via [ NWI Times ]

EAST CHICAGO | Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. is pushing to remove East Chicago Mayor George Pabey from his leadership of the citys Democratic precinct organization in the wake of Pabeys indictment on a public corruption charge.

McDermott, the Lake County Democratic chairman, said Tuesday morning, “I hope Mayor Pabey will step down. This is an important election cycle for Democrats, and George Pabey has bigger problems on his plate. He needs to worry about the criminal charges pending against him and voluntarily step aside.”

Damian Rico, a spokesman for Pabey, said Tuesday that Pabey didnt have an immediate response to McDermotts call to step down, saying it was the first he had heard of it.

“He hasnt had any communication with Tom McDermott. He doesnt feel comfortable commenting on that,” Rico said.

Political insiders sympathetic to Pabey, called McDermotts gambit a political power grab. McDermott and Pabey have been at odds for months. The two most recently backed rival candidates for county recorder, with McDermotts candidate, Michelle Fajman, winning over East Chicago City Councilwoman Myrna Maldonado, who Pabey had endorsed.

Read more…

Thomas Local

There is a lot to celebrate today.

via [ WBEZ - Chicago Public Radio ] Michael Puente

via [ NWI Times ] East Chicago Mayor George Pabey indicted

East Chicago Mayor George Pabey and an employee of the city’s engineering department have been indicted in Hammond federal court on criminal charges they conspired to use city property and services in a home that Pabey purchased in Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood.

The four count indictment was announced Wednesday afternoon, and names the 59-year-old Pabey and Jose Angel Camacho, a 52-year-old supervisor in the city’s engineering department who is currently assigned to the East Chicago Marina.

Pabey and Camacho are expected to surrender and appear Thursday for an initial appearance in Hammond federal court.

“This is another indictment in the ongoing federal effort to investigate public corruption,” U.S. Attorney David Capp said. “Our office will continue to investigate allegations of corruption and we will follow the evidence wherever it leads.”

East Chicago spokesman Damian Rico said city officials wouldn’t comment Wednesday, and that Pabey would issue a statement mid-day Thursday.

Federal prosecutors allege that between October 2007 and August 2008 Pabey and Camacho conspired to use city employees and money to remodel and renovate the Gary home that Pabey owns at 8530 Locust Avenue.

Specifically, Pabey and Camacho used East Chicago employees to pour concrete, paint and complete general home improvements at the Locust Avenue house.

While performing the work, employees were paid by the City of East Chicago.

The indictment also alleges that Camacho used an engineering department account to purchase items for the Miller Beach residence, including bathtub fixtures, a 40-gallon gas heater and doors.

The purchases were billed to and paid for by the city, and East Chicago employees installed the items in the Miller Beach residence, prosecutors allege.

According to the indictment, Camacho later attempted to interfere with witnesses, and approached a city employee who worked at the Miller residence, telling them to investigators about his work at the home. Count 4 of the indictment alleges that Camacho approached another city employee and told that employee not to tell investigators anything about having worked at the Miller residence.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of any property considered proceeds from the alleged criminal activity.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the IRS and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General.

More to come?

Thomas Local

[ Ameristar ]

This post is mostly for local consumption as they are well aware of the issues surrounding Casino Funds. Like many, I am not an advocate for casinos, but surprisingly the success of the entertainment and gaming market in East Chicago is a clear indication that East Chicago is a viable host for markets other than heavy industry.

At Issue: Where Casino Funds are committed

Background: At the time the gaming application was being drafted the community, viewing the political establishment as corrupt, were unwilling to approve a gaming permit in East Chicago if local politicians had total control over the funds. Thus the creation of a not-for-profit foundation was included in the agreement. Today Mayor Pabey is seeking total control over casino funds, and spending millions of dollars on Republican lawyers to do so.

