Has A Local “Advocacy Group” Violated The Public Trust?

Editor's Note: Following a money trail that includes the Marion County Health Dept, Clarian Health Partners, the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians, and Smoke Free Indy 
 
Text from the Libertarian Party of Marion County’s press conference, held 11/16/09.

Timothy Maguire: As we all know, Smoke Free Indy is “a coalition…dedicated to reducing secondhand smoke, tobacco usage and tobacco initiation through education, prevention and advocacy.” As far as we can tell, their chief spokeswoman, Lindsay Grace, is actually employed by Indiana Academy of Family Physicians. We also know that Smoke Free Indy’s activities as of late have included political activity, including putting out negative public comments about both Republican Mayor Ballard and the Libertarian Party. And as I have not heard any negative comments from them about the Democrat Party, I could only assume they were involved in partisan political activities. We have also heard that Lindsay Grace, who again, is employed by the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians, has been heavily lobbying members of the City-County Council to pass the specific public proposal 371.
 
Remarkably, even with what they proclaim themselves to be, Smoke Free Indy is not your standard advocacy group. As far as we can tell, they are not a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, a registered lobbying group, or even a 527. It simply a unincorporated group of around 30 organizations, including Clarian Health, the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians, the Marion County Health Department, and others.
 
Because of Abdul’s reporting, we have now also learned that Smoke Free Indy has received up to $86,000 of taxpayer money to fund its activities. This $86,000 in taxpayer money comes from Indiana tobacco settlement dollars. Based on the information Abdul has published, we find that Indiana dolls out tobacco settlement dollars, and one of those agencies that distributes money is Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation gives money to the Marion County Health Department. The Marion County Health Department gives money to the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians and Clarian Health Partners. Clarian has a contract to promote anti-tobacco activities, but as far as we can tell, the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians is the home office for the unincorporated Smoke Free Indy on Monument Circle and employs Smoke Free Indy’s staff, including Lindsey Grace.
 
The reason I stand here today is that, based on this information, we are concerned about the possibility that there may have been improprieties committed by Smoke Free Indy as well as Lindsay Grace and the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians. In a few moments I will be asking our County Prosecutor, Carl Brizzi, to investigate this matter to see if there HAVE been improprieties, and if so, to prosecute the responsible parties fully under the law.
 
Later today I will also be filing a complaint with the Indiana State Board of Accounts, and will be asking them to look into potential state violations and we are exploring filing a federal complaint to see if there have been any Hatch Act violations by Smoke Free Indy’s organizational partners.
 
If Smoke Free Indy and their associated coalition members have not committed any improprieties, and we hope they have not, then the facts will bear that out. But if either Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, the State Board of Accounts or federal authorities find anything peculiar during their investigation, I will then ask Council President Bob Cockram to investigate what role any Councilors may have played in Smoke Free Indy’s attempt to push forward political legislation and sanction them accordingly.
 
News reports…
WIBC (with audio): Libertarians Suspect Smoke Free Indy of Illegal Activityhttp://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=1165583
IndyStar: Marion County Libertarian Party takes aim at Smoke Free Indyhttp://www.indystar.com/article/20091116/LOCAL/91116029/Libertarian-takes-aim-at-Smoke-Free-Indy