Anti-Forced Annexation PAC Formed
Sunday, December 10, 2006
I was delighted to learn that the statewide anti-forced annexation political action committee (PAC) is at last being formed.
While forced annexation has been a hot topic here in Hamilton County as Carmel tries to forcibly annex Southwest Clay and Home Place, and Fishers does likewise with Geist, it is not isolated to this part of the state. It is in fact a statewide issue, with actions and remonstrances also happening in the Muncie, Fort Wayne, Jeffersonville areas, just to name a few.
Geist resident Rachel Quade has been a driving force in opposing Fishers' largely unwanted advances, and in forming the PAC. From the Indy Star report:
Working with like-minded residents across Indiana, Quade plans to form a political action committee to push for annexation reform. Though Quade has no way of knowing how many will join the PAC, she figures it will represent the interests of more than 5,000 property owners.
"I started calling these people saying, 'Would you guys want to work together in getting the law changed?' " Quade said.
Vanessa Smith, who heads an anti-annexation group from Southern Indiana, agreed. Her group is trying to avoid annexation into Jeffersonville."We are working on our own legal strategies and we hope that we can delay the Jeffersonville annexation long enough to get the laws changed," Smith said.
Geist resident and PAC member Pete Peterson was quoted in the Noblesville Ledger story, hitting just the right philosophical notes, so foreign to our local Republicans:
Peterson said it is unfair for a municipality to annex an unincorporated area populated by residents who do not have the power to vote for that city's or town's government. He likened the scenario to early American colonists' cries of "No taxation without representation."
"Put this to the citizens. Let them have a say in this," Peterson said. "It really doesn't go along with the way this country was founded to not give people a say."
Libertarians have been strong in their opposition to forced annexations from the beginning. We believe a forced action, one that denies the right to self-determination, is not merely wrong, it is anti-American.
A voluntary annexation is perfectly acceptable. Libertarians believe that the laws regarding annexation should be changed thusly:
- Municipalities should no longer be permitted to initiate an annexation.
- Only citizen petitions voluntarily brought forth should be permitted to initiate an annexation.
- The citizens of the receiving municipality, not merely their city or town council, should then have a vote on whether or not to accept the petition.
This stands in contrast to the tax & spend Hamilton County Republicans, who have been initiating these forced annexations as mayors or town councils, and ducking from taking a conservative position against them. The Hamilton County GOP had a laughable non-position posted on its website earlier this year.
I look forward to this PAC taking part in the process of endorsing and financially supporting anti-annexation candidates in the 2007 municipal election cycle.
Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, Forced Annexation, Indiana
posted by Mike Kole @ 7:59 PM,
,
Hamilton County Online Forums
While the Indianapolis Star has had a lively user forum, I had sometimes lamented the lack of a forum that was oriented to Hamilton County, and populated mainly by Hamilton County residents. Sure, the star has topic sections devoted to Westfield, Noblesville, Fishers and Carmel, but the users there are often Marion County residents who like to take cheap shots based on their perceptions of Hamiltonians as aloof snobs. Who needs that? Much?
The Noblesville Daily Times has its own user forum! There is very little on the forum right now (just six posts!), as it was recently launched. Sign up and contribute, Hamilton County Libertarians! Registration is free.
Now all they have to do is get their print edition back online...
posted by Mike Kole @ 8:38 AM,
,
