Surprise Guest

Fifty town officials from northeast Indiana got a little more that they bargained for at a recent Town Roundtable in Shipshewana. As advertised, everyone attending was treated to a tour of the auto museum in town that houses the largest collection of Hudson automobiles. These fine machines were produced from the early 1900s to almost 1960.

After that, as expected, we enjoyed a delicious Amish meal that was, shall we say, more than ample. It was situation normal for a roundtable in that neck of the woods. But when the program started, a gentleman walked into the room and faces turned to see who might be coming in late. It was Governor Mitch Daniels, who said he was just dropping in to see if we enjoyed dinner. It was also just about five minutes after yours truly remarked that the governor and city and town officials were not on the same page. Maybe he has remarkable hearing.

After taking questions for about 30 minutes, he thanked the group for their attention and departed. Following a short silence, someone in the crowd said, "Angelina Jolie and Indiana city and town officials are not on the same page!" We waited for her to also appear. Alas, it didn't happen. We continued our program, discussing coping with the property tax legislation, which may require magic of a different sort.
- Tom Bredeweg