Northwest Indiana Discussion

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/mcdermott-denies-racism-allegation/article_078b3b38-ff00-59ab-b489-702ff8e9442d.html

McDermott denies racism allegation
Cal City says State Line traffic violations aren't on rise, but black population is
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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.

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/documents/huddoc?id=HammondHA_12-23-13.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/mcdermott-city-settled-with-former-housing-director/article_5f6a8820-f3fa-5f68-827f-79be4fb3c79a.html

McDermott: City settled with former housing director

February 22, 2014 11:00 pm • Matt Mikus matt.mikus@nwi.com, (219) 933-3241

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. told The Times on Friday he agreed to settle a March 2012 discrimination complaint filed by ousted Hammond Housing Authority Director Maria Becerra rather than drag the city through a potentially expensive legal battle.

The city and Hammond Housing Authority reached an agreement with Becerra, HHA executive director for 27 years, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $200,000. Becerra claims 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, according to her attorney, Michael Allen.

"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."

[b]Really, or is it that McDermott Jr, holding a Notre Dame Law School Degree, didn't want his blatantly illegal discriminatory comments to be for ever moralized? When has millions being spent on litigation ever stopped top. Hell half of his campaign contributors are attorneys.
[/b]

The reason for Becerra's contract not being renewed is in dispute. Several people involved who spoke to The Times and documents obtained by The Times offer differing takes on her dismissal.

HHA meeting minutes obtained by The Times show McDermott 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. But those minutes also contain remarks McDermott made that Becerra's lawyer said suggest she was let go because she helped provide Housing Choice Vouchers to minority families to move into predominantly white neighborhoods.

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.

"We allege that the real reason the housing authority let her go was that city officials weren't happy that the Housing Choice Vouchers were being used in a way that allowed low-income families, particularly of color, to live in the nicer parts of Hammond," Allen said.

Becerra declined to speak with The Times.

In 2013, HHA received $5.02 million from HUD for the Section 8 vouchers, which helped an estimated 708 families.

According to HHA meeting minutes obtained by The Times, board members in October moved to notify Becerra in writing they would pursue new contract negotiations before her contract renewed on Nov. 1.

But in November, they discovered Becerra's old contract had automatically renewed because she had not received timely written notice.

In the meeting, board members Tom Dabertin and Joe McCarthy questioned the HHA's then-attorney why the notice wasn't issued.

Come on now, how many jobs does dabby have, really.

The board voted 5 to 2 to end her contract, with board members Leo Bryant and Lydia Ramos voting against. Bryant and Ramos have since left the board.

At the December HHA meeting, McDermott and told a crowd not to blame HHA board members, who he appoints. He said he was moving the authority in a new direction, looking to decrease salaries and employ Hammond residents.

"It's frustrating for Hammond residents when you see the Section 8 program making mistakes in neighborhoods, when you see people running the show don't live in Hammond, and you see the salaries for these people and they're disproportionately higher than everyone else's salary," McDermott said, according to the meeting minutes.

"Like for instance, the mayor makes $95,000. There are people at the housing authority that make significantly more than the mayor. We're going to have Hammond people running the housing authority."

McDermott also said the Section 8 voucher program was "one of the bigger threats in the city of Hammond."

"The Section 8 program has been completely mishandled," McDermott said. "It exploded. It's going in places where we don't want it to go."

Different views

Former HHA board Chairman Leo Bryant, a retired vice chancellor at Purdue University Calumet, was appointed to the board in the 1980s when McDermott's father, Thomas McDermott Sr., was mayor.

Becerra was the only executive director Bryant worked with during his time on the board. He left the board around March 2012, saying he could tell the Hammond Housing Authority board was moving in a new direction.

Bryant said he believed HHA became an exemplary agency under Becerra's leadership. He credits her for renovations to public housing facilities along 173rd Street east of Columbia Avenue.

"People all over the country were looking at our housing authority as a model to learn from," Bryant said. "We lost a jewel," he said, referring to Becerra's removal.

McDermott himself noted during the December 2011 HHA board meeting that "a lot of good things are happening" with the public housing and Columbia Center, according to the meeting minutes.

Bryant said that prior to contract negotiations with Becerra, the board had discussed her residency outside of Hammond, but nothing was forced on her. He also said some board members discussed salary, but he does not recall any specifics.

