. . . Craft is a political newcomer who is leaning heavily on his real estate experience to show he's qualified for the post.
"About a third of the work they do is real estate," Craft said. "I was very surprised to see that there are no real estate professionals on the council, as far as I can tell."
But that experience quickly became a campaign issue for his opponent. Scales filed a complaint with the attorney general's office noting that Craft's real estate license expired in June 2014 — around the time that the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency was reclassifying real estate sales licenses as real estate brokers.
Craft continued to practice until April 2015 without a valid license, according to PLA records, but he chalked it up to a clerical error during a messy transition at the agency. It's the first time he's had an issue; from 2003 to 2014, his license was in good standing, according to the PLA website.
Craft, meanwhile, questions whether Scales can be an effective advocate for her district, given her inability to work with her own party.
"There's a need when putting together proposals and working on a council to work with others," Craft said. "From what I have seen, that is not something that Councilor Scales has been able to do in her tenure."
Scales counters that her penchant for bucking her own party is a strength.
"Voters need to trust that their elected officials will have the courage to cast votes that are in the public's best interests," she wrote. "I have repeatedly proven I will do just that, even when doing what is right by voters has hurt my standing with party leaders." . . .Advance Indiana has spoken to numerous real estate professionals who are absolutely astonished that a large, national real estate brokerage firm like CBRE permitted one of its brokers to practice without a license for so long, a fact that might not have been brought to public light had Craft not been running for public office. Despite Craft's lamentations about a "messy transition" and "a clerical error" at the Professional Licensing Agency, a claim that won't sit well with staff members currently investigating Craft, everyone who was required under a 2-year transition period to upgrade their sales agent license to a broker license had no problem meeting last year's July 1, 2014 deadline except for Craft. A Call 6 investigation by Kara Kenney confirmed Craft was just lazy and never got around to satisfying his education requirements and filing them with the PLA until after it became an issue in his campaign.
The Star story by Brian Eason also discusses the contested Democratic primary race featuring incumbent Angela Mansfield, who is facing off against Councilor Leroy Robinson, who moved into Mansfield's district last September so he could run against her. At least Eason got the fact that Robinson only rented an apartment in the district a few months ago to meet residency requirements. He mentions that Robinson has out-raised Mansfield by a 2-1 margin without mentioning that his campaign is being bankrolled by lobbyists for the digital billboard industry who are backing a controversial ordinance opposed by Mansfield.
4 comments:
“If the Indianapolis Star was a legitimate newspaper”... If wishes were horses we’d all be riding. Any northwestside IndyStar/Gannett newspaper production team member knows just how steeply the failed Star circulation numbers actually are. If I were an advertiser, Gannett’s Indianapolis Star is the very last place I’d pay to have my good advertised. If no one reads the rag does it make a sound when an business or consumer inserts a paid ad? That Gannett and IBJ demi-god Mickey Maurer allow only publication of portions of the news that support their world view is hardly a shock to any intelligent man or woman. I am unsure of the readership profile of the IBJ but I am beginning to wonder if it is reflective of the three people who read Gannett’s Indy Star.
This entire Tim Craft sewage is indicative of the filthy political campaigns waged at any cost against a perceived enemy of the Establishment Republican corruption machine by the insipid Kyle Walker and the grudge holding ultimate insider attorney GOP hack David Brooks. Remember all those imputed [racial?] slurs against Indy’s only African American and life-long Indianapolis resident mayoral candidate Jocelyn-Tandy Adende in the hateful postcards sent out in previous Primary years by Kyle Walker and Tom John in the name of the MCRCC? And make no mistake about it; DB remains the powerhouse in Center Township; SDeW is merely a figurehead who is his loyal Stepin Fetchit – like HRC, SDeW has accomplished almost nothing on her own… she is where she is only because of DB.
I am repulsed by the LIES Tim Craft has to be employing to save his sorry ass. While I am deeply disturbed and heavily disappointed by MIBOR’s apparent utter lack of action in protecting the sanctity of its Ethics Code, I have to believe that MIBOR made multiple efforts via email, electronic newsletters, and in brokerage owner meetings to help members like Tim Craft be aware of the licensing changes and obey them. ON THIS ISSUE TIM CRAFT HAS TO BE A LIAR. AS SUCH, HE MUST BE REJECTED AT THE PRIMARY POLLS ON MAY 5th.
Back room closed-door selections of candidates like Tim Craft and Chuck Brewer are not the way of a free people. But with such a crooked Marion County GOP run by devious attorneys and attorney firms… it’s going to be tough to defeat those who use the law to break the law.
So let's see here: The choice is between a true proven leader, dedicated to the constituents or someone with ethics that I consider the likes of Hillary Clinton.
I am voting for Christine Scales! I know she has integrity, honesty and moral courage to do the right thing; she also has a proven record.
Voters don't want Krafty they want representation.
Robinson is bought and paid for by lobbyists. Robinson is supporting the digital billboards and is reviving the proposal in his committee after the primary.
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