A) State law applies to all cities with gaming and commits:

1. 5% of gaming taxes to be paid to the City
2. a “head tax” of $1.00 for each boat visitor to be paid to the City

B) The final agreement negotiated with the gaming operator over and beyond state statue commits:

1. the gamer to pay an additional 1% gaming revenue to the City
2. the gamer to pay an additional 2% gaming revenue to two non-profit foundations known as the Foundations of East Chicago (FEC)
3. the gamer to pay an additional 1% gaming revenue to Second Century Corp, a for-profit org.

.

On August 27, 2009 the NWI Times ran this editorial.

OUR OPINION: GIVE EAST CHICAGO THE SAME KIND OF ARRANGEMENT OTHER CASINO HOST CITIES HAVE INSTEAD OF DIVERTING MUCH OF THE REVENUE TO THE NONPROFIT FOUNDATIONS OF EAST CHICAGO AND THE FOR-PROFIT SECOND CENTURY CORP

For the vast majority of the Time’s audience, on first blush, this argument appears to be common sense. But for those who are well aware of East Chicago politics, they can see plainly how the Times is manufacturing public opinion around the taking of community focused funds from this enormously impoverished community. In the editorial the Times employs a rhetorical slight of hand switching “A” with “B” (from above) and expecting their average reader not to know the difference. The following is my response to the above editorial. It was sent to the Times as a Letter-to-the-editor. Doug Ross, the Times editorial page editor, requested I revise the letter down to 200 words, which I did. The letter was never published, so I’m publishing here.

Your editorial concerning the East Chicago gaming funds is counterfactual to the evidence you present and the conclusions you make.

You acknowledge that “Each Hoosier city hosting a casino has its own agreement for how the city should benefit from the casino,” It then follows that each city has a “unique” agreement through which casinos enter into to provide more than the taxes they are required. The amounts and the manner in which Indiana casinos have agreed to pay beyond their statutory share vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and just as important, those amounts may be paid directly to charitable organizations or to governmental organizations. In East Chicago, the casino pays its agreed amounts both to the City and private organizations, as is the case in several other Indiana gaming jurisdictions.

It is not unusual for businesses to set up non-profit organizations for distributing charitable contributions. In fact the RDA is based on the same model as the foundations of East Chicago. Both are non-profit organizations funded by casino funds. The difference is the Foundations of East Chicago distributes their funds within the community the casino resides, while the RDA redistributes their funds throughout the region.

Additionally, you fail to acknowledge your own critical editorial entitled “Mayor Pabey, tear down that wall of secrecy,” 3/22/09, where you draw attention to the City’s lack of public disclosure of information, to the community or the press. Similarly, members of the Common Council have not received information, and have resorted to lawsuits.

This situation merits a comparison between the foundations of East Chicago and the city on how casino funds have been managed and spent. Contrary to the Foundation of East Chicago, which has held several open public meetings attended by more than 200 residents to plan out the use of their funds, the city has never held such a meeting. And upon review of receipts of city casino funds, attained through Indiana Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request by the Indiana State Gaming Commission, reveals many questionable expenditures including but not limited to a $20,000 legal settlement by the law department, headed by the Mayor’s cousin, Carmen Fernandez, to the Mayor’s other cousin William Pabey for pleading guilty of theft at the casino.

I would like to believe the NWI Time’s editorial staff is capable of coming to conclusions that are consistent and supported by evidence they present.

<End Notes>
45% of the casino was originally owned by a group of investors called Waterfront Entertainment and Development Inc. This group had 13 original investors, including Mayor Pabey. Article

Additionally, the State Board of Account’s 2005 Annual Financial Review of the City of East Chicago cites the Pabey Administration for spending $1.5 million in gaming funds without budget approval (page 48). (900k pdf) - View Document

“Upon review of expenditures from both funds, amounts were being spent prior to the budgets being approved. As of October 31 2005, $9,832,551 was spent from the Gaming Special Revenue Fund. At this date, the City has an appropriation in the amount of $5,000,000, and had prior year encumbrances totaling $3,292,088; thus, the City had spent $1,540,463 over what had been appropriated to that date.

