With David White as mayor we'll have ethical standards from the get go -- not Jeff Gahan's pay-to-play cesspool on the down low.

During the coming weeks, as the Jeff Gahan Money Machine Data Base Project gathers steam, there'll be much discussion in this space about an eight-year-long process in which self-interested parties give Gahan lots of money, and receive benefits so blatantly obvious that a six-year-old could figure it out.

Could someone run off and fetch a six-year-old to narrate the video?

Let's make one thing perfectly clear. Everyone involved is responsible for perpetuating the cynical patronage system Gahan has laboriously constructed, but the simple truth of the matter is that one person and one person alone might have chosen from the beginning to eschew the inevitable corruption stemming from the practice of pay-to-play.

That'd be Jeff Gahan himself. 

Honesty proved to be too much for us to expect from a C-minus student, and so Gahan opted for the behind-the-scenes money. Tens of thousands of dollars have migrated to Jeff Gahan from out-of-town special interests and PACS, and they've been rewarded accordingly. Now there is a pervasive odor requiring an overdue electoral purge.

But there's another way. David White has stated publicly that he will not accept donations from individuals and corporate entities seeking to do business with the city or to benefit from the disbursement of public funds. 

Rather, White seeks to restore merit to the process of contract seeking.

With White we'll have ethical standards from the get go -- not a cesspool on the down low.

During the coming weeks, I'll do my very best to introduce you to David White and to contrast his policy positions with those of the slush-engorged incumbent. White won't have Gahan's $175,000 campaign finance war chest to fall back on, but he has something even better: straight talk, transparency and a desire to put the people of New Albany first, not Gahan's special interests.

That's a fine place to begin taking back this town.

Selective ethics violations: Dickety Dickety Dock, hypocrisy stills the clock.

When you see an advertisement like this one in the News and Tribune, does it occur to you that when the mayor's face and name are sized larger than every other design element and font, perhaps this arrangement strongly suggests a de facto campaign ad, on an everyday basis, at taxpayer expense?

It should. To be sure, there is nothing innately unethical about this practice, and Jeff Gahan's certainly not the only elected official in irony-free America to use quasi-franking privileges for the advancement of his own personal brand, rather than that of the city.

Granted, we know by now that Gahan views these two brands as one and the same. He believes he personifies the city, or at least those components capable of being grasped without the corporate attorney explaining them to him. Consequently, in seven years at the helm, Gahan's team has failed to so much as attempt to produce a consistent, coherent brand for the city itself.

Just his face, again and again, like the framed portraits of the current Communist Party leader inevitably gracing the indoor spaces of Warsaw Pact satellite countries during the Cold War.

Meanwhile, there's the local Democratic Party, currently outraged by State Senator Ron Grooms' purported use of an improper campaign business card -- so much so that Adam Dickey has filed a formal ethics complaint.

That's just precious.

Recalling the Floyd County Democratic party's delirious, full-throated support of Gahan's hostile public housing takeover, which has in effect been one continuous ethics violation lasting over a year and a half, while impacting hundreds of human lives and rendering null and void the local party's allegedly fundamental commitment to the advancement of society's most vulnerable people ... where was I, exactly?

Wait, I remember.

Adam is upset about a business card.

Let that sink in, then consider this: the newspaper devoted several hundred words to this item.

How do any of them sleep at night?

Floyd County Dems file ethics complaint over Sen. Grooms social media posts

SOUTHERN INDIANA — A state legislator up for re-election is denying he used his government-provided email address for campaign purposes, which is being alleged in an ethics complaint filed by the Floyd County Democratic Party.

In a letter dated Oct. 1 to the Senate Legislative Ethics Committee, Floyd County Democratic Party chair Adam Dickey complains that state Sen. Ron Grooms, R-Jeffersonville, committed a violation of ethics after two social media posts contained a photograph of Grooms' campaign business card, which lists his Senate email address, in addition to his personal email address.

ASCE on kickbacks: "Spiro Agnew: Ethics Case Study No. 3," or when is group-think not the right think?

This pleasant suited engineer explains Spiro Agnew's insatiable taste for "5% Gravy," a practice that persists in New Gahania.

Agnew's speechwriters also coined the phrase "nattering nabob of negativism," which the soon-to-be-disgraced VP used to insult ink-stained wretches who insisted on following his money.

It isn't known if Agnew preferred anchor-shaped tie clips. Shane, is this something you're familiar with?

Thanks for the link, N.

Terry Neimeyer, P.E., CEO and Chairman of the Board for KCI Technologies, describes the Spiro Agnew kickback scandal and the types of financial and environmental pressures that can drive engineers to skirt their ethical obligation in the drive to compete for work.

