Banner Graphic, Volume 15, Number 134, Greencastle, Putnam County, 4 February 1985 — Page 3

The pride of Price ■ 'David' gives up slingshot, but not before denting Goliaths' armor

By JAN CARROLL Associated Press Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) After four years of playing David to the Goliaths in Indiana s utility industry, Parvin Price is stepping down as the state’s advocate for consumers in battles over rate increases. “It’s been hectic at times, but I’ve enjoyed it, said Price of his assignment as utility consumer counselor. “I feel I’ve been able to make a contribution and actually help the citizens of the state ... to change the perception that there wasn’t anyone to fight their battles. I guess only time will tell whether we’ve been successful.” Price, a Tell City native who graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law, was a deputy attorney general for Indiana when Gov. Robert D. Orr appointed him in 1981 to head the agency which represents customers in utility rate cases. In four years’ time, he expanded the staff of lawyers, beefed up the agency’s

Minority rules last week Local disputes halt State Senate progress

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The majority rules in the Indiana Senate, but last week the minority reigned. For three consecutive days, two Lake County senators a Republican and a Democrat held the balance of power in the Senate. A disagreement between Sens. Ralph J. Potesta, R-Hammond, and John Bushemi, D-Gary, effectively shut down the chamber, forcing postponement Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of consideration of bills on the calendar. Each day when Potesta tried to call down a bill on the administration of Wicker Park in Highland for discussion on the Senate floor, the Senate Democrats including Bushemi, who opposed the bill would leave the floor for a caucus. Republicans, who are in the majority,

Don't badmouth Knight to Terre Haute teen

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - A 13-year-old boy with dreams of playing basketball for Indiana University has received some advice about his grades from Hoosier head coach Bob Knight. Knight made headlines last week when he dismissed his leading rebounder, Mike Giomi, for cutting classes. But he took a more tender approach with another basketball player running into scholastic problems: fifthgrader Tim Harbaugh of Terre Haute. Harbaugh was cut from his team at Deming School because of poor grades. And Knight, who heard about the situation from an Indiana fan, took the opportunity to throw a challenge to the boy. In a letter dated Jan. 29, Knight said: “It is very important that you pay as much attention to what you are doing in the classroom as you do on the basketball floor.” The letter added: “It’s my understanding that you have excellent potential as both a student and a player. You just cannot reach your maximum potential in one area if you are not working to do so in the other as well. I have had an awful lot of experience with student-athletes and I am telling you this because of that experience. I hope you will take my advice and work at becoming as good a student as you possibly can be. You

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budget and added a technical staff of economists and accountants who could find flaws in the reams of financial data submitted by utilities to justify their rate increase requests. The changes were made “in an attempt to' make it a very professional office, one widely respected by our adversaries who are utilities,” he said. But the 33-year-old attorney has decided to leave state government “to advance my career. I’ve been interested in returning to the private practice of law and particularly returning to the private sector, as opposed to working for government. ” Price, whose last day on the job is today, said he will be joining Municipal Consultants, Inc., a firm that has done consulting work for his office in rate cases. Although he plans to work in the corporate finance and legal area, Price said he could find himself making appearances before the Public Service Commission “probably on the same side of the table as before” op-

would also go into caucus, and official Senate business would stop. After negotiations involving Potesta, Bushemi and the leadership of both parties, Potesta agreed Thursday to amend the bill. The compromise, which both men praised, broke the logjam in the Senate, but it left some senators questioning whether a feud within one county’s delegation should dominate Senate business. Senate Minority Leader Louis J. Mahern, D-Indianapolis, said the dispute marked “the first time we’ve had a special session in the middle of a regular session.” “I believe there’s been an escalation of senators bringing legislation that is part of local partisan politics,” he said. “They invoke the totem of party unity

will be amazed at how this will help you as a basketball player.” Harbaugh has had troubles with school work and was held back in the third and fifth grades, his family said. His television watching and sports time have been cut as a result, according to his mother, Julia Harbaugh. Mrs. Harbaugh said the letter came as a surprise to her son. “His eyes bulged out and he said, ‘Why is Bobby Knight writing me?’ He couldn’t believe it. He said ‘l’m going to prove to him I can do it. I’m going to study hard.’” The Harbaughs are thrilled by Knight’s letter. “I just think it is wonderful that Mr. Knight would take the time to send a letter to a boy he doesn’t know,” Mrs. Harbaugh said. “I think everyone should be aware of this gesture...especially since everyone seems to be criticizing him right now.” Harbaugh has sent Knight a letter of his own. “I would like to go to Indiana some day so I could play for you,” the boy said. Harbaugh also is convinced he can improve his grades and intends to prove that to Knight. “How? I’m going to mail him a copy of my next report card.”