Indiana Code 36-4-8-2 states in part:
“Money may be paid out of the city treasury only on warrant of the city fiscal officer. Unless a statue provides otherwise, the fiscal officer may draw a warrent against a fund of the city only if:

(1) an appropriation has been made for that purpose and the appropriation is not exhausted;…”

</End Notes>

Thomas East Chicago, Local

I’m doing an advocacy Ad mockup for an Elected School Board in East Chicago, using my daughter as a model. Besides the blurred picture, the need for young models that reflect East Chicago’s population and a little word smith-ing, I think this could be pretty cool. I can graph any data into the hands of our children, including graduation rates and pollution levels - etc. If necessary, I can also do comparisons with other communities.

On the issue of Elected School Boards:

It appears to me what we are seeking is a system that locates accountability better and more efficiently. Currently, just seven major cities have full mayoral control of education. There has been a nation wide trend toward more centralized control into the hands of chief elected officials e.g., President, Governors and Mayors. This places a greater interest in these central figures making it more difficult to remove them for poor performance or abuses of power in any single sector of their concentrated power. When you keep multiplying areas of responsibility under a single figure you diffuse accountability in any one area and increase opportunities for patronage. Sure this my make for a more stable system, and mitigate against dead-locked disputes, but it also insulates these figures from accountability and removal from office. 

We can look at the Bush administration as a recent example of concentrating power in a chief executive and the problem of seeking accountability, but lets instead look at a smaller example. East Chicago has had a Strong Mayor system with all of its abuses clearly expressed since the beginning of time. With an unemployment rate well above 20%, 28% of its households, or nearly 40% of the electorate, receive a paycheck from the Mayor. This single fact makes it impossible to remove the Mayor from office using the electoral process - too many workers with their jobs on-the-line will not risk voting against the Mayor no matter how tyrannical his behavior is perceived.

The only other alternative for removal would be for prosecution of abuses. And yet, with a justice system so fully politicized as we have in the U.S., the Federal prosecutors office has become a barter system between up-stream political cultures. At the local level Federal prosecutors seem to have been relegated to identifying discontent and collecting whistle blower information on behalf of public executives. Instead of being an arm of the peoples justice they have become an arm of entrenched power. Instead of investigating improprieties rumors have it that they share this information with these executives and only offer mere verbal slaps on the wrist. Unless you have a reach into the oval office this alternative does not appear very realistic. 

Based on my fatalistic example of East Chicago, it appears to me that locating accountability in a strong chief executive is not the way to go.  

But then their are those who would beg to differ. 

1. Bloomberg:

“Schools Can’t Be ‘Patronage Mills Or ‘Run For The Benefit Of The People Who Work In Them… And when you have these school boards that are fundamentally controlled by special interests, the truth of the matter is the students come last, if at all.”

<wtf>
The irony in this argument is that it is machine politics that is known for taking advantage of patronage. Such as in East Chicago.
</wtf>
 

1. Matt Yglesias 

“I think this is part of a larger issue about getting democracy right in the United States. There was an assumption, at one time, that you could make government more democratic and accountable by, in essence, multiplying the number of elected officials.

In retrospect, I think this was based on flawed logic and faulty assumptions that forgot to account for the fact that people have a limited amount of time they’re realistically going to spend monitoring public officials. If you live in New York City you’re voting for the President of the United States, two United States Senators, one member of congress, the Governor, the state Attorney-General, the state Lieutenant Governor, the state Comptroller, a mayor, a District Attorney, a city Comptroller, a Borough President, and a city council member in addition to a variety of state and local judges. And that’s entirely typical for the United States. Add a school board member into the mix and the situation gets even more out of control.

The result of this sort of process is the absence of meaningful accountability rather than its presence. The result is that special interests—the people with strong self-interested motives to pay attention—wind up exerting wildly disproportionate influence.

