League of Women Voters discusses effects of Kernan-Shepard report

The names Kernan and Shepard could soon change the entire landscape of local government.

Joe Kernan, former Indiana governor, and Randall T. Shepard, Indiana Supreme Court chief justice, were in charge of an IU-funded commission that formed 27 recommendations for developing a more effective local government.

If implemented, the recommendations would eliminate more than half of the state’s elected officials.

The League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County held a panel discussion with Perry Township Trustee Dan Combs, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce President Christy Gillenwater, County Commissioner Iris Kiesling and County Council member Jill Lesh to discuss the impact these changes could have locally.

Gillenwater represented the Chamber of Commerce’s opinion in support of the report’s suggestions for streamlining local government.

“The quality of local government, not the quantity, is critical,” Gillenwater said.
She also pointed out that while Monroe County might be ahead of the curve, the Kernan-Shepard report aims to help the state as a whole.

Gillenwater cited a Ball State University report stating that smaller counties will experience savings up to three times greater than larger counties.

Kiesling said she was “disappointed” that current bills don’t allow for citizens to vote for how they’d like to be governed.

She fears that while the Kernan-Shepard report made suggestions in the hopes of improving local government by cutting costs, costs might actually go up.

“I figure career people who are in these positions would request a salary much higher than is being paid today,” Kiesling said.

Kiesling currently makes a $30,000 salary, but she estimates that in order to be competitive, a county executive will have to be offered a salary as much as five times larger if the reports recommendations are adopted.

Lesh, who is currently serving in her third year on the County Council, said she would support a single county executive but not the total abolition of township government.
“County Council would have to expand with new responsibility,” Lesh said. “Efficiency would be there with the new head and people who would be able to spend more time – not like myself, who has a full-time job.”

The largest objection for the Kernan-Shepard recommendations came from Combs.
“What we have is code words – efficient, effective. What those mean is lack of democratic input,” Combs said. “Quite frankly, Kernan-Shepard frightens the small democrat inside of me deeply.”

He warns that efficiency will quickly turn into bureaucracy.

“Any of you people who have tried to get an answer from the Internal Revenue Service ... if you think that’s efficiency, then let’s go to it,” Combs said.

Proposals for legislation have already been introduced in the Indiana State House.