Clere: Bauer In Full Disrespect Mode

Kudos to State Rep. Ed Clere for penning an op/ed about Boss Bauer’s antics this session. The truth about Bauer’s iron-fisted rule is spreading throughout the state, and there is a lot of chatter about how his one-man reform blockade will affect vulnerable House Democrats in 2010.

Clere brings the message to southeastern Indiana by mentioned some things we’ve covered before as well as a new one.

 STATEHOUSE — What do taxpayers, Congressman Mike Pence and fallen soldiers have in common?

Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer didn’t have time for any of them.

I write this column with a sense of disappointment. I was hopeful I would have something positive to report to you today.

Instead, for the most part, last week was a series of setbacks and missed opportunities.

Kudos to State Rep. Ed Clere for penning an op/ed about Boss Bauer’s antics this session. The truth about Bauer’s iron-fisted rule is spreading throughout the state, and there is a lot of chatter about how his one-man reform blockade will affect vulnerable House Democrats in 2010.

Clere brings the message to southeastern Indiana by mentioned some things we’ve covered before as well as a new one.

STATEHOUSE — What do taxpayers, Congressman Mike Pence and fallen soldiers have in common?

Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer didn’t have time for any of them.

I write this column with a sense of disappointment. I was hopeful I would have something positive to report to you today.

Instead, for the most part, last week was a series of setbacks and missed opportunities.

Clere goes on to talk about Bauer’s refusal to allow a property tax motion and the time he ignored Mike Pence. He then talks about Bauer disappearing during a resolution to honor fallen soldiers.

Several weeks ago, we adopted a resolution honoring 152 of Indiana’s recently fallen soldiers, and more than 100 of the heroes’ loved ones were in the chamber for the presentation. They arrived early and stood waiting. By the time the speaker arrived, they had been standing — many with small children — for an hour or more. Much to our surprise, the speaker decided to make them wait a little longer, while he honored a political crony from South Bend.

Then he disappeared.

He handed the gavel to a stand-in and remained absent while we honored the fallen soldiers without him. I don’t know what he was doing, but whatever it was, I doubt it was more important than what we were doing in the chamber.

It was disrespectful to the soldiers who gave their lives, and to their families, who deserved our complete attention, and the speaker’s presence.

We did a little bit of digging and found what Clere is referring to. On March 24, the House and Senate adopted a resolution honoring the soldiers. But first, as you’ll see in the video archive (about a minute and half in), Bauer called a resolution honoring a former Indiana Democratic Party Treasurer by the name of John Stancati.

Stancati, a Bauer campaign contributor, was recognized for running the South Bend Water Company. The Speaker even put out a news release about it.