County Buzz

Why 2 more Elkhart Co. GOPers voted Democrat in '08

2010-03-09T17:36:41Z

     Tuesday March 9, 2010

     Below is the reasoning why two more Republican candidates for local office voted Democrat in the 2008 primary.
     I had sought their input for an article I did last week on office-seeking Republicans here who voted Democratic in 2008. But we connected only after I did the article.
     Kathy Gordon: The incumbent Cleveland Township trustee, seeking re-election as a Republican, said she took the Democratic ballot so she could vote for Jill Long Thompson. Thompson was vying for the Democratic nomination in the governor's race that year, and Gordon noted the efforts of Mitch Daniels, the Republican gubernatorial incumbent and eventual winner that year, to dismantle township government.
     “As everyone knows, Mitch is vehemently against township, local government,” Gordon said. “That’s why I chose to vote for Jill Long Thompson.”
     Rick Kauffman: The hopeful for a spot on the Jefferson Township Board said he pulled a Democratic ballot in 2008 because there were some candidates at the local level who he wanted to vote for.
     Though he votes Republican perhaps 75 percent of the time, Kauffman said he votes for the person, not necessarily the party.
     Dale Stickel, chairman of the Elkhart County Republican Central Committee, granted waivers to Gordon, Kauffman and seven others who voted Democratic in the 2008 primary. He said he was assured of their dedication to the Republican Party and the decision allows them to run on the GOP slate in the upcoming May primary. Look here for last week’s article.
     Stickel notably refused to grant a waiver to John Bentley, questioning his Republican credentials. Look here.
     Bentley wanted to run as a Republican for the District 1 county Board of Commissioners spot, now held by Frank Lucchese, also a Republican. But because Bentley voted Democratic in the 2008 primary — to foil the heated Democratic presidential campaign between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, he says — he would have needed Stickel’s permission, as per state law.

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

Gov's New Orleans Saints flag nets $6,852 for charity

2010-03-09T12:55:44Z

     Tuesday March 9, 2010

     The New Orleans Saints flag that Gov. Mitch Daniels flew outside his office netted more than $6,800 for an inner-city youth sports program in Indianapolis.
     Daniels displayed the banner on a lost bet with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal after the Indianapolis Colt lost to the Saints in the Super Bowl. After the mandated week-long period for displaying it expired, he put it up for auction on eBay.
     The bidding started at $100, finally settling at $6,852, the gov said in a statement. Daniels will autograph the flag before sending it to the winning bidder, a Louisiana man.
     The funds will go to TAB Recreation, run by Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. The only condition Daniels attached to the donation is that every youth football participant in the sports program must be taught how to recover an onside kick. Yuk.

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com

Want drama, grandstanding? Try an Elkhart City Council meeting

2010-03-02T18:30:17Z

     Tuesday March 2, 2010

     Want some political drama? Go to a meeting of the Elkhart City Council.
     Got insomnia? Try a gathering of the Elkhart County Board of Commissioners.
     There was plenty of debate at Monday night’s meeting of the Elkhart City Council. And there were about 50 or 60 people on hand to watch. That’s a far cry from the generally tranquil gatherings of the Elkhart County Board of Commissioners, which I usually cover. Sometimes the Goshen News reporter, a couple county employees and I are the only people in attendance.
     I filled in at Monday’s city council meeting for Josh Weinhold, who usually covers the meetings for the Truth. That gave me the chance to contrast the proceedings.
     In the city council meeting Monday, there were sharply contrasting opinions among the council members, mild conflict and even some low-key sniping. Nothing off the wall, mind you, and it sometimes verged on grandstanding. But it stood in relief to the county officials, who are usually in agreement and generally maintain a steady, even keel among themselves.
     The contrast boils down to politics. The city council has six Democrats and three Republicans and much of the conflict Monday boiled down to differences, chiefly on spending, between reps from the two parties. Several votes split down party lines.
     Council member Dave Henke, the most outspoken Republican on Monday, repeatedly argued that money for certain appropriations wasn’t coming from the appropriate pot of funding, among other things. Generally, he’d be countered by Democrat Brent Curry, who’d argue why Henke was wrong.
     At the county meetings, it sometimes seems as if the issues have already been decided before they’re put to a vote to the three commissioners, who are all Republican. There might be discussion, though rarely any dissension, and the county leaders almost always vote unanimously.
     The county unity arguably makes for quicker meetings and more efficient government. If it's political theater you're after, though, city council meetings might be the better bet.

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

You can own a N.O. Saints flag signed by Gov. Daniels!

