Northwest Indiana Discussion

This provides some limited history with regard to Mr. McDermott.





Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr has had a long history of questionable actions dealing with minorities.

Two African American city code enforcement women were removed from their positions in the summer of 2013, seasoned code enforcement investigators, demoted to secretary's without probable cause, due process. A politically connected white male, and another male race unknown with little experience were given their jobs. This occurred August 2013. In January 2014 three African American children died in a fire where, the utility company NIPSCO has a policy of informing the City Code Enforcement Department when utilities are cut off, the city then sends out the water department and turns off water service.




The subject building had one buffalo (water feed) box. City Code Enforcement personnel, along with the city attorney failed to act responsibly an improvised family from this residence.... Articles follow.




McDermott frequently places appointments based on political affiliation or ability to raise campaign funds. He has been the most prolific fund raiser in the history of Lake County Indiana, raising easily over $500,000 of funds per campaign cycle. How, by rewarding positions to those who can provide campaign contributions.




The federal court case involving aggrieved African American Code Enforcement personnel:

2:14-cv-00018-JVB-APR Woods v. Hammond Indiana City of et al
Joseph S Van Bokkelen, presiding
Andrew P Rodovich, referral
Date filed: 01/22/2014







Article found published in the Post Tribune on the matter.














image





Rutter: Be honest about how and why 3 children died - Po...

Seven-month-old Jayden Young, 4-year-old DaSani Young and 3-year-old Alexia Young are dead. We must catch those who did it. If we do not catch the guilty, justice m...

View on posttrib.suntimes.com


Rutter: Be honest about how and why 3 children died - Post-Tribune

Rutter: Be honest about how and why 3 children died

BY DAVID RUTTER January 25, 2014 10:46AM

Updated: January 25, 2014 9:13PM


Seven-month-old Jayden Young, 4-year-old DaSani Young and 3-year-old Alexia Young are dead. We must catch those who did it.

If we do not catch the guilty, justice means little. There are crimes, evils, grotesqueries. And we must bring the evil to accounts, otherwise what sort of humans would we be?

In the shorthand of life, we prefer tidy answers, so we can move on to the next puzzle without looking over our shoulders.

Loose ends taunt us. We have to chase the original Nazi stormtroopers even though they are all 90 now and imprisoning 90-year-old monsters does not rectify any unresolved issue. It’s not the person we must penalize, but the crime we cleanse, otherwise we enable future evil if we let past sins slide peacefully into the night.

So somebody killed the three Hammond toddlers on Jan. 7 in a propane-fueled space-heater fire that should never have happened, in a house that should never have been occupied and perhaps in a community that never cared enough collectively or individually to stop it.

There are appropriate investigations by appropriate agencies with appropriate jurisdictions. And when all the careful assessment is concluded, you can guess the result will be a lot of nothing much. Mistakes were made. It was nobody’s fault, really. Let’s all cast our eyes downward with sadness over the unavoidable tragedy. It’s just one of those horrid moments life inflicts. But it’s nobody’s fault, really.

But of course that is not true.

It was someone’s fault.

Real people killed the children by inaction. It was a lot of people’s fault who will never be called to judgment, and likely do not believe they did anything wrong. That’s because we have no moral mechanism for holding inaction responsible for the anguish it causes. That would require a level of duty we’d rather shun.

Who will accept that their lack of foresight caused the death of three children? But before some failure of “the system” gets the blame, we should at last talk more honestly that human institutions are not inanimate objects. Those institutional structures are the way humans arrange themselves. We create them; we run them; we are responsible for them. They are us.

And when they fail to save the lives of children, it is not “the system” that failed; it is us.

So let us say who failed the children.

The grubby landlord owners? Sure. They bobbed and weaved away from legal responsibilities and seemed adept at never making the home habitable. Too expensive.

“Habitable?” That’s not asking much. A home without heat, electricity or water is by definition a hovel.

