Big Bucks Council

Zionsville residents should be proud of its' new council - it's one of the fattest cash cows in the town's history.

The Magnificant Seven took in $91,899.89 in campaign contributions for a $5,000 a year position - $91,899 - the tail is wagging the dog folks.


These figures come from campaign reports on file at the Boone County Clerk's office in Lebanon. And, who got the lion's share of the goodies?

Candace Ulmer, the former Union Township trustee, who collected $18,46l, following closely by incumbent Tim Haak, with $18,101. Mrs. Ulmer is going to be "The one to see.''

The balance went to:


Susana Suarez, $16,572
Elizabeth Hopper, $14,236
Tom Schuler, $13,966
Jeff Papa $10,561

The largest contributor to the campaigns was a political action committee, Civic Pride of Boone County, which dumped $24,502 into the seven coffers. Civic Pride's contributors are a mix of developers and their attorneys and those wonderful folks who bring you more apartments.

Civic Pride's largest contribution went to Mrs. Ulmer of $10,458, and close behind was the new council president Haak, who picked-up $6,858.

And following Civic Pride in contributions was the Metropolitan Board of Realtors PAC with $7,210, which doled out $1,000 plus goodies to the seven campaigns.

Wonder why our local newspaper hasn't followed the money?

Publisher Andrea Cline is the spouse of Pat Cline, an officer with MIBOR, whose bank is none other than the Bank of Indianapolis, which employes Tim Haak - just a coincidence.

One name missing as a contributor in any of the seven campaigns was Chad Pittman.

This is the same fellow who gave birth to the Citizens for a Better Zionsville, and in 2009 confided with former councilor Michelle Barrett:

''I appreciate your leadership of our town and the direction you are taking us. Who would have thought that we could have come this quickly to aligning our town planning area with the school district to make it easier to plan and control our own destiny.''

Zionsville Confidential has heard unofficially that lately Pittman has been having a case of the jitters seeing his name in print, closely aligned with bank-rolling the council candidates. This is also the same fellow that still has a Papa/Suarez sign up on his barn on the corner of 334 and Michigan.

Stay tuned. Zionsville Confidential is preparing a complete list of all the contributors.

MIBOR Buying the Zionsville Election

It's deja vu all over again - MIBOR trying to buy the Zionsville Town Council election as it did in 2007.

So far, MIBOR, the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors, has dumped $7,200 into the coffers of six candidates of the Citizen's for a Better Zionsville PAC slate.

In 2007, by the spring filing, they had spent only $3000.

And the proof is in the campaign expense reports which shows how deep some candidates for the Zionsville Town Council are into MIBOR pockets; and wonder why?

Namely - Jeff Papa, Candace Ulmer, Elizabeth Hopper, Tim Haak, Tom Schuler, all of whom have been endorsed by MIBOR, which is concentrating solely on the Zionsville races among all the donut counties.

And, what's the tab?

According to the reports of receipts and expenses on file with the Boone County Clerk's office for political campaigns during the period ending April 15 here's who got what from the MIBOR Political Action Committee:

Tim Haak $1,052; Jeff Pappa, $1,500; Candace Ulmer, $1,121; Elizabeth Hopper, $966, and Tom Schuler, $1,069; Susana Duarte de Suarez, $1,500. None was reported for Steve Mundy.

MIBOR helped host a fundraiser on April 30th for the Move Zionsville slate after the filing deadline. The real big money reports come in the next filing. Unfortunately it's after the May primary when the Fat Lady's done singing.

Other contributors to Move Zionsville candidates by candidate are:

Ulmer:
Elizabeth Mueller, spouse of Zionsville Parks board member Steve Mueller, $200
Allan Rachles, Zionsville Plan Commission chairman, $200
Dan Montgomery and Andrea Montgomery, of Montgomery Aviation, $200. The Montgomerys, who are the operators of Indianapolis Executive Airport, were significant contributors to Ulmer's campaign for Union Township trustee.

Haak:
Matt Price, Zionsville Town Council president, $500.
Allan Rachles, $200.
Baker & Daniels, Indianapolis law firm, $250.

Jeff Pappa:
Andrea Montgomery, of Montgomery Aviation, operator of the former Terry Airport that Betty Lee Cooper gave away when she was a county comissioner, $200:
Brett Swanson, Zionsville, $325

Susana Suarez:
Allan Rachles, $200
Andrea Montgomery, $200
Javier Ortiz, Atlanta, Ga.,$300
Maribeth Smith, Indianapolis event planner, $500
Bret Swanson, Zionsville, $380

Elizabeth Hopper:
Larry Mackey, (Barnes & Thornburg attorney) Indianapolis, $500
Robert Grand (Barnes & Thornburg Managing Partner), Indianapolis, $250
Jefffery Qualkinbush (Barnes & Thornburg Attorney), Zionsville, $200

Tom Schuler:
Pamela Cutcliff, Zionsville, $200
Debbie Ungar, Zionsville, $300

The other candidates - Tom Santelli, Steve Schanke, Wendy Brant, David Brown, Chris Brooke, Pete Hawryluk, and Marty Thompson - were not endorsed, nor did any of them receive any contributions from MIBOR. Thompson and Brown received no major contributions to report.

Their significant individual contributors were:

Tom Santelli:
Elizabeth Johnson, Zionsville, $300
James Baumgardt, Zionsville, $500
Johnny Johnson, Zionsville, $300

Wendy Brant:
Charles Eaton, Boone County commissioner, $250
Russell Fortune III, Indianapolis, $5,000
Elizabeth Johnson, Zionsville, $300
John Holliday, Zionsville, $500
John Johnson, Zionsville, $300
Welton (Art) Harris, Zionsville Town Council member, $300
James Baumgardt, Zionsville, $500

Chris Brooke:
Michael & Jean Lisch, Zionsville, $1,000

Pete Hawryluk:
Jim Baumgardt, Zionsville, $500
Johnny Johnson, Zionsville, $300

Unfortunately for the voters, the next campaign reports come after April 15 and post primary when the big money will roll in for the fancy yard signs and phone banks.

Remember in 2007 when the challengers each spent an average of $20,000 to buy the council seats, which pays $5,000 a year.

Get the picture folks? Pay to play - but at you're expense - more housing that doesn't pay for schools.