2010-02-25T17:39:44Z

     Thursday Feb. 25, 2010

     You can be the proud owner of a New Orleans Saints flag that once sat outside Gov. Mitch Daniels office.
     “I sure don’t want it around here any longer. I’m tired of looking at it,” Daniels said in a press release Thursday.
     As part of a Super Bowl wager with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Daniels placed the banner outside his statehouse office for a week after the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Saints in the game.
     The week is up and the gov said today that he’s putting it up for sale on ebay. Proceeds will go to charity and Daniels will even sign the flag.
     Bidding started at $100 and as of 5:30 p.m. this afternoon the offering price had jumped to $102.50.
     Tap here to get to the auction site.
     Tap here to see an earlier blog with Daniels' picture with the Saints flag.

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

On the township and sheriff's races; tea partiers on VIM

2010-02-24T15:01:25Z

     Wednesday Feb. 24, 2010

     A few random notes from some recent pre-election reporting:

     Can there be much more political excitement than the four contested races for township trustee here in Elkhart County?
     Not to be too much of a wisenheimer, I reckon they’ll be intense in their own way, though township government generally doesn’t garner much attention. Dale Stickel, chairman of the Elkhart County Republican Central Committee, suspects the township races will swing not necessarily on policy questions, but which candidates are the most respected, the most known, among those in the varied jurisdictions.
     Township trustees — posts that Gov. Mitch Daniels wants to axe — oversee disbursal of aid to the needy and fire protection, among other things. The contested races are in Baugo, Concord, Jackson and Jefferson townships.
     ***
     Though there may be plenty of interest in being Elkhart County sheriff, the seven hopefuls for the post have yet to really distinguish themselves, Stickel thinks.
     “You could see some nuances and differences,” he said, alluding to an earlier sheriff’s candidate forum. “But I think the candidates really have to define themselves.”
     There’s still time. The primary isn’t until May 4.
     ***
     We the People-the Michiana 9/12 Project isn’t strictly about politics, it seems. One of the leaders of the group — which draws inspiration from conservative commentator Glenn Beck — also has some thoughts on the simmering VIM Recycling controversy.
     County officials, says Peter Recchio, a We the People leader, have mishandled the VIM situation and not acted speedily enough in the best interests of the residents there.
     Many VIM neighbors have long complained of dust and odor from the wood recycling facility and fault it for a range of medical woes. They even filed suit in federal court against VIM.
     County commissioners have maintained that some of the issues of concern for the residents there aren’t within the realm of their control.
     We the People is the local manifestation of the loosely coordinated nationwide conservative Tea Party movement.

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

Hot piles of asphalt: Is spring coming?

2010-02-19T10:54:33Z

     Friday Feb. 19, 2010

     Is spring about to spring?
     I hope so and I saw a somewhat encouraging sign — a city of Elkhart road crew out fixing potholes.
     Sure, that’s a reminder that there will be some rough, crumbling roads out there thanks to the contraction and expansion of asphalt that comes when temperatures continually edge above and then back below freezing. I noticed that the annual crater-sized pothole in the alley off Third Street that leads to the Elkhart Truth parking lot is starting to open up.
     But the patches of black, fresh asphalt are also a sign that some thawing is going on out there. Here’s for a bit more thawing.

     Here's some fresh asphalt Friday at Third and Harrison streets:

Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

Who Dat? Dat's Gov. Daniels, flying the New Orleans Saints flag

2010-02-16T18:10:17Z

     Tuesday Feb. 16, 2010

     Here's Gov. Mitch Daniels flying the flag of the New Orleans Saints. He doesn’t look too excited and he's not letting the flag furl out in all its glory.
     Having lost his Super Bowl wager with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Daniels raised the banner today outside his office in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts, you’ll recall, lost to the Saints.
     “For the next week, per our agreement, we’ll keep it on display in the atrium, where, incidentally, each day I’ll be demonstrating how to cover an onside kick,” Daniels said in a letter to Jindal. Yuk, yuk. Governor humor.

Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

Accidents go down on U.S. 33 around Concord Mall, not up

2010-02-12T16:34:20Z

     Friday Feb. 12, 2010

     State stats don’t bear out suggestions of a spike in accidents on the U.S. 33 section getting an overhaul in the Dunlap area between Elkhart and Goshen.
     Some motorists and others have complained of a seeming uptick in crashes along U.S. 33 between U.S. 20 and C.R. 15 since the ongoing upgrade there started in March 2009. But while accidents last year did spike in certain months compared to 2008, the overall crash rate is slightly down.
     Here are the numbers, courtesy of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, which tracks such things:

225 accidents occurred from March to the end of December last year in the U.S. 33 section. That’s down marginally from 228 in the same period in 2008, when no work was going on.
The biggest year-on-year spike occurred last March, right after preliminary work began. Twenty-nine accidents were reported that month, up from 17 in March 2008. Other noteworthy spikes occurred in June, 29 mishaps versus 21 a year earlier, and November, 28 accidents versus 21 a year earlier.
Accidents actually fell in five months last year, most notably in October. There were 14 mishaps that month last year, half the 28 in October 2008.