Who's afraid of Machiavelli? Watch this documentary and find out.

Niccolò Machiavelli is only peripherally the subject of this informative documentary. Rather, it's largely about that famous book he wrote. You know the one.

Imagine: Who's Afraid of Machiavelli? (BBC One; Winter 2013)

Famous for lines like 'It is better to be feared than loved', The Prince has been a manual for tyrants from Napoleon to Stalin. But how relevant is The Prince today, and who are the 21st century Machiavellians? Alan Yentob talks to contributors including Colonel Tim Collins, who kept a copy of The Prince with him in Iraq; plus Hilary Devey, Alastair Campbell and Game of Thrones writer George RR Martin.

2013 was the 500th anniversary of the writing of The Prince (it wasn't published until after Machiavelli's death).

Machiavelli Was Right, by Michael Ignatieff (The Atlantic)

The shocking lesson of The Prince isn’t that politics demands dirty hands, but that politicians shouldn’t care.

... The Prince’s blunt candor has been a scandal for 500 years. The book was placed on the Papal Index of banned books in 1559, and its author was denounced on the Elizabethan stages of London as the “Evil Machiavel.” The outrage has not dimmed with time. The greatest modern conservative political theorist, Leo Strauss, taught his students at the University of Chicago in the 1950s to regard Machiavelli as “a teacher of evil.” Machiavelli’s enduring provocation is to baldly maintain that in politics, evil deeds cease to be evil if urgent public interest makes them necessary.

That's LA, not NA: "City Hall candidates are saying no to real estate developer donations."

Streetsblog referred to an article in the Washington Post, and I retweeted it.

Just imagine living in a place where a local politician would find it advantageous to renounce the sort of "beaks wetted" campaign contributions which here in New Albany comprise the fundamental building blocks of governance. Just imagine living in a place where local journalists cared.

You may say I'm a dreamer ...

Seeking an edge over incumbents, these L.A. City Hall candidates are saying no to real estate developer donations, byEmily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser (Los Angeles Times)

Two years ago, in a tough race for the Los Angeles City Council, health clinic executive David Ryu made a promise that helped propel him to victory: He swore off campaign contributions from real estate developers.

That promise, Ryu said, was meant to reassure voters that community needs, not political donations, would guide his decisions on new building projects.

Now, with concerns over development and campaign cash taking center stage in the March 7 election, an array of candidates are embracing the same strategy as they look to topple incumbents, some of whom have a steep financial advantage.

Public affairs consultant Mitchell Schwartz, waging a long-shot bid to unseat Mayor Eric Garcetti, said he won't take campaign funds from real estate developers. Council candidates in races from Echo Park to Westchester have made similar promises, singling out that money as a symbol of City Hall corruption.

Keith Henderson wants to be the hanging judge, though "former prosecutor" sounds better to us.

Lest we forget ...

Matt Oakley's assessment of the prosecutor's ethical breakdown doesn't stop with Keith Henderson.

Granted, it isn't as though we weren't aware of Henderson's many and varied abuses as prosecutor, and (Mark) Seabrook's role in ignoring them -- as these posts from 2013 attest.

Ready for the punchline?

In an age of excuses for reckless behaviors, I will continue to hold adult offenders accountable.

Prosecutor, hang thyself.

Why are you running for this position? (Courier-Journal)

I will bring much-needed energy and efficiency to the position of Circuit Court Judge. My philosophy has always been very clear. In an age of excuses for reckless behaviors, I will continue to hold adult offenders accountable, protect the innocent and support the family. After prosecuting nearly 30,000 criminal cases and handling thousands of child support cases, I have unique experience and strengths which will enable me to bring accountability and fairness to this position. I will use my extensive experience as an Indiana State Police officer, General Council for City of New Albany and nearly 19 years as a prosecuting attorney in the office of Circuit Court Judge.

The Baylor for Mayor meme, October 17: Openness and transparency.

From April 27, 2015:

ON THE AVENUES MONDAY SPECIAL: Et tu, Greg Phipps? Or: Anger and the electoral variability of transparency.

The art of redistributive campaign finance: 1st class passengers in the Gravy Train kick the juice right back to Jeff Gahan.

Cartoon credit is in the cartoon.

You likely won't see either mainstream party or their candidates address it but a politician receiving significant campaign contributions from companies who are awarded large public contracts is an obvious conflict of interest, ethically stunted if not outright graft -- Bluegill

If you're still wondering why street grid reform is taking so long, or why rental property registrations once again are being swept under the rug -- by folks who fancy themselves as Democrats, no less -- then sharpen Occam's Razor, put civic affairs into proper focus ... and follow the money.

