Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Ballard Accuses Republican Council Members Of Voting To Sue Him Over Vision Fleet Deal Because Of Gay Pride Support

Mayor Ballard and Winnie at gay pride parade (Star Photo)
Just when you thought Mayor Greg Ballard couldn't stoop any lower, he goes and proves you wrong. During an interview this week with radio talk show host Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, Ballard attributed a majority of the Republican caucus' decision to abandon him on his controversial Vision Fleet deal to a retaliatory move on their part over their supposed anger that he agreed to serve as grand marshal for this year's gay pride parade.

For those of you who haven't been following the discussion of this issue, Mayor Ballard's administration illegally entered into a contract to lease a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles. Upon realizing the errors of its way, his administration made matters worse by executing a new contract that attempted to recast the same agreement as a contract for services instead of a lease agreement to circumvent public bidding requirements. It then backdated signature pages on the new contract to make it appear it had been executed at the time the original contract was signed without actually rescinding the original contract. When council members attempted to obtain copies of the contract, the administration heavily redacted it to the point nobody could understand what was in the contract. Under mounting public pressure, the administration finally released the multiple copies of the agreement without redaction. Compounding those missteps, the administration illegally transferred money from the storm water fund to make payments under the contract.

The council's attorney, who opined the contract was either void or voidable, found there had been no fewer than five state and local laws broken in the process. The council voted 23-6 to take the administration to court to overturn the illegal contract. That bipartisan vote included the votes of 8 Republican council members. To hear Ballard explain it, those eight Republican members acted out of politics as opposed to the need to uphold the rule of law.
There are a couple who just really hate electric cars . . . They don't understand where the world is headed on this . . . There's been talk a few of them didn't like me being grand marshal of the parade and this is all retaliatory . . . It was not about the real process . . .  I don't know how we could have been more open. . .  Here we are five months from the election and they do this . . . To me it's pretty obvious . . . We all know what the Dems are trying to do.
Ballard went on to describe Indianapolis as earning a "business unfriendly" reputation because of the actions of the City-County Council in killing his controversial P3 plan to develop a new criminal justice center and its decision to take him to court over the Vision Fleet deal he insists is "highly innovative." "The whole country is talking about [the Vision Fleet deal]," he said. "They do what they do . . . They're trying to score political points." I can think of more than a couple of those Republican council members who have to be infuriated by Ballard's insinuation they voted to sue him over the Vision Fleet contract because of their alleged disapproval of his participation in the gay pride parade. You can hear Shabazz' full interview with Ballard by clicking here to here the musings of a sad and pathetic man who is unfit to hold public office.

8 comments:

Stuart Bagley, MS CIH CSP said...

It's a Republican to sell off the public goods and services to their pals.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Just Wow, Greg. I surmise you are moaning and whining to jokester Abdul with your MuMu all a flutter because you now have some inkling that you could be charged with criminal actions and that you could actually face jail time. I surmise, Greg, that you are beginning to have some realization that all those corrupt Democrat and Republican attorneys and Turkish contractors and rent-a-civic-leader insider politicos you did bidding for are running from you like rats off a sinking ship and that you will be left ALONE, with no "support", and that you will twist in the wind like a corpse from the branch of a giant elm. I am not at all ashamed to say that I am one Republican who thinks even that is too kind for the way you have abused and degraded the Office of Mayor with all the intentional lies you spewed during your term to ram through such anti-consumer, anti-choice dirty deals. The people of Indianapolis deserve much, much better and it is a shame there currently is not a candidate who is much better from any party.

As for Stuart's little ditty, as tiresome as these slogans have become from the left, it's not just the one wing of the same party that is corrupt, Stuart, it is BOTH wings we know as Democrats AND Republicans who sell public assets or their influence to the highest bidder... think Bill and Hillary Clintons- Democrats who have perfected the act of putting up any type of influence for any type of legislation for millions of millions of dollars through "Foundation" money laundering schemes from anyone able to pay... even if they trample women's rights and gay rights. Democrats like Pelosi who made millions on insider deals trading VISA stock, Democrats like Dianne Feinstein who's connections helped her hubby created such wealth for them they are the among the so-called 1%ers, Harry Reid, poor until he entered Democrat politics- oh what's the use.... the Democrat list goes on and on to match and sometimes exceed the "R" list of career political criminals.

Anonymous said...

What a buffoon. Nothing was crystal clear as he likes to say. We paid for a LIMITED number of connected bidders to bid. There is no correct calculation of savings. Just like there was no savings by merging IPD and the Sheriffs department. This scum of society can be in tents, use outhouses and showers just like our soldiers. With razor wire the whole facility can be built for several million dollars. The land either bought or rented. We as taxpayers don't need to get stiffed by this clown. He stole our parking meter revenue and he sold off the water company so we now have higher water and sewer rates. He committed further defalcations by blowing money on the ROC. Broke laws by calling a lease some bull shit fleet management agreement. If it really wasn't a lease every private citizen would sign a fleet management agreement instead of a lease agreement to avoid the 7% Indiana SALES & USE TAX.

When the value of the tangible personal property is more than 10% of the unitary transaction it Taints the enitre transaction as a taxable transaction. Just because Indianapolis is tax exempt does not mean this is not a lease just because some dumb ahole lawyer puts fleet management agreement all over the document.

Cover up cover up!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else hear the deafening silence from Curry and the US Attorney?

Anonymous said...

That is ok Ballard. You left the people who elected you to office in the first place. Now you can go down on Mass Av to your people.

Anonymous said...

Ballard is completely delusional! The biggest anti-gay Ginny Cain voted against suing him so his ridiculous comments have absolutely no merit.

Anonymous said...

Dear Greg...please resign. You are a disgrace to Marines everywhere.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:13 is right. I've often wondered how this fool got into the Marines in the first place... unless the Marines were actually looking for egomaniacal paranoid pathologues rather than a few good men in the first place. Have you ever heard this clown "talk" (stammer and bore is more apt) when at the dais at GOP meetings/events/conventions? I am so tried of his gutteral Marine jarjhead sounds...and that fake macho crap he tries to pull off. He's so awful and loses the audience so quickly you actually feel sorry for him even though you may totally dislike him (as most grassroots "R's" do). Sorry, Samantha, it's true... no matter how much you and DB demand that we like and support him...