Needless to say, special interests get a lot of influence one way or another. But when it comes to a President or a Governor or a Mayor it is realistic to expect the broad mass of people to form a meaningful opinion and register it at the polls. When you keep multiplying offices and diffusing responsibility, you play into the hands of folks looking to game the system and make it hard for voters to understand what’s happening. I think part of the answer is that states should probably adopt unicameral legislatures and consider cutting down on the number of independently elected statewide officials. But cutting down on the quantity and influence of hyper-local electeds and putting responsibility in the hands of visible figures like the mayor and city council is crucial.”

Although I would generally agree with Matt about the difficulty for citizens to actually participate in the democratic process in any meaningful and informed way, I think the actual loss of accountability in any single area and the potential for abuses of power far outweigh information overload on the part of the citizen. Granted America lacks a good education system and thus a well informed citizenry, but to propose that America needs structural changes that concentrates more power in a few leaders as the answer is beyond me.

Thomas Information Graphics, Local

A remix from a previous post [ "East Chicago: Rumors of Grand Jury Indictments" ]

If I wasn’t so deeply connected to seeing justice done for the people of East Chicago I would not waste so much space on a blog dedicated to the arts and my art. But, because politics in East Chicago are so terribly corrupt and the consequences so damaging to the people who live here, it is impossible for the arts to ignore the humanity.

We are hearing that a round of indictments could come tomorrow.

Every so often rumors of indictments are visited upon the political establishment in East Chicago, which creates a momentary blip of enthusiasm and confusion. These rumors often whip the spirits of the opposition tribe into a frenzy that last - oh, about a week or so - or until it becomes obvious no indictments are coming.

Thomas East Chicago, Local

[ Matt on Evan Bayh ]

Are you one of the 95 percent of Americans whose taxes would be cut under Barack Obama’s budget? Does the thought of that tax cut being paid for by tax increases on the wealthiest 2 percent of the population strike terror into your heart? If so, you’re in luck, because it’s not just Republicans who are eager to spare you from this nightmare moderate Democrats such as Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson want to keep the rich as rich as possible too:

As for the tax increases on high-income earners called for in Obama’s plan, [Evan] Bayh said, “I do think that before we raise revenue, we first should look to see if there are ways we can cut back on spending.” […] “I have major concerns about trying to raise taxes in the midst of a downturn of the economy,” said [Ben] Nelson, the conservative Nebraska Democrat. “On the one hand, you’re trying to stimulate the economy. On the other hand, you’re trying to keep money from going into taxpayers’ pockets. It’s very difficult to make that logic work.”

It’s particularly depressing that Nelson seems to have gotten 100 percent of his information about Obama’s tax plans from Fox News and zero percent from participating in the extensive on- and off-the-record briefings for members of congress, congressional staff, and media that the administration has organized. But once again, nobody is raising taxes in the midst of a downturn.

Meanwhile, the median household income in Indiana is $42,000 a year. Families making that much would not see tax increases under Obama’s plan. Families making double the Indiana median household income would not see tax increases under Obama’s plan. Families making double that would not see tax increases under Obama’s plan. Only families making almost six times the median household income of Indiana would see increases; increases that would essentially take us back to the rates that prevailed during the more prosperous 1990s. But never fear, if you’re dramatically richer than most Indianans and sociopathically unconcerned with the well-being of your fellow citizens, then Evan Bayh is fighting for you.

Thomas Local, National

Just as Charles Ponzi’s name became synonymous with the Ponzi scheme. “Madoff” is a perfect container for all his regulatory enablers, and legal gamblers who bankrupted the country in a symbiotic relationship between Public and Private entities. Through the 1990’s and well into this century we have seen an explosion in these types of relationships. These networked partnerships allow for all sorts of unscrupulous activities, from wall street investment firms, to community block-grants, enterprise zones, TIF districts, regulating safety, and the environment. 

Case Study: Environment
Pre-1990 regulatory regimes found themselves ineffectual in bringing about improved environmental practices by industry. The system was oppositional, and industry was quite happy and successful at gaming it. Thus instead of chasing uncompliant industries, in the 1990’s, the USEPA changed approaches and began to partner with these industry’s interests. This led to two decades of meager incremental improvements, creating unsustainable communities e.g. East Chicago, and placing humankind at odds with maintaining a life-sustaining environment on earth. The same industries who gamed the environmental regulatory regime from the outside (pre-1990) are now gaming the regime from within.

