Show Me Your Friends, and I'll Show You Your Future

Remember the advice during the pre-Watergate hearings, when the admonition was ''Follow the money?''

In this election for the Zionsville Town Council it was never more blatant than in the campaigns of the Seven Dwarfs - Papa, Mundy, Suarez, Hopper, Ulmer, Haak, and Schuler.

And, the Prince? It's none other Chad Pittman, who despite his appointed position at the state, is not permitted to openly campaign but he still can host an Ulmer fundraiser on his property. Are you listening Gov. Daniels?

Pittman, with his brothers, are mega developers in Hamilton County, and recently have run into financial doldrums there, but have their sights and pocketbooks set on Boone County.

Upset that he was never able to crack the Zionsville development ceiling, Pittman orchestrated the ''Citizens for a Better Zionsville'' in 2007, which fielded a winning ticket of Matt Price, Michelle Barrett and Tim Haak for a majority of the then five-member council.

The CBZ, a political action committee, raised thousands of bucks for the Pittman appointees. The lions share of its war chest came from individuals, attorneys, and firms representing development interests outside of Boone County.

The other two candidates elected were longtime members David Carr and Art Harris, who soon became a vocal minority.

Subsequently, Carr resigned and Valerie Swack took his place. Then, Barrett resigned for personal reasons and Steve Mundy assumed her place.

With a majority on the Town Council, Pittman pulled the strings and his puppets danced, appointing his dunces on the Zionsville Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.

But, because of the vocal minority of Swack and Harris, the brothers Pittman did not always hold sway.

Pittman wanted a clean sweep - no voices crying in the wilderness. With Swack and Harris tired to tilting with windmills, the openings were there for a 100% Pittman coup this year.

And, along comes the Civic Pride of Boone County, LLC PAC with offices in Zionsville, and its bank none other than the National Bank of Indianapolis, where Tim Haak is a VP.

Stay with me folks, it only gets better.

Matt Price, current Town Council el presidente, is the chairperson of Civic Pride with board members Paul Kite, home builder; Tom Longest and Jim Longest, of the engineering firm of Beam Longest & Neff, and Bob Harris, all of Zionsville.

The BLN firm is currently the engineering firm hired this year by the Town Council, which tossed out HNTB, that had served as the town's engineers for over 20 years.

Harris is a substantial property owner along Zionsville Road, south of Eagle Creek, who has long eyed the extension of the Village Business District to connect with his holdings.

Civic Pride's latest report of campaign contributions and expenses filed with the Boone County Clerk Oct. 21 showed it has raised $33,000.

And, guess which Zionsville Town Council candidate's campaign benefited the mostest - Candace Ulmer, $7,100, followed by Haak's campaign, $6,500.

The deep pockets came from Harris, no relation to Art Harris, and his family interests, which kicked-in $11,000, one-third of the contributions.

Others contributors were:

Robert Fisher, Carmel, $1,500
David and Peggy Matson, New Palestine, $1,500
Thomas C. and Darci Longest, Zionsville, $1,000 (loan)
James B. and Annie L. McIntosh, Zionsville, $1,000 (loan)
Matthew and Beth Price, Zionsville, $3,000 (loan)
John Demaree, Zionsville, $100
Matthew M. Price, Zionsville, $6,000
Mark and Kathy Downey, Avon, $500
Teachers Tutoring Inc., Indianapolis, $1,000
Committee to Elect Matt Price, Zionsville, $2,343.97
AMECO, LLC, Greenwood, $1,000
Midwest Financial Company LLC, Indianapolis, $1,000
Harris FLP, Zionsville, $3,000
Barbara Harris FLP, Zionsville, $3,000
Harris FL?, Zionsville, $1,000
Harris Capital Investments LLC, Zionsville, $4,000 (loan)

Civic Pride made the following contributions:

Elizabeth Hopper for Town Council, $3,250
Candace Ulmer for Town Council, $7,100
Committee to Elect Tim Haak, $6,500
Tony Cotton, Lagrange, Ky., $3,500 (drafting)

The campaigns of Tom Schuler, Susan Suarez, and Jeff Papa, each received $358.83.

$ivic Pride indeed.

The Oz's New Queen

It's election season, and Town Council candidate Candace Ulmer is on stage playing the charade behind the curtain as the Wizard of Oz.

You know the poseur, pretending to be what he's not?

Unfortunately for Zionsville's citizens, she's hiding from what she is; a flip flopper to end all flip floppers, backed by deep-pocket developers. But, outwardly, on her blog and in expensive newspaper ads, she's all innocence and good governess.

Hogwash.

She's wagering that voters on Nov. 8 won't do their homework and realize just how dependent her campaign is on the cash dished out by big-time developers with designs on their own shovel-ready projects in Zionsville

Take a look behind the facade.

For her to triumph in the May primary, Ulmer raised $17,000. Most notable contributions came from MIBOR (Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors) - $1,121.80. Council woman elect Susana Suarez Campaign Fund gave $1,000. Council President Matt Price's, Civic Pride of Boone County Political Action Committee gave $7,100. Keith Burks of Naples, FL contributed $1000 (who's he?). Plan Commission President Allan Rachles gave $200, as did Councilman Jeff Papa.

And remember, annual pay for a council member is $5,000.

Ulmer is opposed next week by an Independent candidate from Union Township, Constance Brye. Ms. Brye is running with no ties to any development interests or political group. Brye's campaign report show a paltry $1,050 raised in total, $600 from herself.

Only those voters residing in District 1 are allowed to decide the Brye vs. Ulmer race. But with David and Goliath fund raising differences, don't expect big fancy mailers from Brye.

A little background music please.

Two years ago, when the consolidated government proposition was before the voters, Ulmer was serving as the elected Union Township trustee. She was the majordomo tub-thumping for the movement, campaigning for everyone in Union Township to vote for it, and they did, and it passed.

Ulmer promised Union residents that taxes would not go up. (And, by virtue of the consolidation, she ascended to the stage of the Zionsville Town Council.)

She stated, ''Union residents will see a tax rate increase of 0.6% - Hummm

But taxes did go up for Union in 2010.

Residents there saw an increase of approximately 25 percent in their 2010 property tax bills. Union taxpayer's rate jumped from $1.54 to $2.04 per $100 of assessed property value. And, according to Ulmer's own blog dated Oct. 21, 2010, for the 2011 budget it says, "Yes, taxes are increasing," and goes on, "Union residents will see a tax rate increase of .06%" No increase in taxes? Blarney.

Let's review: 2009 - ''Taxes won't increase.'' Then in 2010 - taxes increase. Taxes increase again in 2011.

Great record.

Flip-flops abound. Her blog states she is for diversifying the tax base. "We need more business," she states. However, she recently voted to allow high density apartments that pay less in taxes than business, in an area zoned for business. Brilliant.

Another Ulmer flip-flop came this year, when the Stormwater Utility was proposed for all of the newly-consolidated Zionsville, including Union Township. Ulmer endorsed and voted for it. Taxes won't go up for Union? Hardly, this is a new added tax.

But, now Ulmer is against the Stormwater Utility because of the tax that will be imposed on residents to fund the utility, which Ulmer contends will only benefit Zionsville's infrastructure.

One of the backroom deals Ulmer was behind, but failed to deliver this year was allowing a private Westfield utility, Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) access into Union Township for the benefit the Indianapolis Executive Airport and developers along U.S. 421.

And oh, probably just a coincidence, but the operators of the airport (formerly Terry Airport) are major contributors to Ulmer's election campaign.

It's time for voters to unmask the Wizard of Oooze Tuesday. Nov. 8.