Attack on Outgoing Town Council Puzzles More Than it Enlightens
And now for the rest of the story…With the election over, and the challenger candidates poised to take majority control, it seems odd indeed to see strangely calculated letters attacking the record and integrity of the outgoing Town Council. The three departing Town Council members served honorably and with great distinction. The list of accomplishments associated with their tenure reads too long to put in one letter, but includes generating $43 million in assessed valuation for the school district through the 106th Street Redevelopment Zone, generating almost 50% of the AV for the school district, despite constituting only 30% of the land mass, tripling of park green space, creating a fire protection district, establishing a Town Manager and modern infrastructure for delivery of services, and maintaining a tax rate comparable to, or better than, that of most surrounding communities. The Town also aggressively defended its borders by preventing inferior, high-density, county developments on its periphery by working out deals that brought the developments into the Town outright in return for lower density and higher quality, which reduced tax rates for all. Higher personal property taxes are a state-wide phenomenon; but for this Town Council the rates would have been far higher. The new Town Council members promise lower taxes and less growth. I hope for the best, but powerful forces continue to push in the opposite direction.
As to conflicts of interest, politicians all too often rely on Town vendors to help fund campaigns. While Town Council members also utilized this approach, in their final hours they decided to reach for higher ground. I am confident all Town Council members, new and old, will seek to act in the interest of the general public, and embrace the newly proposed approach.
Turning to the most recent personal attack on me, it is true that I am a partner with the law firm of Ice Miller LLP in its Labor and Employment Section, and I have never hidden that fact. When I joined the Town Council in 1998, the Town was already using Ice Miller as town attorney and bond counsel. I inherited this relationship, and I filed the conflict of interest statement with the State of Indiana as required by law. I recuse (remove) myself from any vote over choice of legal counsel if one of the choices is Ice Miller. Moreover, Ice Miller uses an internal accounting procedure to ensure that my share of every dollar received from the Town is directly deducted from my compensation. This means that not only are any profits deducted, but any gross revenue is deducted as well. Thus, not only does the relationship with Ice Miller not enrich me, every dollar paid by the Town of Zionsville to Ice Miller costs me money. In addition, the Town switched from using Ice Miller as town attorney to Krieg DeVault LLP in 2000. Consequently, during my tenure on the Town Council, the role of Ice Miller has diminished, not increased.
This summer I met individually with each of the new Town Council members and each expressed views for this Town’s future which I find completely consistent with my own. My impression, which I have shared with many people, continues to be that a number of campaign contributors with sinister motives may find themselves very disappointed, and the citizens of Zionsville greatly pleased, with this new, energetic group. I look forward to being part of an even better future for this wonderful Town.
David J. Carr, Zionsville Town Council Member
| Paid for by the David J. Carr for Zionsville Town Council Committee |  |
|
 |
 |
|
|