I am not against these partnerships - I think it is necessary to base these types of relationships on common interests. They just are not incentivising the the desired result, and we are not getting the desired result. Incrementalism has not worked. It just puts off the difficult work ahead. 

<jump to media>The media is creating the myth of Madoff as a lone criminal in the private sector. At $50 billion, this was a criminal enterprise, extending well into the halls of government. We are now discovering hundreds of Madoff’s in the investment banking sector. What we are not doing is naming the hundreds Madoff’s in Government. These criminals can be found up and down our political culture and at the local level.

There is not just one hole in our boat, there are thousands of holes.

Here is one:

<jump to East Chicago> George Pabey: Mayor of East Chicago.

• In a community of ~30,000 George amassed and spent > $1 million in the last election (mostly as undisclosed street money).
• Gave BP $165 million tax abatement - Residents 0 (at %8.5 East Chicago has the hightest property tax rate in the state)
• Funneled government contracts to cronies 
• Used School City funds to payoff political IOUs
• Used City workforce to do construction work on Lakefront home in another community. 

Thomas Economics, Local

Back in 2007 again, and coming at environmental advocacy from a different angle. The negative impacts are not all environmental they were also financial. In a community with the poorest census tracks in the state, yet paying the highest property taxes in the state at 8.45% this give-away to BP (without any job creation for East Chicagoans) is insane.

In fact we know that the project will lower residential property values and cap incremental increases in the future. 

Thomas East Chicago, Economics, Energy, Environment, Local

Can not forget the Council. There is Art in everything

Revisiting the Past

For those unaware of East Chicago politics, you may be confused by these past few posts. Van blocklin was a Federal prosecutor who indicted many from the last corrupt political regime.

Looking back on past events, I have to believe Van Blocklin and others must have been aware of the consequences of there activities. Did they feel they had no other option? I don’t know.

The vacancies left by Van Blocklin’s successes have had some serious intended and unintended consequences for Democracy in East Chicago. Today, the majority of East Chicago’s Common Council were never elected by Residents of East Chicago. They were appointed by the Mayor’s Precinct committee people. Consequently, they (TEAM PABEY) have consistently voted in the Mayor’s interest and not in the interest of the districts they are meant to serve.

• Along with the Mayor TEAM PABEY voted to increase Property Taxes to 8.5%. On average 3 times more than other communities in the state
• TEAM PABEY voted to give BP $165,000,000 in tax abatement in exchange for taking value away from East Chicago homeowners.
• TEAM PABEY voted to allow the Mayor to petition the state for an excessive levy tax increase - to raise the taxes beyond what state law allows.
• TEAM PABEY voted to approve the Mayor’s October 2006 payroll, which revealed 1,300 city employees on staff, an increase of 400 new employees (or 22%). It is important to note that Shererville, with a similar population, has less than 300 city employees.
• TEAM PABEY voted to increase the 2007 budget by $12 million (or 19%).
• TEAM PABEY voted to spend $51 million of future gaming revenue to move the water filtration plant into our North Harbor neighborhood. This gives the Mayor the opportunity to AGAIN award contracts to his cronies for Lakefront development. Remember, the Mayor was an original investor in the Waterfront Entertainment and Development Inc. that brought in the casino boat.
• TEAM PABEY voted to give control of the payment vouchers to the Board of Public Works which is appointed by the executive branch.
• And TEAM PABEY brought forward a motion to end All public comments at the Council Meetings.

Are they complicit in the Mayor’s Lies? I believe so.

NOW, TEAM PABEY has the advantage of running as incumbents.

The people of East Chicago have the right to live in A FREE EAST CHICAGO.

Thomas Local

Lies of the Mayor.com

In light of recent news I can’t help but publish this.

Brings Back Memories

INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY MAYOR GEORGE PABEY

January 2, 2005 East Chicago, Indiana.

 I Will….

