Who Gets What?

Tim Brickley produces, engineers, composes, sings, and conducts in a dozen different contexts, including solo jazz, opening for big name touring groups, and preparing music for film as well as for the local Fonseca Theater.   Listen to Tim here with John and Morton, then pull down some of his work on YouTube.  Well worth the time.  

Judge Martha Wentworth, the Indiana Tax Court Judge (second person to hold this position) tells us:   "I love tax."   She loves the ever-changing legal tax structure that directly or indirectly affects every Hoosier family. Major topics are the case "Town of St. John (1998) that changed property tax administration to market-based valuations, and "Wayfair" (2018 U.S. Supreme Court) that allowed sales tax to be charged on most inter state transactions.

Chris Watts, head of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, talks about his agency and the fiscal challenges caused by COVID.

Designer Elizabeth Mahoney (EMDesign) describes the many meanings of good design, from buildings to computer icons, and she cites some of her favorites. She also is passionate about protecting our climate, animal welfare and tree preservation.   A potential new state seal rounds out this conversation.

Attorney Robert Wildman spent years representing The Indiana Secondary Market for Education Loans.  (Host Morton Marcus served the same organization on the board of directors.)  Now his largest client is a developer of commercial real estate, placing him on the borrowers side of the table. This discussion covers the 2008 economic challenges, and compares those to the challenges today caused by COVID.        

Arguably the most experienced and knowledgeable attorney regarding a 40 year history of elections in Marion County, Indiana, Bill Groth explains the major cases that determined how our city council is elected. He then talks about current litigation regarding voting in the time of COVID, mailed ballot receipt deadlines, signature matching, and methods to speed up tabulations. 

"Our legislature runs on trust" is one of many points raised by our guest, Rick Cockrum, President, Capitol Assets, a firm representing citizens' interests to The Indiana General Assembly. Gambling, taxes, health and safety of legislators, how to influence government decisions, and the powerful role of volunteer administrators of elections, are part of this engaging conversation.

In addition to discussing normal challenges of giving care to dementia and Alzheimer's patients, this conversation considers differences between The United States and The United Kingdom. A reason is that our guest, Maria Holmes, was raised and worked in The UK prior to coming to Indianapolis 12 years ago.  She serves as a program manager for the Alzheimer's Association Greater Indiana Chapter.  

Is your infinitive split?  What about "irregardless?"  Should you read fantasy and/or John Green? These are just a few topics of this stimulating conversation with 25-year English teacher Shauna Gough.

Have you been on a Monkey Bar recently, or, a small Merry Go Round?  It might have been manufactured by KidsSoft, a company in Gary, Indiana, that has worked more than 30 years for the enjoyment--and safety--of active children. A founder, George McGuan is our guest.

Scott Keller, a leader in preservation, appraisal, home building and restoration, and innovator of such ideas as The Indiana Black Heritage Trail, speaks about his long service, including  in Indianapolis city government.    

Personal care giver and experienced nurse Rebecca Marcus describes her recent experience helping a friend pass.    

David Ryan, Executive Director of the Lake Shore Chamber of Commerce (Hammond and East Chicago), describes his work today, as well as his previous experiences in communities such as Kentland, Indiana. 

John Elliott, President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, describes his work, and the concept of food insecurity, in great detail, revealing much new information to us. For example, grandparents raising grandchildren often find themselves food insecure.  School closings not only negatively affected food delivered inside schools.  It also reduced the number of general public food banks, and those which delivered pack lunches on weekends. Gleaners delivers more than 35 million meals a year, and growing.

Attorney Tom Cobb served as counsel for The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and, later, as administrative law judge for The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Along the way he frustratingly considered what to do with used capacitors near Bloomington, and disagreements over new telephone area codes in the northwest quadrant of our state.  

For 36 years, our guest, Jim Plump, has served as leader of The Jackson County (Indiana) Industrial Development Corporation, based in Seymour. He has worked to attract companies to this area, to build required infrastructure, and to make his communities friendly both to new companies and to residents.   And this:  he believes that having served as a high school basketball official, he learned to make decisions, and to face criticism.

(With apologies for challenging sound) we had fine conversation with Tim Eckerle, executive director of The Grant County Economic Growth Council (Marion, Indiana) for more than 35 years. The nature of work, expectations and incentives for young people, status of restaurants during the pandemic, and the challenge of interacting by Zoom, all were part of this edition.  (Zoom requires more work than in-person encounters.)  And this question:  is Indiana rooted too much in the past?

Garrett Hedeen is supervisor of The Bloomington, Indiana, emergency services system, having previously worked as a paramedic in Indianapolis for more than 17 years.   Garrett describes issue, protocols and budgeting for emergency services.   In the middle, Julia Ricci recommends a movie appropriate to our conversation.   

With a movie recommendation about 1950s sensational journalism, this conversation with Ed Breen is about the state of journalism today.  Ed is a member of the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, most recently having served as editor of The Chronicle-Tribune of Marion, Indiana.  His "retirement" involves production of a radio show in Marion featuring commentary and history.  (Ed was a board member of The Indiana Historical Society.)    

This conversation is for serious students of public finance.  Michael Griffin, Clerk Treasurer of Highland, Indiana, explains tax caps, financial reserves, bonds, pensions, how The Subaru Plan was financed, and, importantly, shared ethics among units of government. A movie review is included:   Harold and Lillian, A Hollywood Love Story.