The City Council’s discussion of property tax breaks for businesses Tuesday was a healthy review of economic development incentives that have been taken for granted too long.For Santorum’s Hoosier backers, appearance is reality
Challenges to Rick Santorum’s Indiana candidacy offer yet another example of the weakness of Hoosier conflict-of-interest laws.
Turns out that the co-chairman of Mitt Romney’s Indiana election campaign is also the chairman of the Indiana Election Commission, the government board that will decide whether Santorum gets on Indiana’s ballot.
To get on the May presidential primary ballot, candidates need 500 valid signatures from each of the state’s nine congressional districts, a total of 4,500.
But Santorum appears to be eight signatures short in one district.
So will Romney’s Indiana co-chairman, Dan Dumezich, recuse himself from any decision by the Election Commission, which he also chairs?
No.
“In my mind I can always maintain my objectivity,” he said.
Dumezich needs to learn this rule: In many circumstances, the appearance of a conflict of interest is reason enough to step back. If Dumezich casts a deciding vote that keeps Santorum off the ballot, how will he ever be able to convince Hoosiers that his backing of Romney had nothing to do with this decision?
