and bandwidth have been wasted there merely rallying his troops for tactical signage placement (see Oakley, Matt). Do you have a question for the Reverend Burks? My guess is he just might have an answer.

Will it matter? Probably not to me, but who knows?

Decision 2011: A compendium of pitiless previews.

NAC ends this series by expressing sorrow that your "elect me" yard sign got torn down. We suggest you complain to Bank of America, the owner of the abandoned house where your sign was planted. You actually DID ask Bank of America for permission, right? Yeah, we thought so.

Now, on to the summary.

We made no picks in the 1st or 2nd, but we're inclined to take a chance to go with Knable (R) in the latter.

Phipps (D) is the overwhelming choice in the 3rd, and McLaughlin (D; incumbent) the paper thin nod in the 4th. We selected the challenger Rutherford (R) in the 5th and fellow newcomer Wilkinson (D) in the 6th.

For at-large, we've advised you vote for only two candidates, the incumbents Gonder (D) and Zurschmiede (R). There is nothing encouraging to say about the remainder of the field, even if one of them must, by the revolting imperative of election law, be chosen to serve.

Our choice for mayor is Gahan (D).

If you are a candidate and your name does not appear here, you may wish to offer a rebuttal. If so, please reply electronically to the in-box of the senior editor: roger(at)newalbanian.com

Decision 2011: Long ago and far away in the 1st District.

Decision 2011: Conservative, more conservative, and not enough Everclear for District 2.

A "Decision 2011: follow-up: 2nd District reconsidered?

Decision 2011: Phipps clearly the pick of the Third.

Decision 2011: The unbearable incontinence of Kochert, still looming under the 4th District race.

Decision 2011: Rutherford over what's-her-name-this-month in the 5th.

Decision 2011: For those in the 6th about to plant a yard sign, we don't salute you.

Decision 2011: Reluctantly votin' for the lowdown mind-bending at-large blues.

Decision 2011: Gahan tops this field.

Decision 2011: Reluctantly votin' for the lowdown mind-bending at-large blues.

During a week-long survey of alleged options in New Albany's forthcoming municipal elections, we've spent a fair amount of time clutching air sickness bags. It's time for the slate of at-large council candidates, three apiece from the two biggest irrelevant political parties. You can vote for as many as three, but in reality, you should not feel obliged to select that many. Tomorrow: The mayoral contest. Candidate listings are cribbed from the clerk's office, followed by brief comments by the senior editor.

NEW ALBANY COUNCIL MEMBER AT-LARGE
(Precincts New Albany 1,3,5,6,7,9 through 29 and 40 through 44)

R Steve Burks 1111 Lafayette Drive 502-931-8280
R Harry T. Harbison 207 Robin Lynne Drive 812-945-0537
R Kevin W. Zurschmiede (incumbent) 1733 E. Elm Street 812-945-7827
D Shirley Baird 45 High Park 812-949-1449
D Doug England 1738 State Road 111 812-944-1982
D John Gonder (incumbent) 602 Captain Frank Road 812-944-3121

Last spring, the current mayor made a momentous decision. After three years of threatening the city council with impending retribution, and then quickly running away to refuse to fight another day, he decided if you can't (or won't) beat 'em, join 'em. He'd become a council person himself, but only after turning City Hall over to a pliant, genial, caretaking elderly successor. Executive and legislative branches would be united, enabling absolutely nothing to occur, but far more efficiently than ever before.

This clumsily transparent power play was too much even for this city's benumbed Democrats, who promptly spurned Doug England's hand-picked erstwhile Republican replacement, Irv Stumler, in favor of two-term councilman Jeff Gahan.

The other half of Mayor England's plan ended more successfully, as he finished with the highest vote total in May's at-large Democratic primary, followed by incumbent councilman Gonder and newcomer Baird. They are joined by Republicans Zurschmiede (the sole GOP council rep at present), perennial aspirant (since the Eisenhower administration?) Harbison and glowering pastor Steve Burks, who never met a right-of-way he doesn't crave for signage.

And yet maybe Burks' fundamentalist congregation is right, and these six candidates genuinely provide proof that the deity has had just about enough with us. Either that, or the cosmos has a blacker sense of humor than previously thought. Harbison is ancient; Baird well meaning but far too entrenched with the supremely pointless local Democratic futility structure; and England frankly undeserving of further political office after sleep-walking through his third term as mayor -- maybe Guido's absence as enforcer was more important than we thought.

NAC's picks: That leaves Gonder, who thinks globally and acts locally, and should continue to improve as a council representative, and perhaps Zurschmiede. The latter has a bad habit of 1Si envy, but his performance on the council generally has been solid, if unspectacular. When voting at-large, the vote you refrain from casting is as important as the box you tick.

