Dear Mayor Ballard:

   How are you? I know you have been busy, what with the new cricket field proposal (and, to be fair, games to be included on the schedule there would include hurling and Australian rules football; I always wanted to be one of the guys in the white hats and raincoats in the end zone who wave the little flags in Australian rules football---I watched it back when ESPN first started and had nothing with which to program between real games). Your travel schedule must be grueling. I know it's very hot in India, for example, but only from what I have seen on television.

   I also know you have been busy with City contracts. The latest one about which I read, for the City's towing services, got my attention. I want to ask you several questions about that. First, why do we not have competitive bidding anymore? I know your background is in the military, and I am familiar with the history of issuance of contracts for military items. John Glenn once was asked his thought when he sat in the Mercury capsule about to blast off from Earth. He said he thought about how he sat atop a column of explosives assembled by the low bidders on government contracts. As I recall, he made it up, into orbit, back to Earth, and eventually into the United States Senate. And John Glenn was a Marine, just like you.

   I also want to know why, if we are to let contracts out without competitive bids, we have gone to a company from California. I know they have GPS tracking on their trucks  in San Francisco, but we could require that as a specification on a bid here, plus, we could have companies from here with drivers who know our streets and our neighborhoods. Not only that, the money we pay the company or companies would be more likely to stay here in Indianapolis.

   There are other questions I would like to ask you. If you would like to appear on The Show, please give me a call at my office or e-mail me. I think Mr. Vaughn knows how to get hold of me. Or you could look me up in the Blue Book (a directory of lawyers).

   I look forward to hearing from you.

.   Sincerely, Mark Small.