Under the Fair Housing Act, individuals have the right to go to HUD if they believe they have been discriminated against in seeking housing, said Ivan Bodensteiner, an attorney and law professor at Valparaiso University. The protection also extends to a person who assists someone facing housing discrimination. Bodensteiner said he was not directly familiar with the Hammond situation.

After conducting an investigation of Becerra's 2012 complaint, HUD offered Hammond and HHA an opportunity to settle out of court.

Allen, Becerra's attorney, said HUD officials discovered a large amount of evidence that supported her claim.

McDermott said that evidence was a collection of secret tape recordings of staff meetings that she took to HUD officials, which he said was "underhanded." Now really this guy has got the gaul to comment about underhanded? WTF Tom, Janiec, the Baker, Pensky, is just the top of the barrel. You've used code enforcement dozens of times to go after political enemies.

"She took the tape recorder to the federal government, and they took up her charge with a vengeance," McDermott said.

The settlement states HUD "has made no findings as to the merit of the complaint's allegations."

McDermott said he and the housing authority will continue to honor the voluntary settlement, though he doesn't agree with the premise of how the settlement was reached.

Hammond Housing Authority attorney Michael Jasaitis said the housing authority stands by its decision not to renew Becerra's contract.

"While the Hammond Housing Authority does not generally comment on personnel-related issues, the parties entered into a resolution without any finding of wrongdoing by HUD and without any admission of the allegations,” Jasaitis said in a statement.

"The non-admission Conciliation and Voluntary Compliance Agreement speaks for itself, and the HHA intends to adhere to the Agreement and continue to properly administer and provide high quality, low income housing programs."

The settlement states HHA will be required to use 97 percent of the funds allocated for the voucher program for the length of the three-year settlement agreement.

McDermott is also required to read a prepared statement during one of the housing authority public meetings in support of housing choice, more specifically, the Housing Choice Voucher program, according to the settlement agreement.

The settlement also requires a public outreach forum, and HHA employees receiving three hours of fair housing training.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/mcdermott-creates-political-action-committee-eyeing-statewide-run/article_5fa4e7ed-2765-5885-a041-d062b9128469.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.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-denounce-racism-apologize-to-becerra/article_3d9d28d8-f23a-5189-b431-0e83a9ab1065.html
EDITORIAL: Denounce racism, apologize to Becerra
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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.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/doug-ross/doug-ross-civil-rights-meet-wrongs-in-indiana-arizona/article_6dc5a3b1-6689-5e69-b243-72b8e555584c.html

Anti-social media

Speaking of tolerance, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. used Twitter and Facebook as anti-social media Thursday morning.

Thursday's editorial on the city settling a lawsuit with ousted Hammond Housing Authority Director Maria Becerra prompted a classic unfiltered rant by McDermott on Twitter and Facebook.

[b]The mayor's skin is awfully thin for someone who aspires to higher office.

McDermott's rant, while entertaining, was wrong about the diversity of The Times staff, both racially and geographically. We have staff members who live all across the region, including in the urban are[/b].

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/26204121-418/state-legislators-ok-more-money-for-south-shore-extension-effort.html

The Indiana General Assembly approved another piece of the funding puzzle for the proposed extension of the South Shore commuter rail line before its session adjourned Thursday.

Under the bill, an estimated $4 million annually will be returned to communities that have gambling by closing a tax loophole that people with significant investment income in Lake County can qualify for — even though it was designed to aid low-income homeowners.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/guest-commentary/guest-commentary-my-social-media-messages-are-authentic/article_37a15678-47ad-510c-9306-b0c1e0af7065.html

GUEST COMMENTARY: My social media messages are authentic
By Thomas McDermott Jr.

I appreciate the thoughts Marc Chase expressed in his column on my social media presence, or “anti-social” media presence, as he points out.

As Hammond’s mayor, Twitter and Facebook are forms of communication that allow me to more effectively communicate with my constituents. They are tools I use to be as transparent as possible. Still, I also understand that, being relatively new in the overall scheme of things, social media also brings a new set of challenges.

For me, I appreciate the opportunity to communicate directly with my constituents, with nobody in between me and the Hammond residents I serve. I don’t have a team filtering my social media accounts, nor does anyone approve my messages before I post them. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with all of the posts — after all, I have 5,000 Facebook friends — but I do my best to stay active in these new platforms.

