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Sunday, September 04, 2005

Ind. Gov't. - Senator Greg Server featured; Daniels questioned on proposed out-of-state contract

The Evansville Courier& Press has a feature today on Greg Server, long-time state senator from Evansville, recently appointed to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission by Governor Daniels. Some quotes from the story by Jennifer Whitson:

INDIANAPOLIS - There are two sides to Sen. Greg Server. One is the unflappable political insider, always dressed in a suit and walking the marbled hallways of the Statehouse with no particular hurry and a sly grin.

Colleagues said he was always thinking 10 steps ahead, though he wouldn't often reveal those thoughts, instead assuring allies with a calm grin that it would all work out. * * *

June Lyle, a lobbyist with AARP Indiana, said she could sometimes get bogged down in how to tackle the immediate crisis facing a bill.

"Sen. Server has an uncanny ability to sort of see the big picture," she said. And Server was a work horse, often burdened with scores of bills to carry because he was such a dependable shepherd. * * *

Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton, R-Columbus, said Server was persistent and dependable.

"If he lost one session, he was back again the next year," Garton said. "If you gave Greg an assignment, he would do it."

And despite the plotting and planning on bills, Server was always analytical, not political or vengeful.

"He has always been a gentleman and a person of honor," said Sen. Lindel Hume, D-Princeton.

But when colleagues are asked about Server, most stories end up being about his other side - the things he does outside the Statehouse. He's an experience horseback rider, taking his horses in a trailer out west to ride trails and camp with them.

"I just don't look like it for some reason," Server said. "People just don't picture me on a horse."

He loves to ski - on water and downhill - and he's an entrepreneur, buying and fixing up homes in Florida and Indianapolis.

"I'm pretty handy," Server said. Sen. President Pro Tem Robert Garton, R-Columbus, said he remembers stopping by a Marco Island, Fla., home Server had to find him running a jackhammer to rip up concrete. Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Meeks, R-LaGrange, also stopped by another Florida property while on vacation only to get roped into helping Server paint the entire home.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's Sunday "Political Notebook" reports today:
Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration is set to give another big state contract to an out-of-state company. This time GEO Group Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., began negotiations to run the state prison in New Castle – a first-ever endeavor for Indiana. The exact terms of the contract are still being finalized.

It is the first time the company has ever done any business in Indiana, according to Pablo Paez, director of corporate relations for GEO.

So what happened to Daniels’ promise to “Buy Indiana?”

The governor said he is willing to sign whatever waiver is necessary – as required by his own executive order – because the contract is a win-win for everyone. He noted that hundreds of Hoosiers will be employed at the facility, which has sat mostly unused in recent years because of budget constraints.

And Daniels said he is not aware of an Indiana firm that provides this type of service.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 4, 2005 02:02 PM
Posted to Indiana Government