If it cannot be readily monetized into campaign finance, as with a walkable city, then it isn't a priority. Conversely, if campaign finance is monetized from it, as with slumlord empowerment, it must be left as is.

ON THE AVENUES: It's just like when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

ON THE AVENUES SPECIAL EDITION: Adam's rib tips.

Over a period of years, Mayor Gahan consistently has bypassed the elected city council to spend millions on plaque-ready infrastructure projects approved by appointed boards, primarily the Redevelopment Commission* -- upon which his DemoDisneyDixiecratic Party chairman (and de facto campaign chief) sits.

Many millions of dollars have been spent, and subsequently, many thousands of dollars have found their way from design, engineering and construction beneficiaries, straight into the mayor's re-election fund. After all, when you're planning future political careers, nationally recognized telephone voter contact services don't come cheap**.

The mayoral hologram now is booted up (thanks to Walt Disney Animation Studios, the stress and strain of unscripted public appearances is kept to a bare minimum), and we're told that fat cats, big wheels and special interests needn't be the exclusive domain of tried and true practitioners like Kerry Stemler.

“I think it shows we have some broad support from a lot of local firms as well some firms that have helped us in the various projects that we’ve begun and will soon be completing,” (Gahan) he said.

“Generally speaking, I feel like we’re equipped and we’re prepared to begin our campaign, and go out and talk to people about how promising a future New Albany has.”

But if holograms are good enough for Jeff Gahan, surely George Orwell can be reanimated, too. We need him here to help explain concepts like bellyfeel, duckspeak and minitrue, which are alive and well in New Albany's DemoDisneyDixiecratic hermetic state.

Gahan holds campaign funding lead in New Albany Dem mayoral race, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

NEW ALBANY — Incumbent Jeff Gahan held a sizable fundraising advantage at the end of 2014 over challenger David White in the race for the Democratic nod for New Albany mayor.

The Committee to Elect Gahan — who is seeking his second term after being elected in 2011 — had more than $89,000 on-hand at the end of 2014, according to an annual fundraising report filed in January. Gahan entered last year with about $36,000 on-hand, and raised about $58,000 in 2014 for his re-election campaign ...

... White’s fundraising campaign differed from Gahan’s in that most of his contributions came from individual donors. Some of Gahan’s biggest contributions came from Political Action Committees, engineering firms and contractors.

Wayne Estopinal, owner of The Estopinal Group, gave Gahan’s committee $4,000 last year. Jorge Lanz, co-owner of Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz pitched-in $5,000 in 2014 to Gahan’s election campaign, and Clark Dietz Inc. donated $2,000.

Each of the three companies have held various contracts with the city in recent years for professional services. Multiple other companies that have received city funds for services also contributed to Gahan’s campaign last year.

Three Indianapolis PACs — Frost Brown PAC, Citizens for Excellence in Government and CD PAC — donated $8,500 to Gahan’s campaign in 2014.

Are you disgusted yet?

---

* From the city's web site:

New Albany Redevelopment Commission

Irving Joshua, President
Adam Dickey, Vice-President
Edward Hancock, Secretary
Dan Coffey
John Gonder

Mr. Dickey, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Joshua were appointed by Mayor Jeff Gahan; Mr. Coffey and Mr. Gonder were appointed by Common Council.

---

** The client list at InFocus Campaigns includes relatively few mayors and council persons, most of whom are from cities like Los Angeles, San Antonio and Houston. One client is from New Albany, Indiana. You get three guesses who ... and the first two don't count.

InFocus Campaigns is dedicated to delivering the highest quality telephone voter contact service for Democratic, progressive and non-partisan clients. Since our founding in 2011, InFocus Campaigns has worked for over one hundred clients in thirty states in the U.S., and for international clients in the U.K. and Canada.

Compare and contrast: Coverage of last night's county council meeting.

Two newspapers, reporters and stories, and very different central points. At the Courier-Journal, the bulk of Grace Schneider's article about last evening's county council conclave details the story behind a citizen's demand for an ethics investigation.

Ethics complaint debated in Floyd

In response to a resident’s concerns, the Floyd County Council agreed Tuesday night to examine if it was proper for county government to pay $27,539 for a law firm to handle an ethics grieveance against Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson.

Joseph Moore, of Georgetown, asserted that Henderson told the commissioners last year that the money would be used to fight his removal from the David Camm triple-murder case. Moore asked the council to recover the money and to launch an investigation ...