Chase's column, criticizing me for some of the content of my posts, reminded me of the criticism Gov. Mike Pence received recently regarding his social media practices. As a reminder, Pence recently came under fire for deleting Facebook posts that were contrary to the position he took on HJR 3, the proposed referendum defining marriage in our Constitution. The governor was chided for a lack of transparency, for deleting messages that ran counter to his position or that cast him in an ill light. Pence’s response to these criticisms of censorship was to blame the deletions on his staff that manages the sites for him.

I am proud to say that when you friend me on Facebook, you really do friend me on Facebook. And I am committed to being as transparent and honest as I can be in all of my constituent communications, including those online.

Obviously, when human beings are talking about politics it can become a bit controversial. I am not perfect, but I am honest. And I respect the rights of people who disagree with me to post or tweet or otherwise communicate their thoughts and ideas.

When Chase combed through my posts over the years, along with the examples he cited, he also must have seen posts from people who expressed a difference of opinion with me, as well. There is nothing hidden, nothing sanitized.

I appreciate Chase's political advice that I should polish up and cleanse my social media presence. A lot of people and fancy advisors might agree with him. Being perfect and polished gets people elected. But I’m here to serve as the mayor of Hammond. If I err in this new age of social media, I will err on the side of transparency and authenticity.

And I do believe we can all use a good laugh every now and then.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/marc-chase/marc-chase-mayor-maintains-anti-social-media-presence/article_420b8bf7-fa37-5edd-8792-2bd76f9a7472.html

As the mayor of the region's biggest city eyes a run for higher office, he might want to consult a neighboring school district on social media etiquette.

In 2009, Portage's school athletics program adopted a social media policy, prohibiting its athletes from slinging trash talk or inappropriate euphemisms.

With his regular social media diatribes — sometimes resembling chatter in a boys' locker room — Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. could use a copy of the Portage policy, like right now.

McDermott acknowledged he is eyeing a run for the governor's office, an idea he's also entertained in the past.

But if McDermott, who also chairs the Lake County Democratic Party, is serious about making a run beyond his power base, he might want to rethink his social media strategy.

I don't just write this because McDermott made fun of Times Media Company Publisher Chris White's name recently in an effort to paint the company as lacking diversity. Such blunt shots on Twitter and Facebook are nothing new for the mayor, and they've certainly been more raw and inappropriate in the past.

Last May, McDermott displayed a photo on Facebook of region tourism official Speros Batistatos and Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann facing each other during a visit of the lieutenant governor to a local business.

The post opined Ellspermann was "looking at Spero like a schoolgirl in love!!"

It then suggested Batistatos should "take one for the team" and "make da Region proud," perhaps using this supposed affinity to help rebuild the Cline Avenue bridge.

McDermott told me earlier this week he intended humor with that post but understands why some people may have considered it inappropriate. He also acknowledged he would need to tone down his social media commentary if he wants to appeal to more conservative downstate voters.

Good for him for admitting it, though he makes no apologies for speaking his mind in other instances.

Until now, I've avoided giving the locker room-esque chiding any ink. I'm involved in a volunteer partnership with Batistatos' government agency, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, to tell the stories of region Civil War veterans. I didn't want my commentary being construed as favoritism.

But the mayor's anti-social media comments continued beyond the May 2013 Facebook post.

Sometimes folks on the opposing side of McDermott's arguments find their heads superimposed on clown-like bodies on his Facebook page. Granted, these are typically done by someone commenting on the mayor's posts and not the mayor himself.

But the mayor has the ability to remove such material if he chooses. After all, it's his page.

My head might end up in such a post following this column. Perhaps I can use it as my new profile photo.

As McDermott eyes a run for statewide office, he might want to hire a handler specifically for social media, someone to protect him from himself.

Otherwise, the conservative downstate voting base — the one typically holding sway over the fortunes of statewide electoral success — might "unfriend" him in a heartbeat.

Fund no.: 319

Potash

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$1,121,001.00

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https://gateway.ifionline.org/report_builder/Default3a.aspx?rptType=afr&rpt=cash_inv_combined&rptName=Cash%20and%20Investments&rpt_unit_in=2174&referrer=byunit