The city of Hammond could have stopped it, but didn’t. Building inspectors “could never contact” the owners, could never tell if someone lived in the house, never decided that standing in the living room would have proved the obvious. Too complicated?

The subdivided house at 644 Sibley St. never went anywhere, nor did the family. The house sat waiting to kill three children, and the city seemed unable to stop it. It’s not the only house in that condition there.

Hammond City Attorney Kristina Kantar told a reporter that the house would have been found uninhabitable if the city “had been able to make an inspection, as it had tried to do.” Kantar also said the landlord “hadn’t allowed the city to inspect the building, prompting the citation.”

What can those statements mean? The city’s inspectors did not acquire emergency court orders, knock on the home’s door, gain entry and inspect it. Too hard?

NIPSCO had cut off the heat months earlier, and to get warmth returned, the children’s father needed more money than he ever seemed to have. So he did without.

Various social service agencies knew about the family and its burdens.


The state knew. NIPSCO would have known had it wanted to know.

The city of Hammond knew.

Lots of people knew.

And finally, the facts strongly suggest that Andre Young was a doting, loving father, but the quality of life he provided five children was not nearly good enough. He could not provide basics. His unrelenting poverty helped kill his children.

He was lucky that he and two other children in the home did not perish, too.

The “system” did not fail the three dead children. The community failed them. Real people making real decisions failed them

No one cared enough to save them..

David Rutter was an editor at six community newspapers more than 40 years, including nearly a decade as managing editor of the Post-Tribune. His column appears Sundays in the Post-Tribune. Contact him at david.rutter@live.com.









Related article

A Tragedy of Errors: Fatal Hammond Fire









image













A Tragedy of Errors: Fatal Hammond Fire

by Ken Davidson Difficulty Inspecting Property May Have Resulted from City Errors in Naming Owner Judge Jeffrey Harkin has issued a judgment in the amount of $...




View on nwigazette.com


Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr is a Notre Dame Graduate, Bar Registered Attorney. McDermott had to settle in the following HUD case, as otherwise his comments would have become public record.


http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 38867.html
McDermott expresses support for Housing Choice Voucher
Print Email
April 29, 2014 6:30 pm • Matt Mikus matt.mikus@nwi.com, (219) 933-3241
Related Documents
Mayor's Statement on Housing Choice Voucher

HAMMOND | Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said in a mandated statement Monday the Hammond Housing Authority will continue to help families through the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

The statement was part of an agreement to settle a March 2012 discrimination complaint filed by ousted Hammond Housing Authority Director Maria Becerra.

In that settlement, the city and the HHA reached an agreement with Becerra, HHA's executive director for 27 years, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $200,000.

Becerra claimed her employment contract was not renewed because of her work providing minority families with rent-subsidy vouchers to move into neighborhoods they otherwise couldn't afford.

McDermott said he was concerned about her residency in Highland outside city limits, her high salary as director, and a legal misstep made during contract negotiations with her.

McDermott told The Times in February he agreed to settle rather than drag the city through a potentially expensive legal battle.

The city and HHA claimed no wrongdoing in their settlement with Becerra, who filed a federal complaint after she was let go by the authority.

According to the settlement, McDermott was required to read a prepared statement at a Hammond Housing Authority public meeting in support of housing choice, more specifically the Housing Choice Voucher program.

In his statement, McDermott expressed his support for current HHA Director Carmen Paniagua, and the direction of the authority since she took over in March 2012.

He acknowledged a challenging transition between the two directors, but he said not renewing Becerra's contract was the right decision.

"My intent is and always has been to support HHA in its mission to provide assistance to responsible citizens who need help finding clean, safe and affordable housing," he said. "HHA and the Housing Choice Voucher program play an important role in helping people get back on their feet."

McDermott said he heard complaints from residents the vouchers were used by criminals and slum lords, and that he decided to take a stand.

