Comments on Advance Indiana™: Is Marchal Really A Republican?

The defense attorneys I've talked to that prac...

2010-01-26T13:59:23.798-05:00

The defense attorneys I've talked to that practice in Marion County (I'm a deputy prosecutor in another county) all respect Helen and believe her to be fair & principled. That says a lot coming from the defense bar.

On a more jovial level, if we voted for the hottest candidate, Helen would win in a landslide.

I would agree Karma. I was just trying to think o...

2010-01-22T09:39:25.783-05:00

I would agree Karma. I was just trying to think of a reason for the distinction.

Paul O, maybe I'm just missing the connection,...

2010-01-22T09:17:51.067-05:00

Paul O, maybe I'm just missing the connection, but the quoted Hatch-act based complaint in AI's original post describes Wyser as in charge of all the trial deputies, which would include even the IV-D child support prosecutors, ultimately. I also believe there are other prosecutors, such as gun-unit prosecutors, and possibly some of the community prosecutors, that would fit the bill of being funded through federal grants.

Seems like Marchal and Wyser would be in the same boat, as long as they are running for partisan offices.

Pat, Her husband was never a candidate on the ball...

2010-01-22T09:08:28.350-05:00

Pat, Her husband was never a candidate on the ballot in the primary. He ran for slating as a judge, lost and dropped out.

I sincerely hope that the credibility of her ideas...

2010-01-22T08:57:38.691-05:00

I sincerely hope that the credibility of her ideas for governing from the Prosecutor's Office vs. those of whoever might be her opponents' ideas -- can still be weighed.

It looks to me like Ed Treacy is doing all he can to throw in a red herring to discredit anything she might say to her fellow Republicans.

Her husband was running for office -- so she voted in the 'other' primary ? And, so what, she paid the token fee to become a member of a D club to support his campaign? Hell, her husband may even have signed her up without her being aware of it, so as to be more supportive of the club.

I don't know her or her past performance at work or her ideas. Those would seem to me to be justifiable objects of debate - not the red herrings cast about by Treacy.

The Indianapolis Times blog also claims that she i...

2010-01-22T08:18:50.462-05:00

The Indianapolis Times blog also claims that she is a member of the Southside Democratic Club.

Power is what now matters in most units of governm...

2010-01-22T02:47:17.854-05:00

Power is what now matters in most units of government in the USA now, not the rule of law. With Paul Craig Roberts, I lament that. As far as Helen Marchal, she is not going to be elected Marion County Prosecutor in Nov., and why should the law-abiding citizens of Marion County care!

Well, considering Carl may just get charged with i...

2010-01-21T22:56:59.077-05:00

Well, considering Carl may just get charged with insider trading on Cellstar/CLST Holdings, it begs the question of whether David Wyser also timely traded in the stock just prior to Indianapolis-based Brightpoint's acquisition.

On a separate note Wooster's Daily Record is reporting Fair Finance is reopened at an "undisclosed location."

Karma, Could it be that some prosecutor positions...

2010-01-21T20:09:40.407-05:00

Karma,

Could it be that some prosecutor positions are funded with federal dollars and others are not? For example, the Title IVD prosecutors I have heard are funded by federal money.

AI, can you play devil's advocate and make a c...

2010-01-21T16:32:11.628-05:00

AI, can you play devil's advocate and make a credible argument that the same concerns that caused Marchal to resign while running for Marion County Prosecutor, somehow don't apply to Wyser, running for Hamilton County Prosecutor?

It's not as if we are talking about individuals from different counties, Wyser and Marchal are/were Brizzi's immediate lieutenants. Does this not occur to them all to be a dramatic inconsistency for people charged with enforcing the law, or at least not breaking it? How about at least being consistent?

rena, I'd like to see these sentiments come fr...

2010-01-21T16:25:48.043-05:00

rena, I'd like to see these sentiments come from Helen herself, which would indeed publicly show an independence and gutsiness we all could be proud of.

Otherwise, she's not entitled to such a presumption since it never showed up once the 6th floor brain-trust was done with their meetings. One could even argue she was ineffectual in leadership if she was unable to get Brizzi and Wyser to do the right thing, even though "right" was on her side.

Varan, Yes, you can swtich back and forth between...

2010-01-21T16:17:05.756-05:00

Varan,

Yes, you can swtich back and forth between D and R. But you can be challenged and forced to sign an affidavit that in the Fall you will vote for a majority of the party's candidates...the party you're voting for in the primary.

Don't ask me how they make sure who you vote for in the fall.

It does raise the concern that she was a Democrat ...

2010-01-21T15:48:25.747-05:00

It does raise the concern that she was a Democrat at heart until she was elevated to a management position in Brizzi's office and then switched party affiliation as a matter of convenience. You're right, varangianguard, in that it might be a trivial issue but when you have to gain the trust of rank and file Republicans before you take that next step, it can become a troubling obstacle. As I recall, Democrats bashed Ballard for having missed voting in a number of elections prior to running for mayor but at least he had always voted in the Republican primary when he did cast a vote.

Frankly, does voting in one primary or another mat...

