Once again, HoosierPundit does 5 minutes of lightweight research and uses it to attack Jon Costas when the facts just don't support his claim. Valparaiso's budget has gone up for two main reasons:
1) The city has grown through annexation, meaning it's providing more services to more people. The city is now more than 25% larger than when Costas took over. It has more stores, more factories, and more roads that need more maintenance, more inspections, more water, etc. The amazing thing about Costas's record is that he did it without adding employees to city payroll.
2) The city has won over $20M in grants to be used to repair the city's previously-crumbling infrastructure, establish transportation services, and pay for other items that get reflected in the budget. When you take a budget of $20M and throw in $4-5M of grants per year, you get another 20-25% of growth.
The facts remain, as I pointed out below, that Valparaiso employs fewer people than when Costas took over. Costas has a record of working across government units to consolidate functions and save money. And the city's share of the tax levy is down. The assertion that Costas is for big government is not supported by his record.
As HoosierPundit's electability posting, my respose was both to his posting (claiming that being elected to a city of 28,000 doesn't mean you can win a state-wide election) and comments we've heard that managing a city of 28,000 doesn't mean you can manage an AG's office.
The facts are clear that Costas is a strong and effective general manager who has built a reputation for shaking-up staid bureaucracies and making positive change happen. Maybe that's one reason that so many statewide Republican officials who work with the AG's office on a regular basis support a change there.
And it's still insulting to the majority of people in a state comprising mostly small cities and towns when Scott asserts that being elected in a small city is irrelevant to being elected state-wide. It's especially hypocritical coming from a guy supporting a candidate who doesn't have a particularly good record at winning elected office.
Update: Apparently my blogger profile isn't easily findable. Here it is.
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REPUBLICAN LAW COALITION ENDORSES JON COSTAS FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
The Republican Law Coalition at the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis has voted to endorse Jon Costas for Attorney General. RLC members feel that Mr. Costas embodies the ideal balance of legal experience and political aptitude necessary to ensure a successful general election for Republicans around the state this coming November.
Jon Costas has significant legal experience. Mr. Costas would bring a broad and diverse array of legal experience to the office of the Attorney General. He has practiced complex litigation at the one of the state’s largest law firms and he has practiced elder law at a smaller firm in northern Indiana. He also serves as an adjunct professor of law at Valparaiso University School of Law.
Jon Costas has significant executive experience. The actual Attorney General personally litigates very few cases; the primary duties of the Attorney General are executive in nature. Mr. Costas is currently in his second term as Mayor of Valparaiso and has the experience of serving in an elected executive capacity. Many residents of Valparaiso have praised the vision and leadership he has provided in his administration.
Jon Costas is a proven vote-getter. Mr. Costas secured his first term as Mayor of Valparaiso by defeating a twenty-year incumbent in a hard fought election to become the only Republican mayor in northwest Indiana. Mr. Costas refused to go negative in his campaign and earned his victory through grassroots efforts and old fashioned door knocking.
Jon Costas is a coalition builder. In his bid for Mayor, Mr. Costas secured the support of many traditionally Democrat-leaning organizations including firefighters, police, and various union organizations who praised the accessibility and transparency of his administration, even though the city passed no significant union-friendly ordinances during his tenure.
Jon Costas is a proven fiscal conservative. In his capacity as Mayor of Valparaiso, he significantly reduced the city budget by consolidating the Porter County & Valparaiso 911 dispatch operations and created several environmental initiatives aimed at reducing the city’s energy use. Mr. Costas also orchestrated changes in the Valparaiso Fire Department that led to increased ratings and several hundred thousand dollars in insurance premium savings.
Jon Costas is endorsed by Governor Mitch Daniels, Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman, Secretary of State Todd Rokita, Auditor of State Tim Berry, and Treasurer of State Richard Mourdock. It is important for our Republican Team to work together in a cooperative and productive manner. The support of these statewide office holders is a ringing approval of Mr. Costas.
Jon Costas can help re-elect Governor Daniels. The RLC overwhelmingly supports Governor Daniels and the positive contributions his leadership has brought to Indiana. Mr. Costas would bring the necessary geographical balance to a November ticket and give Republicans the best chance to retain control of the executive branch of Indiana government.
For the aforementioned reasons, the Republican Law Coalition proudly supports Jon Costas for Attorney General.
Respectfully,
The RLC Membership
In order to get maximum exposure I will grab your comment and post to the main page. Thanks for your endorsement of Mayor Jon Costas for Attorney General.
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