1) “Establish an elected School Board” - Nunca sucedió

2) “Return Public Access Television” - Nunca sucedió

3) “We will open the books and shine the light on the  casino money to see where it has been going and how  it has been spent.” - Nunca sucedió

4) “appoint a Citizens’ Budget Committee” - Nunca sucedió

5) “cancel all unnecessary and overpriced contracts with  consultants, lawyers and contractors.” - Nunca sucedió

6) “I will be asking Department Heads to accept lower  salaries.” - Nunca sucedió

7) “sweep politics out of City “ .. “Our work force will  be judged by the quality of the work they do, not by  their political contributions and connections.” - Nunca sucedió

Thomas Local

Every so often rumors of indictments are visited upon the political establishment in East Chicago, which creates a momentary blip of enthusiasm and confusion. These rumors often whip the spirits of the opposition tribe into a frenzy that last - oh, about a week or so - or until it becomes obvious no indictments are coming. This week there is a new round of rumors that the Mayor of East Chicago and 8 - 10 of his closest cronies and petty thieves will be indicted on Friday.

Unlike the rumors of the past these seem to some velocity based on grand jury subpoenas. The best I can determine is that several department heads were issued subpoenas including; Al Velez, Charlie Pecurer, Ernie Jones, and Kenny Monroe. The list also includes a couple of employees, North Township Assessor John Matonovich and maybe Councilperson’s, Christine Vasquez, and Adrian Santos. We knew something was up when Camacho went into hiding in Puerto Rico. But of course everyone’s hopes are getting ahead of themselves, including mine. 

What surprises me about these rumors is that there are no surprises in who was named. Generally an investigation will produce many surprises - but none here. Accounts disclose petty self-interested abuses, not an orchestrated abuse of power and public policy. We will just have to wait and see. It kind of reminds me of how the numbers from the last primary seemed too conscious to be real (those numbers too conveniently and consistently told a story from a specific point of view, not a general population). 

just wondering - ARE THEY GOING TO BROADCAST THIS ON THE GOVERNMENT CHANNEL?

I have to ask - are these public servants products the the East Chicago public school system as those who were convicted under Pasterick? If so, does anyone have a tally of how many E.C. grads have been convicted for public corruption?  

This from Dan Lowery quoted in the Times

“What you have is the ethics of the Mafia, in effect,” Lowery said. “It’s taking care of family. That is an ethic. It’s just not an ethic that’s legal.”

I have to admit, I cannot contain my glee. I have no pity for these criminals. They behaved as a criminal enterprise the moment they came into office and they never stopped. Pabey always boosted that Gov. Mitch Daniels had his back giving him immunity from prosecution. This made it nearly impossible for those of us who tried to move this city in a positive direction to do so. I don’t know how culpable Mitch Daniels and the Feds are in allowing this criminal enterprise to continue this long, but I do know Pabey would boost of Daniel’s taking care of him. I can’t say, but it seems to me that Daniels must have gotten wind of Pabey’s activities and boosts and decided he needed to cut ties with Pabey once the BP deal went through.

In exchange for protection the city paid republican attorney’s >$5 million in Pabey’s first year in office. And the Feds responded to evidence of wrong doing in the Pabey administration by bringing the information to Pabey and asking him to stop. This arrangement provided a perfect environment for Pabey’s cronies to operate with impunity.

When you look at all the damage that is allowed to occur here in East Chicago, you have to look upstream at the cause of these tragedies, and I look toward Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Steve Carter - Indiana AG, Todd Rokita - Indiana Sec of State, and the Federal Prosecutors office.

Yesterday I received several phone calls and was visited by a councilmen. There is a lot of scrambling going on. Everyone is looking at state statues on what will happen in the event the Mayor is indicted, and who would become the next Mayor and what the procedures precribe. People are afraid Pabey will appoint a deputy Mayor to fill his place, and allow his criminal enterprise to maintain control. they are also afraid Council President Medina will fill his place. 

In Short, the Campaign for Mayor has just begun.