     The Indiana Department of Transportation is overseeing the 2.25-mile U.S. 33 project, which stretches on either side of Concord Mall. Crews have been replacing sewer line along the roadway there and they’ll eventually add a new turning lane.
     In the meantime, traffic in each direction has been narrowed from two lanes to one, causing plenty of congestion, if not accidents.

     Click here for more information.
     Below is a map showing the U.S. 33 section getting a facelift. Concord Mall is located northwest a bit of the U.S. 33-Mishawaka Road intersection:

Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

Elkhart Co. to buy Kroger land for $88,500 for bridge project

2010-02-10T16:32:08Z

     Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010

     How much are 20 parking spots worth?
     In the case of Kroger at Johnson Street and Beardsley Avenue in Elkhart, the answer is $88,500. That’s how much Elkhart County has to pay for a strip of the supermarket’s parking lot in conjunction with the ongoing Johnson Street Bridge upgrade project just to the south.
     The county had originally offered around $55,000 for the 20-foot wide strip on the southeastern edge of the lot, the part that abuts the southbound section of Johnson Street. That didn’t sit well with Kroger or the actual owner of the land there, Chicago-based Brauvin Net Capital, and the county brought the matter to court to force the matter, according to Gordon Lord, the county’s legal counsel.
     The sides finally agreed on $88,500, less than what Kroger and Brauvin had originally sought, and county officials signed off on the appropriation this month.
     The section of the lot in question is hardly prime parking area for Kroger customers — it’s far from the main entrance — and county leaders were quick to note that. Commissioner Frank Lucchese, for one, said the section seems mainly to serve as a storage spot for snow plowed off the rest of the lot.
     A new span is being built west of Johnson Street Bridge to replace the faulty section that now carries northbound traffic over the St. Joseph River there. Johnson Street has to be shifted slightly to the west so it ties in smoothly with the revamped crossing, hence the need for the parking lot section.
     The county reached agreements with the city of Elkhart and power company American Electric Power for the land needed to shift Johnson Street into the bridge on the other side of the river, according to Lord. Those accords didn’t cost anything.

     Here's some video of the section in question:

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.

John Letherman on ‘nutraloaf’: “It looked like vomit.”

2010-02-08T16:45:28Z

     Monday Feb. 8, 2010

     Pity the inmates at the Elkhart County Correctional Complex who have to eat nutraloaf.
     Or not. Maybe that’s exactly what they deserve.
     Either way, John Letherman, president of the Elkhart County Council, doesn’t want the jail fare anywhere near his plate.
     “It looked like vomit,” he exclaimed last Thursday, shortly after Sheriff Mike Books offered him a helping.
     Nutraloaf is actually meant for unruly inmates at the jail, those with a yen for tossing their food, according to Bill Fletcher, who oversees sheriff’s department finances. You take a little bit of everything from the kitchen, seemingly, chop it up, mix it together and then bake it into a semi-solid glop.
     You don’t need a knife or fork to eat nutraloaf, Fletcher said, thus you eliminate the need to pass utensils to inmates who might use them for no good. Yet it has all the nutritional content required by state authorities who oversee jails.
     Still, it apparently doesn’t taste so hot, which frequently is enough motivation to get bad-acting inmates to clean up their act, Fletcher said. I did a Web search and found a few accounts of inmates across the country even suing, alleging — unsuccessfully — that having to eat nutraloaf amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
     After county officials decided to hold their annual summit at a training room at the Elkhart County jail, speculation ran rampant about the sort of food they’d be served for lunch. Turns out Letherman was the only one offered nutraloaf at last Thursday's event, as a joke. The company that prepares the jail food carted out cold cuts, bread, macaroni salad and potato salad for everybody else.
     Recipes for nutraloaf vary, but one I found online contains ground beef, celery, carrots, beans, rice, apples, tomato sauce, cabbage, miscellaneous vegetables, oatmeal, eggs, salt and potatoes. Instructions call for everything to be run through a grater or chopper, placed on a cookie sheet, covered with foil and baked at 325 degrees for two hours.

     Contact me at tvandenack@etruth.com.