We are juggling many crises in America right now.  The issues of race relations and the novel coronavirus are front and center, and should be.  But coronavirus has caused another issue impacting millions of Americans – job losses.

Last Thursday, the federal Labor Department reported 1.5 million new unemployment claims have been filed.  The federal reserve just issued a statement to Congress about the outlook for the economy Friday, saying, “The path ahead is extraordinarily uncertain.”

Some  may remember the 2009 film “Up In The Air” starring George Clooney.  It’s all about a company that makes its money sending specially trained people to companies laying off employees, so the local management doesn’t have to break the bad news.

New York Times opinion columnist Jennifer Senior cites research done by economists in England and Australia, concluding it takes longer to adapt to the pain of losing a job than it does to adapt to losing a loved one.

Senior writes that we must not only think about the economic loss when one loses a position, but the emotional and spiritual considerations as well.  It does not help that most employers, including major corporations, are not very good at informing people being laid-off.

One example provided by Senior is WW International, once named Weight Watchers, informed laid-off workers with a series of Zoom calls lasting three minutes each.  She also cites a scooter rental company in California for laying-off workers by luring them to a Zoom “webinar” which featured a slide with a disembodied voice announcing the job losses.

Here is the final paragraph in Jennifer Senior’s Times opinion piece:

“A number of cautionary tales are going to emerge during this annus horribilis. But if we want to survive this recession with our dignity and our sanity intact, it’s clear we should keep two things in mind: How people are laid off matters. And layoffs should be a last resort. They’re often the lazy way out.”

As we all try to cope with people close to us coping with a layoff, keep in mind the stress they are under, which is much more than economic.  In America, our work is a lot of who we are and related to our self-worth.  Let’s keep this in mind as we cope with an economic challenge that is sure to get much worse before anything starts getting better.

The Hamilton Southeastern Schools are planning graduation ceremonies at the two high schools respective football stadiums – July 10 for HSE High School and July 11 for Fishers – but it appears the Fishers Health Department has requested the school corporation “reconsider” its current plans for the ceremonies.

In a Facebook post overnight by Hamilton Southeastern School Board President Michelle Fullhart, she says the department of health “has requested HSE Schools reconsider plans for graduation at both high schools due to social distancing concerns. Conversations are ongoing at this time and more information will be released as it becomes available.”

The post by Fullhart is not specific about what issues the health department has listed as concerns over graduation.  She did state HSE High School seniors have received a survey with “potential alternatives” to the current graduation plans, but also says other options outside the survey are being considered.

“Please be patient as the district partners with the local health department to finalize an option that will work best for the needs of our community and our seniors,” Fullhart wrote in her Facebook post.

LarryInFishers began receiving questions on this Friday evening, and I reached out to both the City of Fishers and HSE School administration for comment and further details.  Once those responses are received, this story will be updated.

Major League Baseball may be at the crossroads….if the game does not come back with as many games as possible this season, fans will not forget…..and will they ever come back?

Here is my Larry’s Log commentary.

Many of the usual suspects remain on the Fishers road construction list for the coming week.  Auburn Springs will also see some resurfacing.

Here is the complete listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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It is always good to keep the latest COVID-19 numbers in mind when looking at our local situation.  Indiana may be doing better than other states, but the latest update shows more than 2,200 people have died in Indiana due to this virus.

In Hamilton County, 96 COVID-19 deaths have been reported to the state.  We still do not know how many of those fatalities are from Fishers.  The new city health department has been promising to provide those numbers, but none have been released as of this writing.

The Fishers Health Department reports that as of early Friday afternoon, just over 2,8000 local residents have been COVID-19 tested by the city, representing 3% of the total population.

46 of those tests have come back positive.  Of those positive cases, 8 were determined to have no symptoms.

Reminder…always wear your mask in public.  It helps protect those around you.  Wash you hands regularly.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness has terminated two executive orders issued in March aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus.  Those orders declared a travel warning and no-solicitation provision.  Both have been lifted as of Friday.

Those March actions by the mayor were designed to coincide with orders from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb.

Although the no-solicitation order has been lifted, the city reminds residents they may request a No Solicitation sticker through the Fishers Police Department. Through the Solicitor Permit process, solicitors agree not to approach properties that display this sticker.