Questions:

• How far will the indictments go?
• Does it extend to Governor Daniel’s office for initially providing cover?And does it include his involvement in striking a deal with the Pabey administration on behalf of BP? And what were the terms of that deal?
• Will prosecutors risk going after those who REALLY benefitted from Pabey’s Corruption? That is will they follow the money? (What justifies this criminal enterprise providing BP with $165 million tax abatement without a legally required public hearing - while the only benefit to local home owners is the taking of the little value left in their homes) - this is a big chunk of money, to ignore it is to a dereliction of duty.
• If these rumors bare-themselves-out, why do I know about them? I don’t care so much who is leaking this information but I want to know who has the access to these prosecutors and why do they have access?  

Thomas Local

Every so often I come back to this and become frustrated with the undeserved arrogance. I am convinced that E.C. would be a year ahead and finalizing its Comprehensive Plan. With the election of George Pabey to Mayor of East Chicago came a new ruling class and the purging of the intellectual class reminiscent of the great purges in Russia. For the past year this new ruling class, taking on responsibilities they lack qualifications, has been desperate to show progress. They have focused their attention on physical evidence in the built environment for expression their moral superiority over the past regime. This has essentially created a environment where all outside the ruling class laid vulnerable to redevelopment. Throughout the year eminent domain could be heard regularly in the conferences of this small group, while project after project was proposed without the engagement of professionals, authorities or the input from stakeholders such as industry or the public. This ruling class scoffed at their views and recommendation. They even attempted to move forward without a vision. Their first expression came with the teardown of the Historic Bank building for a Walgreen’s. later this first year, in an attempt to move the cities ideas for a Port forward I set up a meeting between the Cities Economic team and JRR and SEH, the planning consultants for the Congressmen’s Marquette Plan. I have never seen such complete disrespect in meeting. They just ignored them and huddled around their own plan. Taking the professionals out of the plan. Fortunately for East Chicago they have had many setbacks and have not had much of a chance for a second act.

Thomas Local

In today’s Times Opinion RDA needs to hit the ground running, East Chicago’s Intermodal ambitions are apparently not on the agenda, trumped by that of the Port of Indiana’s. It looks like East Chicago’s lack of interest in engaging regionalism and regional authorities (NIRPC, the Forum, Quality of Life Council, The Marquette Plan), during the first six months of this administration, may have cost East chicago’s “Economic Development Council” the opportunity to do what it has wanted to do - develop a Port or Intermodal facility ASAP. When you consider the timeline for the navigational dredge, the soon to come environmental dredge, and the need to widen and deepen the canal to support such shipping (if Mr. Ruff continues to insist on the present location), build new bridges, do all the feasibility and environmental studies, the lack of developed plans, get the support of the RDA and all other necessary authorities, it was never a quick deal. Now, It looks like Mr. Ruff will have an opportunity to develop an Intermodal Port, only it will be in Portage.

The issue: Regional Development Authority
Our opinion: Now that we have a full slate of board members, they should move quickly, under John Clark’s leadership, on the important work they must do. They need to draft a

Harley Snyder and Lou Martinez have been named to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. The RDA now begins its work Sept. 26.

The RDA’s first meeting on that date will be at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission building in Portage. The RDA should start with a good briefing from NIRPC and take time to listen to the views of the region.
It must then quickly draft a plan that sets priorities and quickly act on it.

In announcing Snyder’s appointment Thursday, Gov. Mitch Daniels said Northwest Indiana has no shortage of plans. What it needs is results.

That’s true, but what the region really needs first is a single blueprint for Northwest Indiana that incorporates those many other plans.

Then the RDA can decide in what order to tackle these objectives and start moving on them.

Bus services need to be consolidated and routes thoughtfully crafted. Passenger rail service needs to be extended to Lowell and Valparaiso. An intermodal facility needs to be developed to facilitate intermodal shipping through the port in Portage. Land along the Lake Michigan shoreline needs to be reclaimed for public use, in line with the Marquette Greenway plan. The Gary/Chicago International Airport needs to be improved and additional airlines recruited.

