The Star used its editorial space today to defend its poll showing a dead heat race between Mayor Bart Peterson (D) and Greg Ballard (R) and to announce the newspaper's endorsement in the race for mayor and council races will begin tomorrow and run through Thursday. "[A] poll that shows an "unbeatable" mayoral incumbent in a statistical dead heat with a neophyte challenger who doesn't have a fraction of his funding counts for something serious," the editorial reads. "When that same poll shows less than one-third of voters supporting City-County Council Democrats, who won their first council majority in history just one election ago, it's rather difficult to discount it," it adds.
The editorial is dismissive of complaints by Peterson's campaign and other local Democrats that the poll is unreliable because it allegedly under represented black voters. "[P]eople are angry, regardless of party affiliation, and the deluge of saccharine commercials financed by Peterson's fat war chest has not exactly spread happiness around the city," the editorial replies. "His administration's accomplishments -- and they are considerable -- cannot eclipse persistent problems."
But the real question is whether the Star will endorse Ballard over Peterson. There's a hint in today's editorial with this question posed to readers: "Can the personable but quiet candidate offer a hungry electorate more specifics and more forcefulness about reducing taxes and cutting spending than he has so far? " That reads to me that we're going to pick up our Sunday newspaper and read an editorial that slaps Peterson around before giving him the nod, concluding that Ballard hasn't made the case he could do a better job. I could be wrong and I hope I am, but after the newspaper's endorsement of Carson for another term last year when the editors knew there were obvious signs of her declining mental and physical health, I'm not holding out much hope they will do the right thing and endorse Ballard this year.
A story today on the news pages tells us Ballard cut a new TV ad yesterday. With only a little more than a week left to go in the campaign, it's hard to imagine any meaningful TV buy that's going to make much difference in this campaign. Hell, I saw a TV ad for city-county council candidate Dane Mahern run a couple of times yesterday on WTHR. I will simply never excuse state and local GOP leaders for intentionally setting out to throw this election to Mayor Peterson based upon some backroom deal that's supposedly going to hand the office of mayor to state GOP Chairman Murray Clark in four years. This is an election where the people can take back their government from a small group of elite insiders who see our existence as nothing more than mere servants in their kingdom.
15 comments:
Spotlight offered all city candidates a free ad on cable to run the last couple of weeks before the election - targeted to their districts (or all of them for mayor and at-large candidates). Neither Peterson nor Ballard accepted the offer. He COULD have had a free ad running - he just didn't get it together in time to accept it. In his defense though, the way the offer was worded was VERY confusing and several City-County Council candidates also didn't accept the offer until it was too late.
If I were Ryerson,and I'm not,I would have my newspaper's endorsement for Mayor of this city a neutral one.
A neutral endorsement makes sense in many ways but first and foremost the Star would allow the voters to decide (they're going to anyway).
But if history is any judge then the Star will endorse Peterson while at the same time railing against him.
If it was my paper and I wanted people to go and get to the polls and vote I would simply take a neutral stance on the Mayor's race endorsement issue. I think it's justifiable given current voter sentiment.
Interesting, Bil. Do you know which candidates took up the offer?
I was polled last night at 9:45 p.m. It was questions only about Peterson and Ballard. It was definately a demo poll. When I stated that I was for sure voting, voting independent, and was choosing Ballard, the guy said the following: Did you know that Ballard will cut the budget 10% and this will reduce street paving, sidewalk repair, trash pickup, and eliminate the meals on wheels program. I told him a favored a 10% cut and that Ballard wouldn't touch the senior programs. That I liked the idea of quarterly budget meetings in front of the public. I also want Peterson to explain line item 390 (60+) million for other charges which he refuses to do.
My whole family is voting Ballard!
Spotlight is a great way to get your message to the masses. Man, knowing that Ballard missed that opportunity, I wish I could get my campaign donations back.
If its as you say Gary, a ruse to put Murray Clark in the Mayor's office in 2011 it'll be the largest political miscalculation in history.
If Peterson stays in office and the Council remains Democrat with as much voter anger that is out there - a lot of the remaining Republicans will leave Marion County and by 2011 Marion County will resemble northern Lake County with Republicans being rendered irrelevant. And to people like Bil's or Wilson's delight the DemocRATs will have full reign to practice their corruption unchecked and nobody will care.
Can someone tell me why the entire Reserve Division of IMPD was pulled from their normal service districts and is now required until the election is over to work the Irvington area? A group page came out yesterday about it. This days after Peterson gets lambasted about crime in his neighborhood meeting in Irvington?
What does Ballard stand for or propose anyway? It is one thing to not want to want for Bart but shouldn't we know a little bit about what Ballard wants to do......he is truly a mystery man! I better stick with what I know.
Gary,
I don't read the Star anymore and their endorsement wouldn't influence me one way or the other. Since the internet is now in high gear most of those in the print media are finding that subscribers are dwindling. For the past eight years the Star has kissed up to the Petersin administration and my guess is that they will endorse him again with the same stern warning they gave Julia Carsin after her last election. They continue to lose credibility when they doctor poll results as they did yesterday when they ran the story on the mayor's race. On Thursday evening they said it was 41 to 39% but when Friday's edition was released the numbers jumped in Bart's favor to 43% and all the other numbers stayed the same. Blogs such as this one have raised questions and gathered facts such as the real residence of a certain CCC member lend more credibility to the types of info people can find instead of relying on the Star. If the internet were not around my guess is that the Star never would've ran any type of story. That is how people are able to lie and get away with things. The Star runs on the idea that if they don't print it then its not news and nobody will ever know.
While Ryerson is at it, the Star ought to look at reports I've been hearing about in the Woodruff Place area that Democrats are going into yards where Scott Keller's troops have put (with permission) signs up, and (without permission) replacing them with his opponent's. Trespass at least if nothing else, but I'll wait to see what the polls think about it.
I assure you Greg Ballard and friends were not aware of any free offer for advertising.
anon 12:23 - hi Wilson
gary 2:28 for someone who has not read the Star for years, you certainly know a lot of what is in it.
Well the endorsement is out, and as expected it's for peterson. It's also way over the top.
Anon 825, You need a set of glasses and the ability to read. I never said I haven't read it for years. I said I don't read it anymore. One only needs to look at the headlines they posted on Thursday and again on Friday to see that they doctored their own poll numbers. Nice try champ.
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