"As your mayor, I will never tolerate any program that allows slum lords, gang bangers and criminals to operate in our neighborhoods," McDermott said. "Each time a drug dealer or gang banger got a housing choice voucher, a family who truly needed and deserved assistance was denied."

The mayor said he didn't appreciate being required to say anything.

"This was a deal-breaker," McDermott said after the meeting. "If I didn't do it, they wouldn't settle the case. But nobody likes it when someone tells you what you have to say."

Becerra's attorney, Michael Allen, was unable to respond immediately for comment but planned to issue a statement in the future.





HUD No. 14-008
Shantae Goodloe
(202) 708-0685 FOR RELEASE
Thursday
January 30, 2014

HAMMOND, INDIANA AND HAMMOND HOUSING AUTHORITY SETTLE DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT
Former HHA Executive Director claimed she was wrongfully terminated for helping minority families

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that the city of Hammond, Indiana, and the Hammond Housing Authority (HHA) agreed to pay Maria Becerra, the former executive director of HHA $200,000 to settle allegations the city and HHA terminated her employment because she administered a HUD-funded rental assistance program that helped minority familiesmove into predominantly white neighborhoods In addition, HHA agreed to reopen its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program waiting list and inform the public about the reopening of the list.

In March 2012, Becerra filed a complaint with HUD alleging that in December of 2011 she was wrongfully terminated from her position as Executive Director of the HHA because she assisted persons using HCVs in finding housing in the Hammond neighborhood of their choice. Becerra further alleged that the mayor of Hammond made public statements supporting her ouster, claiming that the HCV program had grown “out of control” and “exploded” during her tenure.

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or familial status. The Act also makes it illegal to retaliate against a person for supporting the housing rights of others. In addition, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

“HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program is designed to help lower income families find housing in safe neighborhoods and climb the ladder of social and economic opportunity,” said Bryan Greene, HUD's Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "We’re pleased that, under this Agreement, the HHA commits itself to implement this program in a fair manner and provide greater housing choices for families of all backgrounds.”

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is HUD’s major rental assistance vehicle for assisting low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities to obtain affordable housing in the private rental market. Rental assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, allowing program participants to find their own rental housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments.

Under the terms of the Conciliation Agreement and Voluntary Compliance Agreement http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documen ... 13.pdfthat settled these allegations,relevant city and HHA staff and board members will receive fair housing training; the Mayor of Hammond will issue a public statement in support of HCVs and the HCV program in Hammond; the cityand HHA will sponsor a public outreach forum to encourage landlord participation in the HCV program; and HHA will expend at least 97 percent of its annual HCV budget each year.





http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/ed ... b1065.html
EDITORIAL: Denounce racism, apologize to Becerra
Print Email
February 27, 2014 12:00 am • By Doug Ross

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said last week the city will save "millions of dollars" because he agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by ousted Hammond Housing Authority Director Maria Becerra.

What McDermott didn't say, but should, is that it was wrong to not renew Becerra's contract. He should also publicly apologize to her.

Becerra, who served as Hammond Housing Authority director for 27 years, said her employment contract wasn't renewed because she helped provide minority families with Section 8 rent subsidy vouchers to move into neighborhoods that were predominantly white.

Becerra had the support of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for her Fair Housing Act complaint.

The city's official position is that she was paid too much, even more than the mayor, and that it didn't look good for an employee to be paid so much to help poor people obtain housing. Also, she lived in Highland rather than Hammond.

We recognize McDermott's concern about inflated salaries. We disagree on the need to have city employees be residents of that city. Employers shouldn't limit themselves with residency limits like this.

"I decided the $200,000 settlement was much better than going through two years of expensive litigation," McDermott said. "We were told if we fight this and lose, we would have to pay both sides, which would be millions of dollars."

The city's settlement does not include an admission of guilt. Still, McDermott should clearly state for the record and to the public that he does not object to integration in his city's neighborhoods.

