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EYE ON THE PIE: Children are central issue for ’08

The election campaign of 2008 can transform our state if the candidates focus their attention on children. We can develop a healthy economy and become a model of civility if we focus systematically on our children. Many people are convinced government spends too much. What they mean is that government spends for services that don’t benefit them or services they wish they did not need. Who wants to spend money on juvenile corrections or adult reading programs for prisoners? Who…

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How did media affect Ballard’s win?

Election Day was no high point in the annals of Indianapolis media. How could we have missed such a big
story, that Greg Ballard was about to upset incumbent Mayor Bart Peterson?

Local news organizations treated Ballard as an afterthought until…

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Will business like Ballard?

Dating at least to the â??60s, when Richard Lugar was mayor of Indianapolis, the cityâ??s comeback has been
driven by nationally renowned cooperation between government and business.

Business interests came out of the woodwork to support Lugar, and subsequent mayors William…

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A new mayor in Indianapolis

Now that Greg Ballard has pulled the big upset, how will Indianapolis be different under his administration? Is his election
good or bad for business?

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Arts leaders tout Peterson

The race between Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and his Republican challenger, Greg Ballard, became interesting
in the final days, and not just because Ballard suddenly got traction in a widely publicized poll.

In the past few days, two prominent arts leaders…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Many are fans of ‘the man’s’ plan

This is why I like Mitch Daniels. Speaking about his property-tax program, he said, “When Indiana acts this time, and act we must, our steps must be fair, far-reaching and final,” Look at that alliteration … “fair, far-reaching and final.” Who else in public life gives us sentences like that? Look at his idealism: “fair, far-reaching and final.” Our state is known for its persistent lack of fairness, its shortsighted special-interest legislation, and its neverending tinkering. Mitch thinks he can…

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Commentary: Is receptionist pay vital information?

The office was abuzz when I walked in on a Monday morning in late August 2006. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. staff was upset and it didn’t take long to find out why. The Indianapolis Star had published their names and salaries as part of a lead story launched from the front page of the Sunday edition. “Is it the solemn civic duty of the Star to let the world know what I make?” our receptionist asked, crying. A member…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: It’s time to use mass-appraisal model on state’s homes

In the 10 years since Indiana’s property-appraisal system was ruled unconstitutional, taxpayers have spent perhaps $1 billion to remedy the situation. That’s more than $350 per household, and more than we spend on environmental protection each year. “Wowser” is the only printable exclamation I can muster. Among other things, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ tax plan proposes the elimination of the township assessors (there are 1,008 offices statewide). According to a 2004 Chamber of Commerce study, streamlining the system would result in…

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Fast-growing WDG built on years of industry experience: Veteran of Kite, Lauth branches out on his own

For Mike Wyman, a devastating fire that gutted the family home during his teen-age years laid the foundation for a rewarding career in construction. The 41-year-old Wyman climbed from carpenter to become a leader of projects at two of the city’s largest commercial developers before launching his own company in 2005. WDG Construction & Development Services Inc. on East Washington Street downtown has since grown into a firm that expects to top $30 million in revenue next year-double this year’s…

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Midwest Mole tunnels into large local projects: East-side company in unusual niche makes mark

In the face of a slumping local economy in the early 1980s, several national construction firms packed up and left Indianapolis. One locally based salesman, Len Liotti, was given a choice-move to St. Louis along with his job at tunneling contractor Affholder Inc., or set out on his own. Seeing the void the big players would create when leaving, Liotti started Midwest Mole Inc. in 1982 to fill it. Twenty-five years later, the privately held firm is thriving thanks to…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Evaluate today before gauging effects of tax proposal

Gov. Mitch Daniels unveiled a tax proposal Oct. 23 designed to remedy a number of widely held concerns over property taxes in the state. In a nutshell, his proposal reduces property tax collections by one-third and generates additional revenue by increasing the general sales tax 1 percentage point. His plan offers a three-tiered property tax rate-1 percent residential, 2 percent rental and 3 percent commercial-and moves taxation (and perhaps budgetary decision making) from the township to the county level. It…

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VIEWPOINT: Corporate transactions: lose-lose deals

