A story I missed. Back on May 4, 2005, the Indy Star ran an article by Michele McNeil and Mary Beth Schneider entitled Sneaky or not, BMV starts a fight. The article reports that BMV Commissioner, Joel Silverman, upset President pro tem of the Senate, Bob Garton (R-Columbus), by including a BMV branch in Hope, Indiana — in Garton’s district — in the list of branches slated for closing. Silverman had a list of 12 branches to be closed that are apparently the branches with the least traffic. The closings are estimated to save $1 million per year.
Garton called the closing announcements a “sneak attack” and said they were deliberately timed to be announced after legislators left town. Oddly, Silverman copped to being sneaky and said that the closings were necessary and the legislators would’ve tried to stop them if they’d been in session. Gov. Daniels said that he’d given Silverman the greenlight.
Told of Silverman’s acknowledgement that he waited to announce the closings until after lawmakers left town, Daniels said there was nothing sneaky about the timing and that his administration is committed to openness.
The branches scheduled for closing on June 4 are satellite branches in Hope, Warren, Montpelier, Cayuga, Knightstown, and Summitville. The 6 full service branches are Elwood, Garrett, Butler, Bloomfield, Berne, and North Manchester. Public hearings are scheduled, but Silverman says that he doesn’t really see anything that could change his mind. Daniels seems to be looking for a way to appease Garton when he says that the hearings will not be a sham, suggesting that Silverman’s plan may not survive intact.
While some lawmakers reacted with anger when they heard the news, Daniels said he was “sort of smiling” at Silverman’s boldness.
“I’ve told our people we want to move fast. I’ve told them to ask forgiveness, not permission. And I’ve pointed out to everybody that most of our people are not politicians,” Daniels said.
. . .
Cayuga resident Albert Clark does business with the license branch across the street from his Chevrolet car dealership at least 10 times a week. Now, he or his employees will have to drive about 22 miles to Clinton to complete title work when he sells a car.
“It’s a big-time inconvenience,” said an angry Clark, who is already stinging because the legislature passed daylight-saving time, which will put his business out of sync with next-door Illinois. “They have really screwed the businesses on this side of the state.”
. . .
Garton, who called Daniels and Silverman, said the BMV commissioner was “absolutely impervious” to his concerns.While some say government should be run more like a business, with attention focused on the bottom line, Garton said that “government should be run for the customer. The citizens are the customers. It’s different. I hope at some point, in what I hope is a short career in government, (Silverman) learns that.”
On May 5, 2005, the Indy Star followed up with an editorial saying that Silverman has the right idea but that the politics were misplayed. They say that Silverman should have made the decision in a way that allowed lawmakers to represent their districts. (The problem with that being that the branches closed would most likely reflect which BMV branches were located in districts represented by weak legislators rather than which branches were least necessary.)
On May 9, 2005, the Richmond Palladium-Item had its own editorial, saying that “BMV sets example for fairness.” The Palladium-Item says of Sen. Garton’s reaction:
Garton responded like a politician whose territory was trespassed by another. The Senate leader said the citizens are the customers and, “I hope at some point, in what I hope is a short career in government, (Silverman) learns that.”
Garton’s veiled threat deserves a stern rebuke from the governor. Silverman earns the public’s thanks for making a tough call, without fear or favor.
Leave a Reply