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posing rate increases. Price said he has mixed feelings about leaving the consumer counselor’s office, largely because of his fondness for his staff, but also because one of the major unresolved issues is whether Public Service Indiana will be allowed to raise its rates to pay for the abandoned Marble Hill nuclear power plant. “Certainly it’s kind of frustrating that

and then the Legislature becomes locked in a dance macabre while the important matters of the state languish unattended,” said Mahern. Bushemi acknowledged that he and the Democrats didn’t want to tie up the Senate’s affairs. “We as Democrats felt that with the resources of the General Assembly and time being limited, we needed to reach a compromise,” he said. Potesta contended that the minor crisis actually was productive. “I think it’s resulted in a better relationship between the majority and minority,” he said. “Now we know that if something happens that does cause a problem, you can get together.” Senate President Pro Tern Robert D. Garton, R-Columbus. and Minority Leader

Muncie man killed after

gunfight erupts inside car

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) A Muncie man was held on a preliminary charge of murder after a gunfight erupted inside a car in which six people were riding, authorities said. Roy Palmer, 74, was charged in the death of York E. Banks, 68, who died from a wound to the head after the incident. Lt. George Wilson of the Muncie Police Department said Hary Banks, the driver of the car and son of the victim, was treated at the hospital for a minor head wound and released. The incident began shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday as the men were riding in a car on a Muncie street, Wilson said. The eider Banks was a passenger in the front seat and Palmer was riding in the back seat. Both men were armed with .38caliber revolvers, according to police.

Ex-Clinton mayor returns

CLINTON (AP) A former Clinton mayor was returned to office after the man who defeated him in the May 1983 primary resigned. Arthur Lindsay Jr. resumed office Saturday. He was selected by Democratic precinct committeemen to serve out the remainder of the term of Dominic Natale,

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the Public Service Indiana case with respect to Marble Hill is still going on,” he said. “But all in all, I’ve been able to accomplish all of the goals and ideas that I initially set or which I set as I served here. I have no regrets for not having tried something, because I tried everything.” Not surprisingly, Price has some definite ideas on what Indiana needs to do to fulfill its responsibility to citizens in the

Frank O’Bannon, D-Corydon, agreed that the Wicker Park episode showed the rival parties can get along. Garton said the dispute was “no different than other issues that can be divisive.” He noted that the Senate on Friday conducted most of the business that had been put off earlier in the week. “The wheels were mired, but they kept spinning and finally we got it back on the highway," said Garton But O’Bannon said the crisis could have been avoided. “Special legislation is part of our job here,” he said. “But when you try to use legislation to eliminate an official or take an action that could be done at the ballot box or through the courts at home, it’s not appropriate ”

“For some unknown reason he (Palmer) started discharging a gun in the direction of the front seat of the car,” Wilson said. Initial statements from others in the car did not indicate there had been an argument, he added. Palmer fired six shots, according to Wilson. At least one of the shots hit York Banks in the head and one bullet grazed the head of his son. Witnesses said the younger Banks pulled the car into a snowbank when the shooting broke out. He then took his father’s gun, got out of the car and fired six shots toward Palmer, according to the witnesses. Police said York Banks was lying in the snow beside the car when they arrived. Palmer was still at the scene and was arrested by an off-duty county police investigator.

who resigned Jan. 13. Natale had several disagreements with the city council in the community of 5,267, but gave no reason for his resignation after serving one year of his four-year term. Lindsay was mayor from 1980 to 1984 and lost his bid for a second term when Natale defeated him in the Democratic primary.

utility regulatory area “We must continue to have tough people as regulators, both at the Public Service Commission and in this office, who are simply willing to say ‘No’ to rate increases when circumstances require that. I think we’ve seen changes in the last several years that will lead to that,” he said. “The commission, this office and the utilities are going to have to recognize a couple of things. First, utilities are private companies and as such they take certain risks. And they should be allowed to take those risks by both gaining the benefits and the detriments of the risk,” he added. “And second, there has to be a continual understanding that the citizens of this state are asked over and over again to pay higher rates for unchanged utility service. The regulators have to be very much in tune with that and in turn be responsive to the questions that that public asks.” Price concedes that his free-enterprise Republican instinbts tend to clash with his

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February 4,1985, The Putnam County Banner-Graphic

public role as a regulator. “I’ve always been a believer in either strong regulation or no regulation. If we are going to protect utilities through regulation, then we should regulate and watch them very closely,” he said. “On the other hand, if utilities aren’t going to get that protection through regulation, then weshoudn’t even bother.” The best thing that the Legislature could do, he said, is fully fund the office’s budget request of $4.4 million for 1985-87 instead of the $3.5 million recommended by the State Budget Committee. The extra money will pay for a minicomputer, an extra $600,000 in expert witness fees, and additional auditing capability. As it is now, Price’s office is just financially outclassed by the utilities. “It’s still a David and Goliath situation, but that’s not necessarily bad," Price said, noting that in the biblical story, David with his slingslot slew the heavily armed Goliath.

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