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Indiana
State Orders Suspension of Indiana Land Resources Council
Indiana Republican Governor Mitch Daniels won office last November on a platform that included elimination of scores of state boards and commissions he would have deemed useless after a thorough review, but starting with suspension of the Indiana Land Resources Council -- created by lawmakers in 1999 to address sprawl, conservation, redevelopment, planning and zoning -- doesn't seem right to its member and Ball State University Urban Planning Professor Eric Kelly, who said the council was to present a smart-growth policy draft soon.
Including also a mayor, a county executive, a Nature Conservancy official, a forester, a farmer and a developer, all serving for $50 a meeting plus mileage reimbursement, writes Muncie Star Press reporter Seth Slabaugh, the council was suspended by the newly appointed assistant commissioner of agriculture, former Weaver Popcorn Co. executive Andy Miller, who called its mission ''very important,'' but asked the members and the sole staffer for letters of resignation, nevertheless. He told the reporter the ''well-intentioned'' council never received sufficient resources ''to take much action.''
Professor Kelly will not resign. ''Just asking doesn't do it,'' he said. ''Asking us to resign without finding out what we've been doing or hope to do is a little strange.'' He pointed out that bringing together individuals with such different backgrounds and attitudes, the council needed time ''to build enough trust to have serious conversations and push some initiatives.''
Regarding the new governor's attitude, he can only speculate. ''Maybe he wants to start from scratch and take another three or four years. Or maybe he thinks he can come up with a top-down recommendation,'' the professor said. ''Or maybe he'll just ignore the issue.'' -- Star Press
1/18/2005
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