Racism and charges of racism have plagued this region for too long to not have McDermott loudly and unequivocally denounce the practice of steering minority families away from neighborhoods that are predominantly white.

But we want to make it clear that the Hammond Housing Authority is well within its rights, indeed its moral obligation, to provide Section 8 rent subsidy vouchers to let minority families live in areas they otherwise couldn't afford.

Housing discrimination is not only illegal but also reprehensible.





McDermott denies racism allegation

McDermott denies racism allegation
Cal City says State Line traffic violations aren't on rise, but black population is
Print Email
April 04, 2006 12:00 am • JOE CARLSON jcarlson@nwitimes.com 219.933.4174

HAMMOND | Over and over again, proponents of the proposal to block off interstate travel on the southern end of State Line Road have said public safety is their driving concern.

They say their streets have become dangerous to kids and the elderly with all the drivers zooming through their neighborhoods to find ways to avoid congested main roads.

Calumet City isn't buying it.

According to a federal lawsuit and statements from the city's mayor and attorney Monday, Calumet City officials believe public safety will be harmed by the project because it will create circuitous routes for emergency vehicles.

Something else must be at work, they say.

"The city of Calumet City has not found any increase in speeding or traffic violations in the area complained of over the last several years," Police Chief Patrick O'Meara said in an affidavit.

"The only noticeable change has been the racial demographic composition of the population on the city of Calumet City side, which now has a larger African-American population than it did in years past," O'Meara said.

Ethnic tension along the state line has come up many times in the public debates over the project.

The retort from Hammond residents and leaders has been that their neighborhood is also racially diverse, and that nonwhite Hammond residents also are supporting the barrier.

"The reason we're trying to install this traffic device is traffic. They made racial overtones in this lawsuit, and it's ing that someone would do that," Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said.

But Calumet City Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush said Hammond officials should have been more eager to try less invasive -- and less permanent -- solutions if traffic was the only concern.

"(McDermott's) unwillingness to try some of the other solutions makes you wonder what their real motivation in this is," Qualkinbush said.

"This was a deal-breaker," McDermott said after the meeting. "If I didn't do it, they wouldn't settle the case. But nobody likes it when someone tells you what you have to say."

Becerra's attorney, Michael Allen, was unable to respond immediately for comment but planned to issue a statement in the future.





McDermott Quoted with regard to African American young people, taken to a voting booth.


http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/arti ... 33bac.html

Quote:

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton denounced it Wednesday as a shameless political power play.

"To me it seems like an orchestrated effort on behalf of the Obama campaign to take kids who should be in school learning to read and write, instead giving them a day off and telling them to vote for Obama.

"When you corral kids together and ship them to polling places, it's completely unethical. I think Sen. Obama should distance himself from this type of behavior," McDermott said



Audio/Video tape of Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr threatening the father of an 18 year old who wants to run for mayor:


Hammond In., Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr intimidation phone call to 18 yr old.AVI





Audio/Video of McDermott threatening the Lake County Sheriff

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr interfered w law enforcement



Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr interfered w la...




WILLIAM NANGLE: Intrigue over NIRPC boss hasn't let up
October 25, 2012 12:00 am • By William Nangle

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe not.

The phone calls and emails have been pretty evenly mixed.

It’s the response I received to my Tuesday column containing a letter of apology to Tyson Warner, the fella the NIRPC board left at the altar of employment.

Warner was selected to be the next executive director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission by a search committee with the help of a professional “search firm.” He showed up Oct. 18 for confirmation by the full board but was left hanging when the vote was postponed.

Who is to blame? Well, that depends on who you talk to.

I noted in my column that Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. helped lead the “bit of a rebellion” that resulted in a delay in voting to put Warner to work.

McDermott called Tuesday afternoon to chide me about the column and to argue he had done the right thing. “It’s just a common courtesy to know the guy’s background,” he said. After all, as mayor McDermott represents some 80,000 plus people and needs to be certain the right person is being hired.

