WTHR has an interesting, if perhaps overly breathless, story about how the governor and his economic development corporation, now run by Mitch Roob, puffed up its record of attracting jobs. The short version is that they chalked up victories when companies announced intentions to locate or expand employment in Indiana but didn’t take them off the “success” list when the jobs failed to materialize. I can’t imagine the Daniels administration invented this technique, but it does remind me a little of how Enron booked profits when a deal was struck rather than waiting to see if the profits ever materialized.
Since its creation, IEDC boasts more than 100,000 new jobs on its success list, and when the agency and the governor talk about job numbers, the “Indiana Economic Successes” list is what they are talking about.
But 13 Investigates discovered many of the state’s “economic successes” aren’t really successes at all.
They are empty fields and deserted factories where the state claims there are supposed to be thousands of jobs.
More notable to me was that Mitch Roob still has a job in Indiana government. My memory might be failing me, and I can’t find anything after a quick search of my blog, but it seems like there was some unusually large compensation package for Mr. Roob, ostensibly because if he didn’t receive extra compensation, we’d lose him to the private sector.* In any case, he was a big part of the FSSA debacle involving welfare eligibility privatization and his former employer, ACS, along with IBM.
*A further search suggests maybe I’m thinking of a compensation package for Richard Rhoad who worked for FSSA.
Daniels may not have invented this technique, but he’s the guy who needed his own Inspector General to root out corruption in previous administrations.
Forty percent! That’s a lotta damned disinformation to’ve been simply missed all around while Mitch was touting those numbers in his multi-million-dollar ad buys in the Indianapolis market. And, yeah, it’s too bad this comes from 13, and its Dumpster Diving Investigative reporter (“The common item you may have in your refrigerator RIGHT NOW! that’s causing your brain to melt. Tonite at 11.”) but then the teevee and print political reporters are too busy playing inside baseball and expense-account lunch.
Anyone who’s been half-paying attention and is willing to be one-quarter honest knows Daniels’ Economic Miracle is smoke and mirrors. The real question is how these disinformation campaigns come to work over and over, and why it’s so difficult to wake a reporter when you could actually use one.
you’re probably thinking of this: roob got a $20k raise when he started his new job, despite a supposed freeze.
We’re worried we might Mitch Roob to the private sector? Will someone please tell me why?
Worried? More like hoping and praying Roob will be “lost” to the private sector. Maybe the same thing will happen to the other Mitch.
Is anyone keeping score on how many teaching jobs are going away soon? ISTA [guesses 5,000. http://www.bsudailynews.com/indiana-waits-to-see-how-300-million-in-k-12-budget-cuts-will-affect-education-economy-1.2173814%5D
Reporters like Jim Shallow and Matt “too indifferent to care” Tully can both be bought by this administration for a thin sliced corn beef on rye sandwich, if a pickle slice and some ruffles potato chips are thrown in.
Couldn’t say it better.
Roob should have been fired after the FSSA fiasco, not shifted to a more important role at IEDC and given a raise for very poor performance.
At lease Mickey Mauer and Nate Feltman knew what they were doing and had some real successes. Roob is just a political hack apparently inflating the numbers with few real results in the past 12 months.
Do we blame them or the “Hoosiers” who fell for this crap for the last six years? Of course the pathetic,non-existent campaigns of Kernan and Long didn’t help.
I think the voters certainly share some responsibility, but I also think the media does as well. These last couple of reports about the inflated jobs numbers and the fairly decent coverage of FSSA notwithstanding, I’ve seen very little investigative/critical reporting from the mainstream media in Indiana in the three years I’ve lived here. The Long campaign was certainly lackluster though I wonder how much of that was helped by the silence of the media in its role of accountability and fact checking. The job inflation was certainly going on during the election of 2008. The media is only uncovering it now? The only comfort I take from it coming out now is that it may hurt Mitch’s chances at running for President.
“in Indiana in the three years I’ve lived here”
Oh-oh, Chad, now you’ve done it. I had been living in SW IN, doing countless civic services for 20 years and brought up my family there, when I was told by a “native” that my opinion doesn’t count because “you’re not from here”.
Mary – :) Sorry you have been discounted in that way.
Being a newish Hoosier (assuming I can call myself that) I do think I lack a historical understanding of Indiana politics. I grew up a liberal in a conservative household in Michigan so I’m used to being somewhat of an outsider. Even though I thought I was prepared for living in a conservative state, I’ve been surprised by how “outside the norm” I am often told I am, even in Democratic circles. It can be very discouraging at times.
I’m glad you’ve hung in there and are continuing to voice your opinion.
Chad-
Stick around. You are needed here in IN. Some of us are getting older.
Chad posted:”Even though I thought I was prepared for living in a conservative state, I’ve been surprised by how “outside the norm” I am often told I am, even in Democratic circles. It can be very discouraging at times”.
The problem is everyone has to wear their politics on their sleeves, even if they don’t want to,they still don’t have a choice because the moment you make a comment on anything politically you’re labeled into an category and then all your other positions on issues are assumed. I was also raised by a conservative family,but have gradually become more liberal-leaning.But still I can argue politics with liberals,but arguing with a conservative is a lost cause.
From my perspective, the main difference between Illinois and Indiana is that Illinois has more people and more politicians,and more space geographically. I would even venture an opinion that Indianapolis as a center of politics controls Indiana more than Chicago controls Illinois… only because Chicago is 300 miles away from the farthest point of downstate.There’s no escaping Indianapolis if you are a Hoosier.That was made clear during the Time Debate.
I’m not sure about that, Lou. Southern Indiana feels very disconnected from Indianapolis. Although their media does a fairly good job of reporting state politics, at least during the sessions, the people don’t feel even in the same world as Indy, and almost NO ONE that I’ve met in Indy has ever even driven through Evansville, although some of them “have cousins who went there one time.” This is all because “you can’t get there from here.”
Yup. Evansville is definitely in another world for me. I’ve hit most of the rest of Indiana at one time or another, but Evansville just doesn’t seem to be on the way to anywhere for me.
Chad – if you get too lonely, come down to Monroe County to visit for a few days. There’s plenty of us latte drinkers around here:)
Indianadem – Would it be okay if I drank Chai Tea? Never acquired that taste for coffee. Does this mean I’m not a real liberal? ;)
I can remember before the Interstate High system was complete the main road to Florida from Chicago was via Route 41 through Evansville.The greyhound national routing passed through Lafayette, Terre Haute and Evansville and then through Nashville. So the interstate highway plan actually put Indianapolis on the interstate map,and left Evansville in the dust. I still make yearly trips through Evansville because it is closer(and longstanding habit) for me than I-65 through Louisville and Indianapolis,when I travel to and from the South.
No offense intended, but Evansville hasn’t given the impression of sucessful economics even in former good times .It looks drab and old and in need of investment.That’s the passing through impression.
Lou,
The east side, which you would miss going that way, has exploded with retail and development. Not much in the way of good independent restaurants, though. Downtown is pretty dead, but a new arena is going up in hopes of changing that (good luck!). There are gems though. The library system is tops with some beautiful new spaces well done and well attended. Medical care seems pretty good. Public schools are good. There are arts, too, but you always see the same people in attendance. What it really misses, though, is diversity. That’s what makes it seem so small. Everyone looks alike.
Mary,
I’ll stop and look around next time.We can always find diversity in a good library.