And that’s just a sampling of the work the RDA needs to do.

The board members need to hit the ground running. They need to ask NIRPC’s expert advice but also others in the region.

And they’re asking you, too, to speak out. It’s your region, and you should have a voice in how it develops. Offer your advice to the RDA members.

The RDA is Indiana’s first truly regional government. Help make it work well.

On the RDA board

* John Clark, RDA chairman and Gov. Mitch Daniels’s senior adviser for economic growth

* Harley Snyder, president of HSC Inc./Real Estate Counseling and Investment

* Howard Cohen, chancellor of Purdue University Calumet

* Gus Olympidis, Family Express founder and president

* Ned Ruff, East Chicago city attorney

* Bill Joiner, president of the Gary Economic Development Commission

* Lou Martinez, president of Lake Area United Way

Offer your advice

The RDA is inviting comments and suggestions prior to its first meeting. Send your e-mail to rda@iedc.in.gov

If you go

The Regional Development Authority will meet at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission building, 6100 Southport Road, Portage.

Your opinion, please

What should be the RDA’s first priority?

Thomas Local, Regional

The following is a memo found in the papers left behind by ex-City Councilmen Frank Kollintzas from a resident of his district.

To: Mayor Pabey
CC: East Chicago City Council Members

Subject: Coordinating efforts

I encourage East Chicago to adopt the Marquette Greenway Proposal as a master framework for the redevelopment in East Chicago and from which all future projects and opportunities address. This is a great regional initiative offering vision and opportunities for East Chicago as it enters into a period of transition. This will require amending East Chicago’s Five Year Consolidated Plan, East Chicago’s zoning practices and the coordination of several primary city departments including: The East Chicago Planning Commission, Building and inspection, Housing and Redevelopment, and most importantly Business Development. This is a historic proposal that is infinitely doable and you are in the right place at the right time to prepare the groundwork.

For more than a century East Chicago has benefited from the steel economy and survived its adverse externalities. East Chicago has survived the technological advances that increase productivity but also translated into employment downsizing. It survived globalization that made this industry more competitive but translated into shipping jobs oversees. And it is surviving pollution, poverty, crime and corruption that translated into damaging the quality of life for all who live here. Since the first signs of decline in the steel industry in the early 1970’s East Chicago developed a diet for bottom feeding on the American economy, attracting the nations most undesirable industries in an effort to keep the community viable. It hasn’t worked. What it has brought about are decades of increased levels of pollution, poverty, crime, continued erosion of land for future development, and again lowering the quality of life for those who live here.

Our future depends on how we manage our way through this transition, including how we remember and forget the past. Before all else we need a coordinated plan and we need to work in concert to ensure that no one governing entity trades against this shared vision - knowingly or unknowingly. This also means that East Chicago involves itself more aggressively in regional initiative such as the Marquette Greenway Proposal, and the Gary/Chicago Airport. I worry that the lack of East Chicago evolvement of in the Gary/Chicago Airport will not only leave East Chicago out of opportunities but also bring the main runway up against Prairie Park. This would destroy any future plans we would have for the neighborhoods in the Harbor. Along with planning we need to be vigilant.

East Chicago has several great assets to build on as we manage our way through this transition. We still have a viable steel economy, although contracting as it may. We have our location on Lake Michigan. We have the reason this region was first exploited by industry - our juxtaposition to Chicago. We have a truly diverse culture. And we have our place in the historic heritage of the Calumet Region. A good start.

Thank you,

Thomas East Chicago, Local

Place Holder for information relating to property taxes and the local tax levy.

- From Marcia J. Oddi’s “Indiana Law Blog”
- A times article by Ruthann Robinson, Finance study fosters ‘world-class government’
- A link to the Lake County Government Finance Study

PDF of the East Chicago Section of the Lake County Government Finance Study 

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A times article by jim Masters

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I decided to set up categories of issues. This area will house information on the CDF and the dredging of the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal.

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IDEM hazadous Waste Sites

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