Ponzi [pon-zee] noun A swindle in which a quick return, made up of money from new investors, on an initial investment lures the victim into much bigger risks. Have you ever stopped to think about the real reason behind Carmel mayor Jim Brainard’s quest to maximize the Assessed Valuation (AV) and tax revenue potential […]
Category: Issues
City Hall being used for private profit at taxpayer expense?
Recent events have demonstrated a new low for the ethically challenged administration of Carmel mayor Jim Brainard and beg the question if City Hall is for sale. First came a series of “Health, Wellness, Nutrition and Weight Loss” seminars by Dr. Greg Chernoff at City Hall, featuring Brainard as a keynote speaker and his book, […]
‘Strong Towns’ Author: Local Governments Bear The Weight of Imprudent Growth
The outlook is not good for the nation’s cities if current trends continue. (Podcast on site) That’s according to Charles Marohn Jr., the author of the new book “Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution To Rebuild American Prosperity.” He’s also the head of Strong Towns, a not-for-profit organization that talks about urban issues. In his book, Marohn writes […]
Hotel Carmichael Mock ups
Opening May 2020, Hotel Carmichael will emerge as Carmel’s first lifestyle boutique hotel. Follow along as we reveal sneak peeks of how we bring this beautiful masterpiece to life! So what ostentatiousness can be built when taxpayers have all their skin in the game? Quaint study And for the weary traveler arriving by bicycle, […]
The Rent is too damn high!
Latest About Events Podcasts Community The Book Join the Movement The Paradox of Persistent Vacancies and High Prices November 27, 2017 by Charles Marohn Last month in our social feed, I shared an interesting piece from Greater Greater Washington on the glut of vacant office space in Washington DC. In a city with explosively high […]
Lotteries, a tax on people who can’t do math?
I noticed my good friend Carmel Bruce Kimball is touting a potential lottery for the socialistic-private partnership The Proscenium because demand might be outstripping supply for $650,000 condos under 2,000 square feet. When I was a commercial lender and credit analyst in BikeTown USA, aka Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in the […]
Economic Development as if Citizens and Small Business actually matters!
Things Carmel could have done other than borrowing $1.36B for E.D. and Developer incentives that should be unnecessary in the “#1 city in Indiana” (it is a real stretch to believe Carmel is or ever was the #1 city in the U.S.). Instead, we chose not to engage with average citizens except via sources like […]
A Former Derivatives Analyst gives the true state of Carmel’s current finances
Derivatives Analyst gives 2020 update on Carmel finances and S&P rating. This chart would represent the impact of the City of Carmel if it were to spend no more Public Taxpayer funds for re-development. The chances of that happening are zero. The far-right column shows Total Debt obligations. Additional information below added […]
Carmels Delicate Condition.
How much empty space is too much? Of 383 available commercial properties in Carmel (0nly 217 were available in March 2019) over 20 are on Rangeline Rd. between 116th and 136th St. alone. That is more than 1 vacancy per block on Rangeline alone. This during what many consider the best economy in our countries […]
2020’s First City Council Meeting!
On Monday, 01/06/2020, look for the Mayor to be talking dollars and cents ($200M+?) as he has in the first year after every election since 2000. How long will the meeting go? Less than 4 hours would be an improvement over 2016. He knows only a few are paying attention and he is emboldened by […]