“This is a shady deal,” he told me “There are others locally that are qualified. I don’t know this guy from Kansas.”

Two other mayors called me, both without saying so but tending to support McDermott.

Fellow Democrat Brian Snedecor, mayor of Hobart, said repeatedly the vote being postponed was his fault.

“If anyone is to blame, I will accept the responsibility,” he said. As chairman of NIRPC’s finance and personnel committee, he had not met Warner but said he was asked to have his committee approve a contract for a $130,000 salary and other benefits.

“These are taxpayer dollars. I have a responsibility to the taxpayers.,” he said. “We were simply rushing too fast.” So his committee held off approval and thus a favorable recommendation to the full NIRPC board.

GOP mayor James Snyder of Portage took a similar position. “I started the fuss because I didn't even know his name,” he said.

Snyder suggests the search committee and NIRPC staff “could have done a better job of communicating.”

And so, now what? I asked McDermott if once familiar with Warner what would he do. "The guy's from Kansas,” he said.

Snyder is concerned the ruckus “will probably put us out of a good candidate.”

I hope that’s not the case. Warner has a glowing reputation as a strong professional.

Was I right or was I wrong in my initial column? Not so fast.

Adding to my quandary is an email from Munster Clerk-Treasurer Dave Shafer. He writes, in part, “Congratulations on writing a spot-on article about the highly politicized situation at NIRPC over hiring a new executive director. I am personally embarrassed by the behavior of some of my fellow NIRPC commissioners …”

I guess deciding whether I was right or wrong must await the decision by NIRPC’s 52 commissioners. Can they come together in a show of regional unity and hire a truly qualified professional to fill the all-important executive director’s post?

Or will there be further delay, distraction and disruption? Stay tuned.

William Nangle is executive editor of The Times. He can be reached at The Times, 601 45th St., Munster, IN 46321 or at bill.nangle@nwi.com.




WILLIAM NANGLE: Intrigue over NIRPC boss hasn't let up

WILLIAM NANGLE: Intrigue over NIRPC boss hasn't let up

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe not.
View on http://www.nwitimes.com



The Indiana Law Blog: Indiana Law - Hammond mayor denies local paper access to police records

December 29, 2004
Indiana Law - Hammond mayor denies local paper access to police records

Yesterday the Munster Times reported:

HAMMOND | Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.'s chief of staff Monday said The Times will have to wait three weeks to receive routine reports from the city's police department.

Chief of Staff Marty Wielgos cited no legal reason why the records would not be released in a timely manner or why release of information is not subject to Indiana's Open Records Law.

He said other media may be provided information in a timely manner and that Hammond residents can turn to such media for current information.

Wielgos said access to police information is being withheld because there is a strained relationship between the mayor's office and The Times.

He also said, "Some of those other entities -- based on their relationships with the Police Department -- will get their information one way. Others who don't have as good of a relationship with the Police Department may have to wait a little longer."

The Times has been denied access to daily Hammond crime reports since Dec. 21, when McDermott ordered all requests for information -- including police reports -- to receive approval from his office.

McDermott has declined to discuss the policy, and did so again Monday. His edict came shortly after the newspaper published a news story on his request for a pay increase. In an editorial, the newspaper opposed the pay increase, citing a tax crisis in Hammond.

In today's paper The Times reports:

INDIANAPOLIS | At least two legal experts in public records law on Tuesday said Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. has no authority to withhold routine police records from The Times for any longer than 24 hours.

Steve Key, counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association, said the public records law is extremely clear that information on police activity must be made available to all who request it. Key said no official has the discretion to decide who gets public information later than others, as McDermott has ordered for The Times.

"The mayor does not have the ability to withhold this information from anyone," Key said. "The law doesn't allow for information release to be based on relationships or on who the public officer likes or doesn't like."