Corporate transactions, such as the sales of Peoples Bank and First Indiana Bank, as well as mergers of utility companies, benefit no one. For example: Retail customers: No evidence exists that consumers benefit from these transactions. Companies might argue that fees and prices rise more slowly in larger organizations, a result of efficiencies, but no proof is available, and the principle of diminishing returns suggests that, at some point, the cost of running a large entity becomes proportionately greater than…

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Financial education on a roll: Money Bus travels state to make children smarter about finances

Teaching kids about finances used to be as simple as giving them lunch money. With credit card debt and bankruptcy rates soaring among young adults, however, there’s a new push nationwide to help kids get smart about money. Experts say even kindergartners aren’t too young to learn the ins and outs of spending, saving, borrowing and budgeting. One local program is hoping to do all that in a fun, informative setting. The Money Bus, a sort of traveling classroom, visits…

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RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Is your Web site a cost or an investment?

I don’t particularly like to shop, but I like seeing how other people shop, especially online. There are always so many surprises. Of course, the big research is in e-commerce, where buyers spend money online. Studies show the number of people willing to buy online is growing steadily. The Census Bureau shows a consistently upward trendline through August 2007 (www.census.gov/mrts/www/ecomm.html). Most experts seem to believe that not only are more people throwing down their plastic electronically, but established shoppers are…

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THE TRAVELING LIFE: This may not be the end of the world, but…

“A pop-culture update for those who’ve been living in Bhutan for the last several years…..” That was the beginning of an article in a recent Indianapolis Monthly and, while I don’t even remember now what the story was about, I knew after reading those words that I had to go to Bhutan. My reasoning: If this country is so remote that it’s used as a frame of reference for being out of touch, then I wanted to go there. Turns…

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Feds OK women’s biz centers: Program wins affiliation with SBA; details on set up, funding to come

After a 19-year run as a pilot program, a national initiative aimed at helping women start businesses finally has earned a seal of approval from the federal government. As an official U.S. Small Business Administration program, the Women’s Business Center concept gains the stability that supporters had been seeking for nearly two decades. And that’s good news for women like Krista Bermeo, an Indianapolis artist who makes melted glass jewelry in her namesake Fountain Square studio. Bermeo sought help from…

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Clinton’s 401(k) proposal receiving mixed reviews: Experts disagree on whether plan can spur savings

Republican presidential candidate Herbert Hoover promised a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage, leading everyone to believe they would be prosperous under his administration. Fast-forward 80 years and a candidate from the other side of the aisle, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is offering an incentive more fitting for the new millennium: a match on workers’ 401(k) contributions. Time will tell whether Clinton becomes president and ultimately fulfills the pledge, but what prompted it is Americans’ reluctance…

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Beware stock investors: Credit problems remain INVESTING:

Seemingly unbeknownst to the stock market, problems continue to lurk in the credit markets. Regulators are concerned about the market upheaval caused by structured investment vehicles. Large banks set up SIVs as off-balance-sheet investments to leverage their investment capital and earn higher returns. There are reportedly some 30 SIVs with $400 billion in assets. SIVs employ a simple strategy to make money: They borrow short term (at low rates) and invest in longer-term securities (at higher rates), thereby earning the…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Everybody’s busy playing the real estate blame game

There’s a game that takes place in most families with young children. You may be familiar with it. It’s easy. Mom’s cherished (insert any household item here) develops a large chip. Mom sees the chip. Mom begins the interrogation: Who did this? “Not me,” says Johnny. and Wall Street. After all, they’re the ones that loaned the money. It was too easy to get a loan, the critics say. People were buying homes and building developments with high-priced coffee shops…

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VIEWPOINT: Reform won’t require constitutional rewrite

In July, when Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed the Commission on Local Government Reform to search for ways to streamline and modernize Indiana’s system of local government, he recommended considering every option for bringing government into the 21st century. And he raised one particularly dramatic option: convening a convention to rewrite Indiana’s constitution, a document that has been amended often, but never rewritten, in 156 years. Times were different in 1851, when Indiana enacted its constitution. The state had fewer than…

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