Am I the only one thinking that any such ethics investigation might lead to the county commissioners? But I digress. Schneider's secondary theme is a pay raise request by the sheriff's office: "Council members seemed receptive and indicated they could vote on the pay increase at a special meeting later this month."

Meanwhile, at the News and Tribune, Chris Morris also notes the sheriff pay increase sub-story. But the most of his article is about the county budget ... and he doesn't so much as mention the Henderson ethics discussion.

Floyd council forced to cut $900K from 2013 budget; Floyd County police officers, county preliminarily agree on new contract

“We have to do more cutting folks,” said Floyd County Council President Ted Heavrin. “If we send it up there the way it is, they will make the cuts for us.”

Finally, there was an intriguing Heavrin aside, one apparently noticed only by meeting attendee Matt Nash, about "splitting" the parks department. I suppose that between these three perspectives, we get a fairly balanced picture.

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant who was very rarely stable on his cycle.

As we contemplate the construction of a billion-dollar monorail leading from the vicinity of Bicentennial Park, up the escarpment to CM CeeSaw's home in Silver Hills, ethical aspects of bicycling and transportation are discussed.

If Kant Were a New York Cyclist, by Randy Cohen (New York Times)

... If my rule-breaking is ethical and safe (and Idaho-legal), why does it annoy anyone? Perhaps it is because we humans are not good at weighing the dangers we face. If we were, we’d realize that bicycles are a tiny threat; it is cars and trucks that menace us. In the last quarter of 2011, bicyclists in New York City killed no pedestrians and injured 26. During the same period, drivers killed 43 pedestrians and injured 3,607.

Cars also harm us insidiously, in slow motion. Auto emissions exacerbate respiratory problems, erode the facades of buildings, abet global warming. To keep the oil flowing, we make dubious foreign policy decisions. Cars promote sprawl and discourage walking, contributing to obesity and other health problems. And then there’s the noise.

Much of this creeping devastation is legal; little of it is ethical, at least where, as in Manhattan, there are real alternatives to the private car. But because we’ve so long let cars dominate city life, we take them, and their baleful effects, for granted. The surge in cycling is a recent phenomenon: we’re alert to its vagaries.

"Say NO to Bridge Tolls calls for 'Tolling' Authority to comply with Beshear's ethics order before December 16th vote approving tolls."

(Submitted press release)

12/9/2010

Say NO to Bridge Tolls calls for “Tolling” Authority to comply with Beshear's ethics order before December 16th vote approving tolls.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has ordered members of policy-making boards such as the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority to reveal any potential conflicts of interest on an official disclosure statement. Say NO to Bridge Tolls is calling for all “Tolling” Authority members (including those appointed by Indiana) to comply with Beshear's ethics order before the December 16th vote approving tolls.

The Courier-Journal reported a week ago that five members of the Tolling Authority a 14 member group named by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, have ties to The Build the Bridges Coalition through organizations that serve on the coalition’s board.

For example, Greater Louisville Inc., One Southern Indiana and the Louisville Urban League are all part of the coalition. Tolling Authority members, include chairman Charles Buddeke, who also is on the GLI board; Joe Reagan, GLI’s CEO; co-chairman Kerry Stemler and member Pat Byrne, who are affiliated with One Southern Indiana; and Ben Richmond, CEO of the Louisville Urban League may all have conflicts of interest. Additionally member Sandra Frazier may also have conflicts of interest. Her firm Tandem Public Relations built the website for The Build the Bridges Coalition and worked with the coalition on an aggressive media relations outreach program (according to their website).

Shawn Reilly of Say NO to Bridge Tolls said “We have asked that all members of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority comply with Governor Beshear's order before voting on the bridges financing plan at their December 16, 2010 meeting.”

Reilly also said “The public needs to know if Tolling Authority members or their families have ties to Wall Street banks or construction companies that stand to profit from potentially lucrative construction, consulting, or finance contracts.”

Say NO to Bridge Tolls has submitted a request to the Bridges Authority requesting copies of all the official disclosure statements and conflict of interest statements before the December 16th deadline. If the deadline is not met formal ethics complaints may be filled.

Say NO to Bridge Tolls is a broad-based community group representing tens of thousands of people across Indiana and Kentucky that are opposed to any tolls being placed on existing bridges or Spaghetti Junction, to pay for the Ohio River Bridges Project.

Link to Facebook Group

Link to Courier Journal story: Governor Beshear orders strict reporting of potential conflicts

Link to Courier Journal story, Pro-Ohio River bridge group's study sees tolls of 75 cents to $2

Contact: Shawn Reilly

Say NO to Bridge TOLLS

(502) 386-6096