Dear Editor:
I am supporting Matt Milam for County Commissioner in his race against long-time incumbent Christine Altman for several reasons. Matt is opposed to additional taxes, especially an income tax, to pay for mass transit in our suburban county. Ms. Altman is one of the leading proponents in favor of higher taxes for mass transit.
As Matt’s campaign treasurer, I called nine of the largest donors to Ms. Altman’s campaign in 2017 to see if they wanted to speak with Matt so he could learn their concerns. These donors are engineers and contractors. Is it possible they want both a fully-funded road system as we now have and additional tax money to engineer and build an unnecessary mass transit system? I don’t know, since no one has indicated they want to meet with Matt to discuss what interests them so much in Hamilton County politics that they have helped Ms. Altman amass a $158,000 campaign war chest over the years, despite having no opposition recently.
I live in Home Place, which is under the jurisdiction of Ms. Altman and the county since Matt has successfully fought the seizure attempts by Mayor Brainard. Some people here do complain that Home Place is not as well-cared for by its government as Carmel does for places in its city limits. The county has much authority here in Home Place. If it is unloved and uncared for properly, doesn’t that reflect less on Carmel doing well versus Ms. Altman not even caring about Home Place, just biding her time until Mayor Brainard does the “dirty” work?
As I did some background research on Ms. Altman, I noted she buys properties at Hamilton County tax sales, where properties are auctioned by the county she represents for failure to pay taxes. If bids at these sales aren’t high enough to cover tax deficiencies, the County Commissioners take over the property. I also noted that she is the property owner where Woody’s (Carmel City Council President Rider) Library restaurant is, which has been delinquent and paid penalties on its taxes recently. I assume she won’t be able to bid on her own property if it is taken over by her as a County Commissioner for delinquent taxes.
She also serves as the attorney for two of the nine townships in our county. At a Commissioner meeting on Feb. 17, 2015, Commissioner Christine Altman asked the client of Christine Altman, Esq., the Wayne Township Trustee, “if she had any concerns”. I do have concerns: Where does Commissioner Christine Altman end and where does Christine Altman, Esq. begin?
Let’s let her focus on her legal clients, her tax bills and bids, her business ventures and advocating for unpopular and unnecessary mass transit income taxes as a private citizen, and let’s let Matt Milam focus on the citizens of Hamilton County by nominating him May 8. Please visit matt4hc.com to help end Commissioner Altman’s long and undistinguished reign.
Sincerely,
Eric S. Morris
Treasurer, Friends of Matt Milam