For the latest on the city’s efforts related to COVID-19, use this city Web site link.

Scott Fadness is mainly Mayor of Fishers, but he does hold important positions regionally and state-wide.  Plus, the local OneZone Chamber of Commerce has named a new president.  I discuss these issues in this Larry’s Log commentary.

When a presidential campaign and a news organization get into a fracas over a poll, you know the election season is here.  The Trump re-election campaign and CNN have a dispute over one of CNN’s polls.  I talk about that, and what polls are really about.  Also, HBO Max is pulling Gone With The Wind from its streaming lineup, but plans to put it back up with new context.  Those are tonight’s issues on my Larry’s Log commentary.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Monday night to extend the contract with Superintendent Allen Bourff for an additional year, through June 30, 2022.  In the year beginning July 1, 2020, Dr. Bourff will receive a base salary of $195,658, plus benefits.  At Dr. Bourff’s request, he will waive incentive pay to which he is contractually entitled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One wonders whether the superintendent is already planning for retirement. The board approved an addendum to Dr. Bourff’s contract allowing him to confer high school diplomas to his grandchildren in the HSE School District after his retirement.

In another board matter, Executive Director of Staff and Student Services Kim Lippe says the HSE High School principal position has been posted and will close June 12th.  Dr. Bourff told the board the administration will move expeditiously but carefully in making that selection, but could put forth a recommendation to the board at the next meeting in two weeks.  Chad Cripe resigned as HSE High School principal in order to accept an offer to serve as a school superintendent for the Oak Hill School Corporation in the northern Indiana community of Covington.

Scott Fadness has a main job, being Mayor of Fishers, the state’s 5th or 6th largest city.  But he has a couple of other roles, one regional, the other state-wide.  He serves as the chair for the Central Indiana Council of Elected Officials.  Fadness also chairs the group representing the interests of local governments around the state in the General Assembly, the Advancing Indiana Municipalities (Aim) Legislative Committee.

Mayor Fadness issued a statement Wednesday, in all three roles, opposing rate increases utilities in the state are requesting to make up for reduced revenue related to the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Fadness submitted the statement to the Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) as part of the proceedings before the decision-making body, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

Here is the entire Fadness statement:

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The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission plans to review a petition to allow a group of regulated utilities the ability to track revenue loss due to the decrease of usage during COVID-19 pandemic. This action is in anticipation of their ability to recoup that loss by raising rates. This is poor public policy at best and greedy at worst. Utilities are regulated in order to ensure that essential services that function as monopolies do not take advantage of the rate payer, the small business owner, the steel mill operator, the public school system, or your local government. The IURC does not exist to de-risk a sector of industry from any downturn in the economy, regardless of the cause of that downturn. This is undoubtedly a user-funded bailout of utilities.

Over the last nine weeks I have witnessed countless businesses, both small and large, make unbelievably difficult decisions as they face the realities of decrease in demand due to COVID-19. They have let go of long-term employees. They have burned through their life savings to maintain payroll. They have had to sell their assets. They have been forced to reinvent themselves. In Fishers, the business community has met almost 100% voluntary compliance with all of Governor Holcomb’s Executive Orders. Our civic institutions are also making the necessary adjustments by eliminating programs, not backfilling positions, and slashing budgets, among other actions.

Comparatively to the regulated utilities asking for their bailout, when a small restaurant in Fishers opens back up and the owner realizes the full measure of his or her financial loss, are they going to raise the cost on the menu to make up for it? No, because the forces of a free market will not allow for that. When local governments see significant reductions in revenue due to the downturn in the economy, will they seek to raise taxes without any accountability? No, because the residents have a voice and will hold government leaders accountable through systems in place.

To that end, I am asking the IURC to allow our regulated utilities to share the burden of the free market. Please do not proceed with the request to permit the utilities to recoup costs stemming from a decrease in market demand. In denying the request, you will not only act in the best interest of our residents and businesses, but you will ensure the equitable distribution of the burden of these very difficult times.

Sincerely,

Scott Fadness
Mayor, City of Fishers
Chair, Central Indiana Council of Elected Officials
Chair, Advancing Indiana Municipalities (Aim) Legislative Committee