Key said he's certain the state's public access counselor will rule against the mayor in an advisory opinion. If McDermott ignores that ruling, the only option is a lawsuit, he said. The real loss comes for the public, which is denied information needed for self-protection, he said. * * *

The issue now has received national attention through Editor & Publisher, a journal that covers the newspaper industry.

In August, The Times and seven other newspapers conducted a test of access to public information in all 92 Indiana counties. Newspaper employees presenting themselves as the public requested the same crime logs and incident reports that McDermott has restricted.

When the test found that county sheriff offices routinely broke open records law, the state's public access counselor said more legal training was necessary to help public officials and employees understand the law. Most officials relent when the counselor's office sends out an advisory opinion, she said at the time.

Posted by Marcia Oddi at December 29, 2004 10:26 AM





The Indiana Law Blog: Indiana Law - Hammond mayor denies local paper access to police records

Indiana Law - Hammond mayor denies local paper access to police records Yesterday the Munster Times reported:

View on http://www.indianalawblog.com

http://northwestindianagazette.com/toda ... omment-292

Coach Says Mayor Ruined Event for 12 Year Olds
16

August 12, 2013 by nwigazetter

Visibly upset and still reeling from the treatment received by is team at the Cal Ripken World Series, Coach Scott Perry described an incident that he says ruined a great event for his kids.
The 2013 El Dorado Powercats World Series Team.

The 2013 El Dorado Powercats World Series Team.

As reported by the NWI Gazette earlier tonight:

Two eyewitnesses have confirmed to the Northwest Indiana Gazette that Mayor Mcdermott said the Arkansas El Dorado Cal Ripken team “sucked.” Apparently, Arkansas fans were listening in on WJOB1230.com and heard the remarks. Cell phones lit up at the field and an interstate incident was born. Gohammond.tv cameras reportedly captured the event live, and WJOB quickly pulled the Mayor off the air. One witness stated that the Mayor was “asked to leave” and threatened the leave with loss of funding for next years event.

“This is the first time ever at the World Series for our kids.” The Coach was sure to praise the people of Hammond including staff at the Whiteco owned hotel where the team is staying. ”A firefighter who had nothing to do with this came in and apologized just because he heard it on the radio.” Pizzas arrived from a local pizzeria as I was talking with coaches and parents. A hotel worker named Julie came and explained that an anonymous Hammond resident had sent the pizzas. Coach Perry went on:

Since we arrived, the people of Hammond have been nothing but amazing. Beyond what we could expect. The ignorance and small mindedness of the Mayor has affected and put a bad mark on what the City has tried to Accomplish. We have not heard from him. We requested to speak with him. We promoted the website and radio station. The Mayor’s comments absolutely took us out of the game.

Coach Perry explained that his team was on the field when parents became visibly upset. They began receiving text messages and telephone calls and talking among themselves. Pretty soon, several parents approached the coaching staff. Coach Perry said it was Hammond residents who convinced Cal Ripken officials to discuss the issue with Mayor McDermott. The understanding of the Arkansas coaching staff and parents was that a note was passed to the Mayor who was in the WJOB broadcasting booth. The Mayor apparently continued to berate the 12 and under team. I was shown a text message from a parent in Arkansas to a parent at the game that stated:

3 errors in the first inning. No wonder this team hasn’t won a game. Then they said they are the smallest team here. The boys are small. Then they said that the other team is playing classic because they could run further on bases but they aren’t.

There were other text messages and the NWI Gazette hopes to get them tomorrow. Many parents were upset and had gone back to their rooms.
Support the Northwest Indiana Gazette. Get your free Amazon Prime trial today. Over 40,000 free movies and shows:
Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies




http://northwestindianagazette.com/toda ... mcdermott/
Letter from El Dorado Coach: Hey Mr. McDermott
By nwigazetter - Published: 08/25/2013 - Section: Indiana, indiana news

Just thought I would send you an email and express a few things that I was unable to express during the world series!! First off I was busy coaching during the game in which you was a broadcaster and was removed from the air. I can only go by what I am told from people in El Dorado that were listening to the game about what you said about our team and coaches. I have to assume that what I am hearing is the truth or you guys would send us a copy and let us hear for ourselves. Therefore you may say that you said nothing wrong but we both know that is not the truth or we could listen ourselves.

