Editor,
As I reviewed and made filings at the Court of Appeals in the Home Place annexation case, I noticed a number of anomalies or inaccuracies, especially regarding the fire contract that Clay Township signs with Carmel annually to provide fire service in Home Place.
According to Indiana Code 36-8-13-2, in order for the Clay Township Board to be involved in fire service, the people of Home Place would have had to petition Clay Township to do this. I could find nothing in the records to indicate that this ever happened. In addition, in 2002 and 2003, the Carmel City Council specifically stated it is the “fiscal body” for the city and therefore it must be the entity to sign this fire contract. Instead, since that time, only the city’s Board of Public Works (the mayor and two of his appointments) has signed the contract for the city and not the council. Therefore, I have asked the Clay Township Board, Carmel City Council and Board of Public Works to “fix” this.
The best course of action is that once Carmel formally announces that it is annexing Home Place (which should occur in the next few weeks), it should immediately end it being the contracted fire service provider for Home Place and be our direct fire service provider. Carmel can delay terminating this contract for one year. In good faith, it should do it immediately.
James Madison declared the reason for separation of powers is because ambitious people on fiscal/legislative/judicial bodies would counteract the ambitious executives. What Madison failed to recognize, since he was wealthy and never had to fight for money, is that the “Art of the Deal” would “Trump” man’s desire solely for power.
Alexander Hamilton, raised poor, knew that most men would sell out that lust for power for lust for dollars. Hence, why most legislative and fiscal bodies tend to “compromise” away that inherent tension in a separation of powers system and everyone, executive, legislative, and judiciary, end up expanding the state because that expands revenue that it can shower on its family and friends (the “Art of the Deal”).
I call on the city council and Clay Township Board to prove me wrong and exercise their individual prerogative to end this contract. I don’t have much faith, though, since all of Hamilton County is named for a Broadway hit and Clay Township is named after Henry Clay, of the Whigs, successors to Hamilton’s Federalists, who built the canals that bankrupted Indiana in the 1830s and 40s, and predecessors to the modern Grand Ole (and “Only” here in Hamilton) Party.
Home Place would be receiving “free” fire service for a year. That is the Carmel way (get now and pay much later) and would integrate us much sooner into your ways. I’d guess more Home Placers tend to be Jeffersonian -Jacksonians than the Clay-Hamiltonians in Carmel proper. Some have claimed Hamilton was a closeted monarchist. At the least, life terms for incumbents and nepotism are features of monarchy, not bugs like in “Democracy: The God that Failed.” What say you, our local elected kings and parliaments?
Eric S. Morris, Home Place, Clay Township, Hamilton County, Land of the Indians, Los Estados Unidos
