Our town

Gov. Mitch Daniels sat down with WANE-TV last month and said it should be up to the people of Fort Wayne whether to pursue expanded gambling here. Then he was asked if he would sign off on a referendum for such gambling if it came to his desk during a legislative session, and he said:

Most of us can't afford to advertise ourselves by securing the naming rights for something as big as a sports stadium. But what about something a little more modest? Thanks to the budget troubles of cities like Indianapolis, we may finally have our shot:

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's administration is looking into whether selling naming rights and other forms of advertising might help the city make needed infrastructure improvements.

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A city this size isn't going to have an Al Sharpton or a Jesse Jackson to keep the racial-resentment pot boiling, but we can always count on City Counilman Glynn Hines to play the race card. Last fall, Hynes went public with his "lack of trust" in the Henry administration because it wasn't diverse enough to suit him.

This has to be the quote of the week. It's from Police Chief Rusty York, explaining the 180-day suspension of FWPD Officer Thomas Andrews for "engaging in sexual activity" while on duty. York noted that the encounter with a woman was consensual and that Andrews didn't abuse his police authority to get sex. Furthermore:

The city has settled out of court for $335,000 the suit filed by the family of Jose Baudilio Lemus-Rodriguez, the illegal immigrant killed by rookie officer James Arnold after a brief car chase.

When Graham Richard was mayor, his preference for the policy-wonk part of the job over the public-appearance part was an issue. Even I got into the act. This is from an editorial I wrote in 2003: "There is something about leadership that Mayor Graham Richard still doesn't get. In voluntarily seeking the public arena, he was entering into a contract with the electorate that requires him to be visibly engaged in the community's issues.

The Census stopped being about mere demographics, congressional districts and presidential electors quite awhile ago -- it's now mostly about the money, as Mayor Tom Henry makes clear in remarks urging that every last person be counted:

Have you people forgotten how to have fun or what?

Arrests at the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival decreased to the first single-digit arrest total in six years.

Police made four arrests throughout the nine-day festival, down from 12 last year. Nine charges were filed against those arrested.

I'm thinking Tracy Warner is thinking he is insulting Mitch Harper:

When City Council members last week discussed vacating much of Pearl Street for Aunt Millie's/Perfection Bakery, they didn't talk about the 800-pound gorilla in the room: bakery owner John Popp, a major contributor to a number of Republican candidates.

It is now possible to report with bipartisan good will that Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has joined former Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard in discovering the true secret of good municipal government:

Eliminating potholes is a bumpy road, but the city of Indianapolis has made a huge improvement.

Mayor Greg Ballard said once the city is aware of the problem it's fixing the faulty asphalt at breakneck speed.