With that said I believe you to be a coward that can talk the talk but not walk the walk. By that I mean that one of the first speeches you gave to everyone there your comments were “Every one of you have earned your spot here and deserve to be here” and then on the air you said a few different things about our team. There was a lot going on with our team that you have no idea about so I would appreciate it in the future if you do not have all the facts then please keep your mouth shut.

Furthermore I know that you sir are about as low as they come if you as a grown man can sit and criticize 12yr old kids that was having a bad day at the baseball park. I assume your team doesn’t have those. I know for a fact that people from Hammond came and apologized for your mouth while we were still there, that were listening the night you bashed our team. If people that supposedly put you in office is apologizing for your mouth then you must have really bashed us on the air. Several Police officers along with firefighters were among the several that came by.

A couple things that really is going above and beyond was calling our substitutes (little people) while live on the air, while their grandparents were listening from home because they could not afford to make the journey, that is very low on your part. Another thing was bashing us coaches about pitching rotation, when you had no idea who was available for pitching and which kids arm were sore and things like that. My son played in 70 ballgames to get to Hammond only to be run down by a goofy Mayor that evidently had no idea what sacrifices was given and time spent to get to the world series. I would think you in the future can keep your mouth shut if you don’t have all the facts about other people!

Also I am certainly glad that the people of Hammond don’t have the same hospitality rules as you because they were unbelievable host. They were overwhelming from the tournament host and workers to the motel where we stayed. Along with most everyone that we came in contact with was great people and very hospitable. I have heard the saying one bad apple can spoil the whole bag but I don’t believe that about Hammond. You sir are a bad apple but the rest in the bag in Hammond are still good people.

Good luck in your future in politics and be on the lookout at campaign time for billboards in your area sponsored by the “little people” that can’t vote for or against you.

Sincerely,

Mark Stringer

(One of El Dorado’s coaches)







http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt ... 28469.html
McDermott creates political action committee, eyeing statewide run

By Dan Carden dan.carden@nwi.com, (317) 637-9078


INDIANAPOLIS | Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. has established a political action committee to support Democratic candidates running for statewide office and the Indiana General Assembly.

State campaign finance records show "McPAC" was organized Jan. 8. LaPorte attorney Shaw Friedman is chairman of the fund, and Michigan City's Dr. Hassan Dabagia is treasurer. Both are former chairmen of the LaPorte County Democratic Party.

McDermott already has donated $25,000 from his personal campaign account to McPAC. He plans to dole out that initial money in the next few weeks and expects to raise up to $250,000 more for McPAC by the end of the year.

"I'm trying to help good people get elected so I don't have to take some of the crazy legislation that I've had to face over the last couple years," McDermott said. "It's incumbent upon me to get involved in races in other parts of the state."

The mayor, who also is chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, said he will continue to fulfill those duties, but is looking to "make better use of my money."

McDermott, 44, admitted he's considering a future bid for statewide office, but said he's confident he would win a fourth term and become Hammond's longest-serving mayor if he chooses to run for re-election in 2015.

"I'm doing the stuff you need to do if you are taking a look at a statewide run: I've opened up a PAC, I'm meeting with important people like (former) Sen. (Evan) Bayh and Sen. (Joe) Donnelly, like Congressman Pete (Visclosky), Congressman (Andre) Carson -- I'm doing what you have to do," he said. "It's good to have options."

For now, McDermott still is debating how to pronounce the name of his fund. He's leaning toward "mick-pack," as in McDonalds, but said he also likes how "mack-pack" sounds.
27