DeLaney vs. Nelson ... there's no comparison

Edward O. DeLaney

Address: 4445 Washington Blvd.
City/Town: Indianapolis.
Length of residency in this district: 35 years.
Campaign or work phone number: (317) 920-0400.
Web site: www.eddelaney.org
Email: ed@eddelaney.org
Date of birth: April 19, 1943.
Religion: Roman Catholic.
Marital status: Married.
Family: Three children, six grandchildren.
Education/Degrees: B.A, M.A., Binghamton University; J.D., Harvard Law School.
Occupation/main source of income: Lawyer.
Military experience: Lieutenant j.g., U.S. Navy.
Current civic involvement/ accomplishment highlights: Indianapolis Bar Association; International Senior Lawyers; adjunct faculty, IU School of Law, Bloomington.
Previous civic involvement/ accomplishment highlights: President, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Council; treasurer, Marion County Democratic Party; counsel to Indiana Senate majority; State Deptartment assignment in Kosovo.
Previous public offices sought/held: Ran for City-County Council.
How much funding have you raised for your campaign?: This is in process. I am preparing my first report.
Who are your top three contributors?: Filing ready soon.
Have you ever been arrested? If so, explain: No.

Edward O. DeLaney: Property taxes can’t be repealed. State and local government have already raised local income taxes and the sales tax far above our traditional levels. A well-run property tax system is meant to be one of the three legs of a balanced approach to taxation. Along with income and sales taxes, they are intended to fund necessary government activities. They provide some revenue from accumulated assets and help pay for local services directed to our residences, like roads, fire service and police. Real doubts have been raised as to this tax because it is no longer fair as between taxpayers. Our assessment system does not work. Because of the complexity of the system, property taxes flunk the “transparency” test: Voters don’t know who is charging how much and for what. Lastly, property taxes are no longer predictable. This last problem is particularly troubling given the problems in the housing market. Indiana has a very large foreclosure problem. Our people don’t need a failed and unpredictable property tax heaped on top of this national problem. Until this tax is “repaired,” there will be a growing chorus of calls for repeal. These calls are not accompanied by a reasoned explanation of how large sales and income taxes would have to be to fill the void. My first priority as a legislator will be to fix the property system. In 2008 we made only a start in that direction.

Given the elimination of the inventory tax and the governor’s 2005 budget that capped property tax relief for homeowners, it is no surprise that we ended up with a property tax crisis in Indiana, especially here in Marion County. The General Assembly, in a bipartisan manner, came together and passed legislation that permanently caps homeowners’ property taxes and will provide nearly $900 million in relief. While I certainly believe this legislation is a work in progress and some corrections will have to be made, I also believe that we should allow for these major reforms to be implemented so we can evaluate the impact they have on homeowners, schools and public safety before we rush to make any other major reforms.

Edward O. DeLaney: I am confident that the current crisis in property taxes will lead to an amendment to our constitution. I propose to support an amendment that will work and will not require repeated tinkering. (Our decision to amend) the constitution to end the inventory tax ... has come to haunt us. In short, we need to tread carefully.

[I believe that we must be cautious anytime we look to amend Indiana’s Constitution. We have amended the constitution many times, but rarely have we repealed an amendment. I look forward to examining the impact that the property tax caps have and if elected, evaluating the proposed constructional amendment that will come before the next General Assembly.]

Edward O. DeLaney: In 2006, Gov. Daniels pushed through his Major Moves initiative that sold off the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign private vendor for $3.8 billion. His justification for privatizing the once publicly owned road was that the money generated from the sale would set the state’s road fund back in the black. Unfortunately, very little of this money has been used to help sustain and improve the state’s roads. I believe the General Assembly should work to ensure these funds are being used to build our roads before we think about adding more tolls to our highways.

Edward O. DeLaney: Again, Gov. Daniels sold his Major Moves plan as the funding mechanism for future road projects, like the I-69 extension. It seems to me that we need to hold state government to this deal and fully fund the extension with this money.

Edward O. DeLaney: No, I believe that the voters will elect a governor who wants to run this enterprise on a profitable basis consistent with our values. I doubt that more financial engineering will benefit anyone besides some favored middlemen.

I have regarded a large part of the trend toward privatization by our state government as a “cop-out.” I think Joe Kernan said it best back in the year 1996 when he was the candidate for lieutenant governor, running with Frank O’Bannon. Joe said privatization reflects a “fundamental lack of faith in people … (refusing to offer) the leadership necessary to provide … services (and shuffling off) both responsibility and accountability to the private sector.” Our civil servants are honest and fully capable. They can do the job. The Hoosier Lottery has recently brought in record profits for the state, and it would be unwise and short-sighted to cash in our future earnings for a quick infusion of cash.

Edward O. DeLaney: This tide has passed. Anyone who believes that there are no public functions and that the market is perfect hasn’t been reading the financial press.

I think we must be very cautious before moving forward on any further state government privatization projects. I am uneasy anytime you lose accountability and oversight over how taxpayers’ hard-earned money is spent. Furthermore, privatizing social services in this state to a for-profit company was a mistake. Though some parts of government may be run like a business, “profit margin” and "cutting corners” have no place when it comes to the services that need to be provided for some of our most vulnerable citizens, the poor and the elderly.

Edward O. DeLaney: Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Indiana, and our Indiana Code that defines marriage as between one man and one woman is not ambiguous. Furthermore, the Indiana appellate court has upheld this law by a 3-0 vote. The state constitution is intended to be a framework and template for the laws we pass to govern ourselves. Governing by amendment sets a dangerous precedent.

A better use of the legislature’s time would be in passing laws that would strengthen heterosexual marriage and to try to stem the dangerous increase in our divorce rate. Laws passed to prepare couples for marriage through education and counseling might actually be a real “defense of marriage” act.

Edward O. DeLaney: I believe that the state has gone as far as it needs to on this front. We should stop tinkering with this issue and focus on government efficiency and property tax reform. We don’t need another infusion of gaming money to mask our problems.

With the state already in a financial crisis over the issue of property taxes, it would be fiscally irresponsible and unfair to taxpayers to eliminate already existing revenue sources that are helping keep homeowners’ property taxes low.

Edward O. DeLaney: Kernan/Shepard. The pocketbooks of Marion County residents have been hit hard, and I believe we must take a serious look at ways to consolidate and streamline local government and help it become more efficient and cost-effective. I believe that the state must do all it can to cut through any barriers that might exist to county consolidation. I would encourage consolidation in Marion County government, particularly consolidating the county’s fire departments. Eliminating the duplication of services is an excellent way to save taxpayers' money. I would also be in favor of encouraging larger cities in Indiana to create unified city and county governments based on the Uni-Gov model established in Indianapolis.