Northwest Indiana Discussion

Garbage in, garbage out
March 22nd, 2007
Mark Kiesling from his Times blog

It’s been hard for the supporters of Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. to put positive spin on the latest “felon-for-hire” story to come out of City Hall.

Last year, the sanitation department hired a 26-year-old man who is a registered sex offender, a man who when he was 22 had sex with a girl he barely knew and who he admitted knowing was only 14 years old.

He is alleged to have gotten his job through a city official known to be allied with the mayor, although I seriously — very seriously — doubt that McDermott had any inkling the job candidate was anything other than legit. He may vaguely know about certain hires, but he trusts the people under him to make sure all the t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted.

Boy, did he trust the wrong people, whoever they were. But can you imagine the stink Team McDermott would be raising had the sex offender been hired through the influence of McDermott foes like Bob Markovich, Anthony Higgs or Mark Kalwinski? The roar would be heard in Indianapolis.

But instead, the loyalists are lining up to praise McDermott for having the gumption to fire the sex offender. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Take the hard line with this guy. And we’re for Mom, the flag and apple pie, too, by golly, and we’re not afraid to say so.
Trouble is, the mayor knew about this (he admitted) when he was told the topic was being discussed on The Times message boards and ignored it as rumor-mongering. There’s plenty of that on the boards, that’s no lie, but in an election year especially he should have checked that rumor out ASAP.

Instead, he waited until someone finally asked the question on the mayor’s blog and he was directly confronted with it. He already had the name, the department and other details from The Times boards, and it was a snap to confirm.

This exploding cigar of a hire comes on the heels of criticism that the mayor was instrumental in hiring convicted embezzler Carol McCormack to work in United Neighborhoods Inc., a quasi-governmental agency funded by city casino money to work in building rehabilitation and renovation.

He’s stood by McCormack. And there is no comparison to be made between someone who admitted taking $110,000 from their union and someone who admitted having sex with a girl he knew to be barely into her teens, albeit consenually. Except that both are convicted felons.

McDermott said the only thing the city does on its job applications is to ask if a person has been convicted of a felony. There’s no check into an answer of “no” to see if it’s true.

Maybe they should have a box that follows that which asks, “Are you a liar?”

But everyone is going to answer that one “no.”

Hey Daddy-O, was this guy a KKK member? They're usually child molesters, criminals, illegal militia and such.

You should come to a meeting some time.

They are the United States form of terrorists. Expresso you are dead on with your comment. You and I aren't the best of friends and we don't always agree on things but we have to stand up to hatred.

I thought it was the republicans.

this is ing. at least we know where your head is at.
ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEP! We sure do!

Sorry you are offended MarTha/MarSha...and no thing will ever change my mind. So you and your split personality friend chuckle about it, but remember: WE ALL KNOW!

Chuckamo, go back across the pond where you belong, and then clean the dirt from you wet back.

Martha/Marsha/Freetime. It's all the same to me.

That's because you have a pea size pea brain.

Open wide......

Just look how Big unit reveals her perversion to the world!She makes Free look like a saint(despite the fact she's one now)!