2010-01-21T14:30:06.101-05:00

Frankly, does voting in one primary or another matter to "real" voters? I think not.

Sure, it matters to those who like to keep their tidy little playgrounds pristine, but most voters aren't that exclusionary.

If I were considering voting for Ms. Marchal, this would barely even register on my radar.

Is it illegal to switch back and forth during primaries? No.

Would anyone in their right mind consider it unethical? Well...certainly people who have a direct interest in partitioning the playground might. Anyone else? I think not.

This is an illusory issue. Maybe we ought to stick to worrying about "real" issues when deciding who to vote for as Prosecutor?

Rena, thanks. You, as a former insder, know more ...

2010-01-21T13:25:42.711-05:00

Rena, thanks. You, as a former insder, know more and said it all far better than I could.

Gary? I missed that part somehow.

2010-01-21T13:22:53.661-05:00

Gary? I missed that part somehow.

Rena, thanks. You, as a former insder, know more ...

2010-01-21T13:21:38.532-05:00

Rena, thanks. You, as a former insder, know more and said it all far better than I could.

Thanks for sharing, Rena. I realize this situation...

2010-01-21T13:18:45.737-05:00

Thanks for sharing, Rena. I realize this situation is not entirely of Helen's own making. It is extremely frustrating, though, for party activists to be held in the lurch for months only to see Brizzi drop out and to see Helen anointed as his successor without an opportunity to consider any other candidates. This position is considered the second most powerful elected office in the State of Indiana right behind the Governor because state government oversight falls under the office. I think the people deserve more than just one choice.

As a former prosecutor at MCPO, please allow me to...

2010-01-21T13:11:03.336-05:00

As a former prosecutor at MCPO, please allow me to explain. I worked at MCPO for several years under both Newman and Brizzi. The rank and file deputy prosecutors at MCPO despise Brizzi. He is self-aggrandizing, egocentric, slimy, and a shameless self-promoter. Everyone knows that and is repulsed by him.

Helen did not run MCPO. She regularly disagreed with Brizzi and David Wyser and was always the champion for doing what was right. There is a reason that even though she worked on the "6th floor" (where all of the executive offices at MCPO are) she is still very respected, admired, and genuinely liked by virtually all at MCPO - deputy prosecutors and support staff alike.

One comment correctly pointed out that she was inexplicably loyal to Brizzi who certainly was undeserving of her steadfastness. And I think she has some explaining to do about that. Why work for such a schmuck? Well, I think the true reason is because she cares so much about the Marion County Prosecutor's Office that she recognized that she needed to stay. The office needed her. Believe me when I tell you that Helen was exposed to much of the ugliness and underhanded dealings Brizzi engaged in while she was Chief of Staff. But she certainly did not condone it or control it. She was the voice of reason and always championed doing the right thing. She routinely disagreed and gave advice counter to the path Brizzi and David Wyser were choosing. But she was not in charge adn ultimately Brizzi & Wyser would oftern choose to ignore her. Helen had a sincere disdain for Carl's political pandering.

I assure you that under Helen Marchal the MCPO would be an office all of us (including a life-long prosecutor like myself) could be proud of. Helen is ethical, extremely bright, and has the heart of a prosecutor. She is fair, hard-working, and conscientious. She genuinely wants to work to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Indianapolis. That is why she is running for prosecutor - and that's why she stayed on as Chief of Staff for Brizzi even though he is such a distasteful and classless individual. She will walk a fine line in explaining this during the election cycle.

I thought one who works for the City of Indianapol...

2010-01-21T13:10:24.017-05:00

I thought one who works for the City of Indianapolis is required to live within Marion County. Why do lawyers not follow the same rules as we have to?

Advance Indiana, I can't disagree about Carl h...

2010-01-21T13:04:45.653-05:00

Advance Indiana, I can't disagree about Carl having no moral compass.

Thanks for providing a reasonable forum for me to put my position forward.

Have you not been following this, Melyssa? Helen r...

2010-01-21T12:57:40.837-05:00

Have you not been following this, Melyssa? Helen resigned her job to run for the office.

Marchal runs the prosecutor's office now, corr...

2010-01-21T12:43:27.597-05:00

Marchal runs the prosecutor's office now, correct?

If so then she has a great opportunity right now to start cleaning up corruption and show us before the election of what substance she is made.

Is she part of the Marion County combine or is she on the side of The People?

Her words and the words of the party mean nothing to me.

Only ACTION matters and counts.

I'm not buying another pig in the poke from Tom John's Marion county GOP.

Nancy, I think my count is up to four, and that do...

2010-01-21T12:34:13.014-05:00

Nancy, I think my count is up to four, and that doesn't count the Terry Record coverup that ended in the death of an innocent man. I realize she wasn't chief of staff when all of these things happened, but she continued serving in an office under an official who quite obviously had no moral compass.

Nancy, I personally communicated my concerns about...

2010-01-21T12:28:01.399-05:00

Nancy, I personally communicated my concerns about the lack of action on public corruption cases directly to Helen. The complete inaction by that office told me everything I needed to know.