Pence backs study of county government reforms

INDIANAPOLIS | State lawmakers are expected to study the structure of Indiana county government this summer with an eye toward establishing a single county executive.

House backs study on structure of county government

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House wants to take another look at county government reforms recommended by the 2007 Kernan-Shepard Report on streamlining local government.

Pence inauguration to focus on 'Indiana's moment'

INDIANAPOLIS | A new era in Indiana history begins Monday when Republican Mike Pence is sworn in as the state's 50th governor.

BRIAN HOWEY: Daniels era has obliterated Indiana Democrats

From a political perspective, the decade-long "Mitch Daniels era" has been devastating for Indiana Democrats.

BRIAN HOWEY: The forging of the gender trend line

It was one of the most utterly painful political episodes I have ever had to watch as a political writer.

Lake County trained on a new era with ethics sessions

CROWN POINT | Lake County officials have decided to put the fear of God into their employees and each other.

EDITORIAL: Continue working on Shepard's legacy

Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard has been popular, and for good reason. He has worked hard to earn the respect of not just his fellow justices but also the entire legal community in Indiana and other Hoosiers as well.

BRIAN HOWEY: Urge Daniels to stump for government reform

In 2005, we witnessed the extraordinary powers of a governor willing to use his political capital.

Shepard optimistic local government reforms will be implemented

INDIANAPOLIS | Retiring Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard is not dismayed the local government reform plan that bears his name is only partially implemented four years after being released to great fanfare and expectations of immediate change.

DOUG ROSS: Reforming government from within, without

Joe Kernan is both a former and a reformer. He's an ex-governor and was co-chairman of the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform. He hasn't given up the fight.

MARK KIESLING: Here's hoping for efficiency of efficiency committee

Indiana's state boards and commissions are being asked to justify why they exist.

EDITORIAL: Restructure local government for efficiency

The Griffith Town Council tried unsuccessfully in the 2011 legislative session to get the state's permission to secede from Calumet Township. Now that the frenzied session is over, it's time to look not just at the secession attempt but the reasons behind it.

Vi Simpson won't seek Democrats' nomination for governor

INDIANAPOLIS | The Democratic leader in the Indiana Senate announced Tuesday she will not seek her party's nomination for governor.

BRIAN HOWEY: Gregg-Pence race appears to be shaping up

Here we are in the post-Becky Skillman/Jonathan Weinzapfel era of Hoosier gubernatorial politics. So how are things shaping up?

GUEST COMMENTARY: Government for Internet Age, not frontier days

It's an unfortunate irony that Indiana, with our well-deserved reputation for keeping government lean and accountable, is awash in elected officials and layers of local administration.

EDITORIAL: Re-evaluate arguments for townships

Debates over the role of township governments in Indiana, including whether they should continue to exist, have raged off and on since at least the 1930s. But new sets of data documenting the inefficiency, and often the irrelevance, of townships make it more important than ever to re-evaluat…

EDITORIAL: Time to end township government

Amid recession, and with property tax caps in place, cities and counties across Indiana have slashed essential services such as police and fire protection. Schools have laid off teachers, increased class sizes and dropped academic programs. Libraries have closed branches and reduced hours of…

GUEST COMMENTARY: We can have a more uniform government for less money

In 2007 a commission chartered by Gov. Mitch Daniels and chaired by former Gov. Joe Kernan and Chief Justice Randall Shepard issued a report calling for major overhaul of the way Indiana is organized. The commission called for elimination of duplicative and wasteful structures of local gover…