Northwest Indiana Discussion

A concerted effort must begin to convince Tom McDermott to move on from being mayor. He needs a larger sandbox to litter. Four terms is two too many for any individual. It breeds complacency, entitlement, and a system of rollover accounting that can conceal fiscal malfeasance. George van til confessed that part of the temptation to steal was the entitlement he felt as a long term officeholder. See, George wrongly felt the office was his, when really, he and every other public servant are caretakers of those offices for the public. Tom McDermott has crossed that line too. Everything about Hammond and it's government is "I, me, mine" in Tom's eye. Time to tame Tom. Maybe we can recruit Rob Ford away from Toronto? He's a little less volatile.

Well, in the case of George Van Til, I just KNEW it wasn't his fault. It was the LC electorate's fault for returning him to office over and over again. Poor guy....has to do time thanks to the shortcomings of his constituents.

I don't know if tenure in office has been that big a problem for other LC Dems. How long was George Pabey mayor before his sense of entitlement kicked in? Manny Montalvo? That slug of a Hammond councilman that paid off the Munster tree guy?

Da' Region's strength is its diversity.

Then I pray he never falls victim to such behavior. Really sparks? Intimidation? Everyone knows that you know what intimidation is. I needn’t remind them of your history posting. We also know you as the resident spell checker here. Why not expand the use of that dictionary you have to learn the meanings of words instead of just their spellings? See, “troll”, “bigot”, and “cyberstalking” before we continue. I'm sure Tom would prefer a larger sandbox over more confined quarters. Moveon.tom

Speaking of the yellow bus, Mr Sparks sits just one seat behind me. He hasn't read his own prose.

Something mr back of the bus doesn't know, and let's not tell him, his pal Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr has been working on leaving hammond now for some time... governor, lt. governor, senator, lobbyist, law firm, in all honestly, Tom might be leaving hammond the same way Blago left illinois.

didn't jr put an end to a criminal investigation, involving 42 illegal narcotic subscriptions with a medical professional who has a history of such problems?

the stop order put in place to save the spouse of a co conspirator? I believe in Indiana a spouse is not subject to legal privileged, & can testify against their mate. I wonder if lighting will strike twice?

Wouldn't that intervention be....... criminal?

Could McDermott be the first hammond mayor to serve federal jail time?

From what I have heard, someone outside jr's reach is already looking into this matter. Ouch!

Ok .... then who next? I've asked this question of you a few times and yet you can't give me an answer of what leader Hammond needs.

You have heard of the saying, "Don't hate the player, hate the game".

For you and Lubu it seems exactly the opposite. It's "Don't hate the game, hate the player".

I haven't heard one word from either of you of functional ways to fix the problems of Hammond or actually change the way business is done. It seems to me that it just isn't your guy doing the business.

Matt,
JCMT is one of the property owners who was cited by code enforcement because he owned a single family home that had been illegally cut up into three apartments. Much of the vocal opposition to Mayor McDermott has come from owners of substandard rental housing who have been forced to convert buildings back to the single family homes they were built as. In 2013, the totals were as follows-
2013 Inspections Department-City of Hammond, IN Totals:
170 Illegal Apartments affirmed for removal
33 Illegal basement/attic bedrooms affirmed for removal
103 Home Demolitions
The methods the inspection department has used to improve rental housing are being studied by other cities across the state because it has been so effective in dealing with blighted properties.

Matt, you with just one line of prose, have the answer... omg! it is so simple.

The players and the game are both the problem, with 90 plus lake county politicians convicted, sent to jail, they are one and the same, there is no difference between either.

given sanchez allegations, reported to the fbi, the surveyor's position filled by emmerson was bought and paid for thru back room deals. If the nwigazette info is true, freeman wilson's husband reportedly is replacing sanchez, conveniently got a job with in the Emmerson administration.

back room deal.

and it.... i live under the hohman avenue bridge, come by one day and bring some hot chocolate... Sparks you've been caught in so many lies, .. you have no credibility.

I wonder how Tom will make investigative notes disappear? Dumb move Tom, real dumb move. Illegal prescriptions, 42 of them Tom. Watch the Indiana Nursing Review Board take action on something that should have been dealt with this last summer.... how could you be so stupid to have three witness in the room when you put a stop on the investigation?

I'll post the previous disciplinary board report for you to read Tom.

Hammond doesn't need a leader. Hammond needs a manager. Any honest manager would do. To say that Hammond needs a leader, implies that people can't manage their own affairs, to their own satisfaction, unless they are lead there by some elites who can lead the way. We've been led the way for so many years, yet we are sinking like lead.


Yes, I've heard it. It's a variation of "Don't hate the criminal, hate the crime." It's a dismissive way of excusing "bad" behavior. "Hey, everybody's doing it! Don't blame me if the system is flawed/corrupt/criminal. I'm just playing the game!" Other than hollow political competition and the US Attorney, Tom McDermott, as the head of a decayed and rotting corpse known as the Lake County Democrat Party, has the most influence to affect that body, but he has proven to be yet another ailment of it, not healer of it.


I'm not arrogant enough to say that I have the answers to fix Hammond's problems. I will say though, that self-serving political choices, patronage, graft, and other forms of corruption, weigh on those problems, and to expose and expunge them are steps in the right direction.

nicely put lu...

So then since you have mentioned democrats so many times, your answer is that there needs to be a Republican. Is that the case? Both of Hammond's last 2 Republican Mayors had their share of missteps and corruption, and both very likely should have been in jail with the other 90 plus democrats you mention.

Apparently you don't understand Management either, as Leadership is an integral tool in accomplishing any task of management. Leaders and Managers are 2 distinct different entities, but closely related and management without strong leadership is impossible.

Leadership by example is adequate. Besides being honest and earnest, what leadership would motivate a city controller? Government is not business, even though it's been fashionable to say that government should be run like a business.

On the radio again today McDermott showed how any adversity has him hanging by threads. He takes a caller who is critical, responds, but tells the producer to hang up because the caller has anger issues! He went on to relate a story about how his eight year old son agrees with him that the caller is "mean". He and his son seem to be on the same level of maturity. He spent about an hour today whining about constituents who are whining!

He also hung up on a caller who hinted that they were going to ask about deals that may have been cut in the election of the new surveyor. McDermott flat out stated that the Northwest Indiana Gazette is full of lies. The publisher should seek a transcript of the show.

And finally, McDermott told us about his dreams after the being mayor. After leaving office, he'll pray for snow and then call a radio show to complain about poor snow removal! You can't tell me that this guy has a full deck.

damn it, the batteries went out on the transistor radio, I didn't catch the show.

speaking of snow, i keep asking the visitors to my campfire under the hohman avenue bridge about now, and to all but one, they speak of tom snorting snow. now i wonder what that could mean?

I think the obvious answer is...Dave Hein!

And yet nothing done about a house with no heat, no electricity, and no water for MONTHS. but they were going to go to court soonthe city says

Oh and its amazing, the firefighters had to remove the door because the tenants barricaded it. Must be a swell neighborhood to live in if the tenants felt the need to barricade the door