Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry says he “welcomes” the release of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s forensic audit — but after reading his statement, one can’t help but notice how much of it sounds less like transparency and more like a press release designed to protect a sinking ship.
Yes, the audit was “welcomed.” But it was also damning. The 150-page report revealed what many Hoosiers already suspected: the IEDC — the same agency that has poured hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into politically connected projects like the LEAP District — operated with minimal oversight, sloppy accounting, and a stunning disregard for basic public-sector ethics.
For a mayor whose city has benefited handsomely from that machine, Gentry’s reaction reads less like a call for reform and more like a well-rehearsed attempt at damage control. Gentry says “transparency and accountability are non-negotiable foundations for public trust.” That’s rich, coming from one of the project’s loudest champions — a project that’s been cloaked in secrecy from the start.
Local residents, journalists, and even county officials have been stonewalled for months about water transfers, environmental impacts, and backroom land deals tied to the LEAP District. The IEDC refused to disclose basic financial information until a Governor-ordered forensic audit forced it into the open. That’s not transparency.
The mayor is technically correct when he says the audit “does not question the underlying legality” of the funds distributed to Lebanon. But legality and integrity are not the same thing.
The audit painted a picture of an agency that operated with conflicts of interest, unbid contracts, and insider dealing that would get most city officials hauled before an ethics board. When the IEDC hand-picked Pure Development — a politically connected firm — without competitive bidding, taxpayers didn’t just lose faith, they lost leverage.
And while Gentry insists Lebanon had “no say” in those vendor choices, it’s a strange defense from a mayor who has spent two years selling this very partnership as a symbol of Lebanon’s progress. You can’t take the credit when things look good and disown the process when it collapses under scrutiny
Gentry points to the $11.4 million Lebanon received for water and wastewater infrastructure as proof that the city’s hands are clean. Maybe so. But again, that’s not the heart of the issue.
The question is not whether Lebanon cashed the checks legally — it’s whether those checks were cut through a system that was broken, self-serving, and unaccountable to the public. If the audit exposes that the IEDC was cutting corners elsewhere, how can any taxpayer trust that Lebanon’s piece of the pie wasn’t tainted by the same dysfunction.
His “full confidence” doesn’t give me “any confidence”. The most troubling line in Gentry’s statement is his pledge to “continue to work constructively with the IEDC.” After what the audit revealed, why would anyone rush to link arms with the same agency that lost track of millions, blurred ethical lines, and treated public money like a venture-capital sandbox?
Lebanon’s mayor should be calling for an independent investigation — not doubling down on the same relationship that got Hoosiers into this mess. The public doesn’t need more unity statements. It needs watchdogs, not cheerleaders.
Lebanon taxpayers deserve more than “spin”. Mayor Gentry’s statement reads like a political insurance policy — enough distance to dodge blame, but not enough courage to admit that the entire LEAP enterprise now stands on shaky moral ground.
The IEDC audit was not some minor hiccup. It was a red alert for Indiana taxpayers.
Until Lebanon’s leaders — and the state officials behind this project — start answering hard questions instead of issuing polished reassurances, Hoosiers will remain skeptical, and rightfully so.