Northwest Indiana Discussion

I was going to give tom a break today, have some things to do, but after I read this insulting, higher than thou bull about what kind of deal struck, I thought of the couple of hundred special deals tom has cut with his friends and family.


Then the next thing that came to mind was $400,000 of casino revenue reportedly given to a family member of one of tom's closest friends/advisors to build two homes in hammond. How many contractors get a $400,000 handed to them to build a couple of homes? $400,000?

Then there was the $300,000 given to a Hammond non for profit. SBA auditors asked tom why he gave $300,000 to this non for profit with out contract performance guidelines. If I remember correctly a McDermott got a $65,000 or was it $70,000 a year job at the NFP.

Or how the SBA found $27,000,000 of tax payer's money was placed in uninsured investment accounts, I wonder which bank/friend of toms benefited?

And back a couple of years ago, SBA Auditors questioned Tom, about a $100,000 of unauthorized credit card expenditures. Tom was reimbursed with out appropriate receipts.

Well, we won't talk about how a certain water boy running the water department was illegally paid $250,000, 4 years of salary up front and had to go to school, which the taxpayers paid for, to qualify for the job. Then we won't talk about how it has been reported he stated he services 18 clients, represented Sr in his tax woes, and wrote a $35,000,000 bond deal, sells real estate all while working for the city. This water boy should teach classes in time management. Didn't the SBA question this person's use of benefit time?


Well, we won't talk about the $3,000,000 fine the city of Hammond paid to someone Tom, was it because of non compliance with HUD grants?

Well, we won't talk about the $250,000 a year, is it for the last 7 or 8 years you diverted tax dollars to the legal clinic. Has that legal clinic brought one solid case to court? It's alleged it employes your friends Tom. Its now $275,000. Some of Tom's staff need raises? Or did rapchek need an increase in rent to compensate for the lost revenue of da dance club?

Well, then we won't talk about College Bound, is it 460 participants over $3,000,000 and only 60 graduates. No audit on the program and its administrative cost .... Tom.

Well, then we all know how the Election Board, some believe your purse strings operate the board, which tossed Janiec off the Election Ballot and the State Supreme Court, in a landmark case, ordered, yes ordered Janiec back on the ballot with specific performance time frames and conditions. Some might see that as a slap to the face.

Well, then Tom there are allegations out their that you use the code enforcement as your own personal tool going after political candidates.

Well, then Tom, what about that $1,900,000 it cost the city of Hammond to move the city's health care plan to a firm reportedly owned by McDermott Sr and then back to the city?

Well, Tom talk about stench, 9 years of Festival of the Lakes, over 100,000 people attending, with five people in a car, some where near $200,000 of parking fees seem to have disappeared each year.

Tom, it seems like one of your appointee's has a difficult time accounting for how money in Hammond is spent and the State Board of Accounts talked about the poor accounting of those pass thru dollars.

Well, Tom, a State Audit surfaced concern that contracts, awarded by the city, using Federal money, the contractors are not paying union wage to their employees, but very well may be charging union wages in the contracts.

And then we have the question, why is convicted felon Dave Johnson's company allowed to do business in Hammond? Does he have some leverage over Tom?

These were just a few of the where did the money go that came to mind. there are a couple of other dozen I don't have time for, so tom pigs are flying in your own administration.



WEEEEEEEEE!