Decision 2011: For those in the 6th about to plant a yard sign, we don't salute you.

We've spent the week thoughtfully contemplating New Albany's November 8 municipal elections, and to be honest, emigration keeps coming up in conversation. Today marks the end of numbered council districts. Tomorrow are the council at-large hopefuls, and the mayor foursome on Monday, October 17. Candidate listings are cribbed from the clerk's office, followed by brief comments by the senior editor.

NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6
(Precincts New Albany 27, 41, 42, 43, 44)

R Matt Oakley 1118 Eastridge Drive 502-599-1251
D Suellen Wilkinson 1028 Castlewood Drive 812-948-9844
I Scott A. Blair 3925 Rainbow Drive 812-697-0128

Voting for the person? All three candidates for Jeff Gahan's seat in the 6th are first-rate, so that one's a wash.

Like the remainder of the Republican slate, with the possible exception of Jessica Knable, Oakley's given no hint of a position on specific issues. Neither has Blair, although one would expect an independent to be able to demonstrate his vision in contrast to the pathetic record of local political parties in doing so.

Wilkinson is running openly and proudly as a Democrat, and for that she ordinarily would deserve credit from the likes of me, except that in Floyd County, such a close and intimate alignment with the crumbling Democratic party structure implies a decided Dixiecrat shading, and nothing resembling her Wisconsin blue state credentials.

Am I the only one in the city seeking to judge hopefuls by their views on issues facing the city, and not yard sign placement?

NAC's pick: In spite of her proximity to the outgoing England administration, the choice is Wilkinson.

A "Decision 2011: follow-up: 2nd District reconsidered?

What’s a leftist like me to do?

I won’t put too fine a spin on this, but merely note that it’s dawning on me: There probably needs to be a deeper discussion about the 2nd District council race than my oblique side step on Tuesday.

That I sidestepped the race at all owes to something very characteristic of my worldview, which might be summarized briefly as a first-response, hyper-sensitivity to matters of conscience.

Freedoms of thought, expression, identity and self-realization, and freedom from religious, political and social repression all come first with me, and all else comes second. Life is not about money. It is about living. Simply stated, then, it remains my presumption that when it comes to what might be called the “social agenda,” I could not differ more from what 2nd District challenger Jessica Knable (R) believes.

However, we’ve somehow engaged in a quirky, sporadic dialogue pertaining to public policy issues. Know that I don’t agree with everything she has written; readers may wish to review her Facebook campaign site postings for a refresher. Just consider this response to my question (paraphrased): How do you differ from your opponent, the incumbent Bob Caesar?

I differ from Bob in the followings ways: I will bring a unique voice and perspective to the Council because I am a 43-yr-old mother of four children who attend three different New Albany public schools, as such I have real interest in the Council and School Board communicating - they presently do not. I have nothing whatsoever to do with the current administration; I believe this is plus. I promise to answer all questions in a timely fashion. I promise to be available; this will not be a part-time job for me, but rather a full-time one. I promise to do my research and homework before meetings, and to be prepared. I want to preserve the parks, especially Community Park as a green space, no development. Finally, I will decline the health-benefits offered the Council, thus saving our city about $80,000 over four years. As far as social conservative issues go, I really do not see where their place would fit in on New Albany's Council. I promise you will not hear my views on abortion.

In previous communications, Knable has offered support for the emerging buy local movement, particularly as it pertains to the current period of bridge closure. She has indicated skepticism as to the River View development claims. And, her fellow GOP candidate Bledsoe’s recurring obscurantism to the contrary, she has seemed capable of understanding and perhaps even advocating the two-way street issue.

By contrast, Caesar’s campaign to date is sadly reminiscent of the recent 1800 Tequila television ad:

That’s cool. Jessica Knable just answered another question.

What has your candidate done?

Nothing.

Decision 2011: Rutherford over what's-her-name-this-month in the 5th.

On November 8, New Albany's municipal elections will provide a brief, hopeful respite from the general malaise, after which we can lapse yet again into profound depression. NAC is considering these options, with a council race each day through Saturday, at-large hopefuls on Sunday, and the future mayor on Monday, October 17. Listings are cribbed from the clerk's office, followed by brief comments by the senior editor.

NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 5
(Precincts New Albany 9, 14, 15, 26, 28, 40)

R Tonye A. Rutherford 1680 Woodlawn Drive 812-945-6722
D Diane McCartin Benedetti 1343 Slate Run Road 812-989-7179

If you intend to use your birth name whenever possible so as to remind people you're a McCartin, that's fine, but then you probably should recognize that doing so rather obviously precludes you from voting on your brother's zoning needs of the moment. Legalistic protests aside, that's called a conflict of interest, and like Bob Caesar's sad pro-1Si votes, it has a way of never, ever leaving the collective memory.

By contrast, I've found Rutherford to be affable and earnest. Like most of the other GOP candidates, his innermost policy thoughts are unknown, but he has yet to parrot reactionary Republican social issue stances, and that's always a welcomed positive.

NAC's pick: Benedetti's view of governance hails from the strip-mall-in-a-cornfield model of sprawligarchy, so let's try some change for the hell of it: Rutherford in the 5th.

Decision 2011: The unbearable incontinence of Kochert, still looming under the 4th District race.

Our survey of New Albany's municipal elections on November 8 continues, with numbered council districts through Saturday, at-large on Sunday, and the mayoral scrum on October 17. Listings are cribbed from the clerk's office, followed by brief comments by the senior editor.

NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4
(Precincts New Albany 11, 12, 13, 20, 24, 25)

R John M. Hiatt 1739 DePauw 812-948-8351
D Pat McLaughlin (incumbent) 1739 Florence Avenue 812-987-5218

The political dementia of spandex envy in the form of the 4th District's once and never King Larry Kochert continues to exert a strong influence, not unlike the odor of urine after another Harvest Homecoming passed. Think of him as a one-man, garage-vote Pee Party ... and yawn.

Meanwhile, it's worth repeating the question asked of McLaughlin in my Tribune column of March 18, 2010:

"When the time finally comes for last call – not a quick pint before the trip home from the warm pub on a cold, desperate and anonymous night just like all the rest, but the punching of the big ticket and the cosmic bow prior to that most irrevocable of all curtains falling, how will posterity judge your political legacy? Was it progressive or regressive? Was it Dan Coffey’s legacy … or yours?"

NAC's pick: Does the Republican have a pulse? I'll take McLaughlin by a paper-thin margin, as explained by Hiatt in one of his better songs.

Decision 2011: Phipps clearly the pick of the Third.

New Albany's municipal elections take place on November 8, and we're examining what passes for choice, with a council race each day through Saturday, the at-large field on Sunday, and the mayoral contest on Monday, October 17. Listings are cribbed from the clerk's office, followed by brief comments by the senior editor.

NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3
(Precincts New Albany 3, 5, 6, 7, 10)

R Jameson Bledsoe 2001 E. Elm Street 502-751-5180
D Greg Phipps 1105 E. Spring Street 812-949-8317

The 3rd district seat has been inexplicably vacant since 2003, nominally filled with a human, but dusty, rusty and almost completely unused. By contrast, Phipps towers over the other first-time candidates in terms of qualifications and temperament.

Phipps has served on the Board of Zoning Appeals, helped drive the establishment of a neighborhood association, spoken out for code enforcement and the rule of law, and in ways large and small, put his time and money into the fray. He is a powerful advocate for human progress, and can be trusted to display thoughtfulness, rationality and personal equilibrium, assuring that the memory of “No progress at or by any Price” will not long endure.

NAC's pick: Phipps.

Decision 2011: Conservative, more conservative, and not enough Everclear for District 2.

Starting yesterday with the Forgotten First, we're surveying New Albany's municipal elections on November 8: A council race each day through Saturday, at-large on Sunday, and the mayoral contest on Monday, October 17. Listings are cribbed from the clerk's office, followed by brief comments by the senior editor.

NEW ALBANY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
(Precincts New Albany 16, 18, 19, 22, 29)

R Jessica Knable 1301 Riddle Road 812-949-4964
D Bob Caesar (incumbent) 614 Camp Avenue 812-945-8744

Caesar, a downtown small businessman of long standing, still cannot grasp the existence of economic development models other than One Southern Indiana's "enrich the exurban oligarch" program, and he has neither done nor said anything in four years on the council to indicate that he is a Democrat -- socially, politically or economically -- as opposed to a Republican, or a Dixiecrat, or a Falangist. When the council resolved to oppose bridge tolls, there was Caesar, slinking into the arms of the oligarchs in the vain hope they'd let him attend their parties.

Meanwhile, all indications are that Knable, while admittedly scoring points for accessibility and positions vaguely approximating New Urbanism in the sense of support for a refitted street grid and and the importance of small, locally owned business, obviously harbors beliefs closely resembling Michele Bachmann's when it comes to the GOP's social and religious fundamentalism.

NAC's pick: Drink heavily. Very heavily.