Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s decision to buy 85 Toyota Camby Hybrids rather than Chevrolet Malibu Hybrids isn’t in the league of the Big 3 Automotive CEOs corporate jet flights to Washington D.C.  to ask for a handout, but it might make for a mini-chapter in Public Relations Faux Pas’.

Both are good cars but the Ballard administration spent $2.2 million for the Camrys, about $148,000 more than the price tag for the Malibus.  The deciding factor, according to officials, was the superior city gas mileage of the Toyota, about seven miles per gallon while driving at slower speeds in the city. At an average 15,000 miles each year, the foreign brand should save about 10,700 gallons a year, assuming all driving is in the city.  On the highway, mileage for both cars is reported at the same level.

The cars are to be used by the police department as unmarked cars for detectives and others. The city bean counters priced gas at $3/gallon and showed the decision was expense neutral after five years.  If gas continues to hover at current levels it will only take ten years to break even on the decision.  And, some analysts say, as demand drops, prices are headed even lower. One is talking about $1.25 by the first quarter of 2009.

To the administration’s credit, they bought through local dealers, both solid Indiana citizens.

The political faux pas that should put this in an adjacent chapter to the CEO’s missteps is that the Malibus have an Indianapolis tie -the General Motors stamping plant in Indianapolis makes parts for the Malibu.   The automotive giant is in trouble and the local GM workers/taxpayers are hunkering down for a big hit, possibly the loss of their jobs.

At the end of the day, the Ballard administration may have saved the taxpayers a few thousand dollars but the mayor has lost a lot more in political capital.  The use of the corporate jets to fly to D.C. probably penciled out as the best fiscal decision, but the symbolism screamed.  This one’s pretty loud too.

The weather could not have been better for today’s Marsh Cookout On The Circle.  This was the 17th year that the grocery chain has underwritten and sponsored one of the local Boy Scout council’s important fund raisers.  The money goes towards providing a trip to summer camp for kids who would not otherwise be able to go.

The scouts and their leaders take over Monument Circle here in Indianapolis for most of the day, serving chicken, bratwurst, cookies and soda.  Mayor Greg Ballard was on hand to declare today Marsh Cookout On The Circle Day.  A lot more dignitaries were milling around the circle on a perfect day.

One of the great things about Indy is the large number of people who give their time and money.  And, it’s pleasing to see the folks at Marsh carry on the great tradition supported for so many years by Don Marsh and his family.

For a group that reputedly doesn’t like change, Hoosiers sent a strong signal to politicians last night. Greg Ballard is the mayor-elect of Indianapolis. The retired Marine Corps officer didn’t so much as win the election; Bart Peterson lost it.

Ballard had a tough time raising funds to buy TV advertising, or any advertising for that matter. At one point he piggybacked in a spot with a city council candidate. Overall, it looks like Peterson spent ten times as much on TV as the mayor-elect.

I’m guessing if they had it to do all over again, the Democrats wouldn’t be as confident going against an unknown. They would have had a different message….earlier. And they would have ramped up spending. But that may not have mattered.

Ballard did get exposure in three televised debates with Peterson. Bart is probably wishing he had avoided those.

I don’t know much about Ballard; he seems like a nice, thoughtful guy. But he had a hard time getting the Republican Party to rally around him. If ever there was a grass roots campaign, this was it. He couldn’t even get Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (R) to lend an endorsement.

But it looks like the Republicans are coming out of the woodwork now and hopping on the Ballard Bandwagon. And, he’ll need the help. He’s like the dog that chased the car. He caught it but didn’t know what to do with it.

Ballard wasn’t the only challenger to oust a sitting mayor in the region. In Lawrence, Republican Paul Ricketts beat Democratic Mayor Deborah Cantwell. In Franklin, independent Fred Paris upset Democrat Brenda Jones-Matthews, the incumbent. One exception was in Carmel where Republican Mayor James Brainard won re-election with 66 percent of the vote.

There are many takeaways but the main one for incumbents: You’ve already got two strikes against you, just by being the incumbent. Don’t take anything for granted and listen carefully to the messages coming from the voting public.