No vote and more power

A convincing argument can be made against a proposed $2.4 billion mass transit plan for metropolitan Indianapolis.
If put to a vote, chances are good that the proposal would be shot down.
One only has to look at referendum results in Randolph County and Fort Recovery for evidence that in the current climate voters have little interest in raising their property taxes.
But that’s apparently not good enough for Republican leaders in the Indiana General Assembly.
Sen. Luke Kenley, the likeable and usually level-headed Republican from Noblesville who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, made it clear this week that Republican leaders aren’t going to allow any mass transit plan to come up for a vote.
That’s right; they’re not going to allow people to have a referendum on the proposal at all.
Apparently the possibility — even the remotest possibility — that voters would approve a tax hike is too much for the GOP. So rather than permit a referendum, party leaders are spiking the idea.
Once upon a time, Indiana Republicans liked to champion the idea of home rule. Those days are apparently gone for good.
Instead, power is being concentrated at the Statehouse. This time around, it’s a pre-emptive strike against a possible referendum. Coming up, watch for further top-down pressure on schools and local government. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]