18620

Moving this air showm to a cornfield in another county is a joke. I myself see other reasons for this move. Recently there has been attempts to expand the convention bureau with other counties to the east. These counties in question refused the offer. Now is the bureau attempting to bolster up there existance in counties to the south? This move is one of the straingest things I have ever heard of.
It was stated that the air show was 10 years old. Wrong, the first show was around 1989. It was held for 2 years at the Gary Airport. Which was the proper place to introduce the facility to the general public. The only problem there was the fact that they brought in a group that had run an airshow in Valpo and they thought they were experts. In general they were a bunch of wind bags. They refused to allow any Gary vendor to sell any item at the show. The word was out that no blacks would be part of the show. They even changed the name on T shirts to Gary International Airport from Richard Hatcher field, The correect name at the time. The Hatcher name was replaced when Tom Barnes became Mayor severasl years later. Now many will dispute this statement, but I have proof that several Lake County leaders were in favor of the name change on the shirts. The arranged a meeting with Bill Douglas the airport director to approve the shirts and Douglas was so glorified he never knew what was happening. I mention these side comments to prove I know what I'm talking about. I am sure that in the background these same so called community leaders are involved some way in the airshow move. Take the show to the Hammond Whiting area if there has to be a show. The Perogie Fest in Whiting draws more publicity to the area than the airshow. Just think what those folks that run the Fest could do with those planes. Give credit where credit is due.

On todays jaw jackin dog and pony radio show, Tom & Jed dedicated a whole 9 minutes for Hammond questions, the phone lines were blocked. YOU couldn't call in. Spunkfest must have been calling from every friggin phone the clown has.

One of the difficult questions, which just might have cost da station move, with Tom withdrawing the $3,000,000 of improvements to the Purdue site not answered are:

No one cares of da mrs collected $350k off his campaign, people want to know if some of that money was spent on non campaign items, among them:

1. Tom using campaign funds for personal items.

2. How did his pal Wipple get $6,000 check from Jr's Campaign fund, just before their arrest for growing marijuana in their back yard. Not before or after has anyone individual, other than his wife gotten a payment over $4,000. I think the payment was twelve days before their arrest. Of course, Tom didn't have a heads up.

3. How come Tom's campaign fund doesn't reflect payments for the lease of his 2011 campaign site, other than a single $1,000 payment.

4. & btw pal, you seem not to be able to do your own dirty work and use code enforcement and other departments to harass individuals who have any opposition to your criminal intent. We can reflect back at Pinske, Janic, the baker, all who ran for office...and Tom I am sure there are a bunch of others out there.

5. As to picking on the McDermott's, Tom didn't you early in your administration, gave the city's employee health care plan administration to a firm headed by your FATHER, SR, only to have it go back to the old administrator at a cost of nearly $2,000,000?

6. And Tom didn't you give a $300,000 contract to a city Non For Profit, cited in a SBA report indicating the money you gave them didn't have performance guidelines in its contract, but a McDermott got a $75,000 a year job?

7. Is it true a prominent, very, very powerful Lake County Politician has threatened others children? I think this politician has used: "I can hurt your children!"



Some believe the leach of lake county's show after is nothing but filler to take up air time, so no one challenges jr. It would be prime time.

Anyone else find it odd that Tom dismisses questioning of his spending with the common comeback that no property tax dollars were used? Tom will say that it's tif money or casino taxes which are overwhelmingly paid for by out of towners. Now someone wants to spend out of towners money out of town and Tom whines. Has he been cut out of a cut? Tom, you're a one man dynamo bringing tourists and business to town. Envious? How many millions of dollars have you spent in Bloomington, West Lafayette, Muncie, and Terre Haute to buy whole families' votes? Oh, that's right. No property tax dollars were spent to do so.

Brilliant post. My hat is off to you.

EXACTLY !!! A case of do what I say, not what I do.

Like all of the other region "partnerships" into which Purdue enters, this one will be underwhelming. Purdue Calumet has had basketball and soccer teams on and off for decades, and no one gives a damn. They change their mascot, build new facilities, and enter into "partnerships" and quite simply, no one gives a damn.

Why as a homeowner in Hammond would I be "anti-Hammond"? Why would it be in my best interest to see Hammond stagnate? Can you appreciate the fact that perhaps I just have an opinion on how to help Hammond get out of the rut it's in that differs from that of Tom Jr.? Why would I not want my and my neighbors property values to rise?

and I'm not Mike...

Yeah, this is coming from the mouth of a city employee. No credibility, as usual. Hammond is starting to look a lot like Gary.