Advice for Santa

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| Monday, December 24, 2007 | (5 comment(s))

As Santa packs his sleigh for tonight's trip, we offer some advice on who deserves coal or candy canes in the region.

COAL

* Lake County Commissioner Roosevelt Allen, D-Gary; and County Councilmen Elsie Franklin, D-Gary; Ernie Dillon, D-Hammond; Christine Cid, D-East Chicago; Will Smith Jr., D-Gary; and Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, for voting for a new 1 percent county income tax without first making any serious effort to cut spending.

* Opponents of the Illiana Expressway study. The proposal was to study the feasibility of constructing a new expressway that would serve as an outer beltway for the Chicago area -- beginning at I-94 in LaPorte County and continuing into Illinois. The not-in-my-back-yard crowd adamantly opposed not just construction, which would have been a separate discussion once facts were known, but even the very idea of discussing the proposal.

* Schererville Town Council members who were flush with cash but not common sense. They signed off on what must rank as one of the most expensive public rest-rooms in the Midwest.

* Lake County Councilman Will Smith Jr. Lake County's reputation was already bad enough. Why does he insist on making it even worse by remaining on the council even after his conviction of a felony charge related to cheating on his taxes?

* Lake County Surveyor George Van Til for loaning his taxpayer-funded vehicle to his son so the son could drive to school. Van Til made matters worse by filling up his private vehicle with taxpayer-funded gas after losing his county-owned vehicle.

* Calumet City residents who cheated on their vehicle stickers, getting discounts they should not have received.

* Calumet City officials who gave excessive raises to department heads.

* Crown Point Mayor Dan Klein's administration, for tying the hands of David Uran's administration by attempting to spend every last penny of Major Moves money for street work.

* Almost all Lake County officials, for virtually ignoring the recommendations in the government efficiency study presented by consultant Maximus Inc. in February. But many candy canes to the people who funded the Good Government Initiative study without public dollars.

* Lake County Council President Elsie Franklin, D-Gary, for vowing to protect county jobs even though the Maximus report recommended eliminating dozens of jobs across a variety of positions.

* Officials throughout Porter County who have spent the County Economic Development Income Tax proceeds on projects that have little, if anything, to do with economic development.

* Gary Mayor Rudy Clay, for apparently not realizing the city's violence is its biggest stumbling block to economic development. Step 1 is admitting there's a problem. Step 2 is asking for help. Take those first steps, Rudy.

CANDY CANES:

* Lake County Councilman Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, and Commissioners Gerry Scheub, D-Schererville, and Fran DuPey, D-Hammond, for voting against imposing a 1 percent income tax. Give a smaller candy cane to Councilman Tom O'Donnell, D-Dyer, who opposed the tax but didn't show up in time to vote against the tax.

* The Indiana General Assembly for agreeing to certification for massage therapists. Hopefully, legitimate practitioners will get fewer requests for services offered by prostitutes using the "massage parlor" ruse.

* Northwest Indiana's hospitals for uniting on a project to provide advanced medical care in the region. Why should all those research dollars and area patients have to go to Chicago when there's a lot of top talent in Northwest Indiana? Give a few candy canes to officials at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Northwest for their leadership in this project.

* The United Ways in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties for their solid record of regional unity on matters of concern to the entire region. They provide an excellent example of unity that other organizations should follow.

* Valparaiso University professor Larry Baas, former Race Relations Council head J. Allen Johnson and other organizers of the recent summit to address hate crimes in the region. Racism will continue to fester unless constant attention is applied.

* The Lake County commissioners for further restricting the use of take-home vehicles.

* Incoming Porter County Clerk Pam Fish for being open to the idea of consolidating polling place to cut the cost of holding elections.

* Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and members of the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform for offering a blueprint for change in Indiana. Now if only we can prod the legislators, local officials and voters to make sure this comes to fruition.

* Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and a slim majority of the City Council for finally voting to shut down the Hammond Health Department. Bureaucracies are hard to kill, but the city finally took the necessary step. Now about those health departments in Gary and East Chicago ...

* Valparaiso University and Purdue University North Central for banning smoking on campus. That ought to teach the students a thing or two about healthy habits.

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Lump O' Coal... wrote on Dec 25, 2007 7:28 AM:

" ...is what the Times should give itself for publicly endorsing Roosevelt Allen (another Pabey flunkie) for Commissioner. And while you're at it, give yourself a few more lumps for NOT mentioning how the Pabey administration is actually doing WORSE than the Pastrick administration (who thought THAT was possible?). Overpaid employees, rampant crime, school system run by Pabey appointees that can't even make payroll - the list goes on - and the Times stays silent into the night... "

Spc. Jennifer Gorman wrote on Dec 24, 2007 6:29 PM:

" A lump of coal should be given to the "foreign" owned company that runs the toll road on I-90 in Portage,IN that fired my dad last week for a reason that was way beyond stupid. "

backhome wrote on Dec 24, 2007 10:10 AM:

" NIMBY (not-in-my backyard) seems to be an overused term. May I suggest the introduction of another descriptive phrase, perhaps less phonetic but more powerfully felt by those in the path of the proposed Illiana: OIYB. OIYB (ok-in-your-backyard). Puts a new perspective on things, doesn’t it? "

Glenn Woods wrote on Dec 24, 2007 9:01 AM:

" Coal to "The Times" for adding several more mouse clicks to read the paper online. So much for streamlining. "

Coal fir the Times Editorial Staff wrote on Dec 24, 2007 7:46 AM:

" Christmas is the season when people should be considerate of the needs of others. How is eliminating the Hammond Health Dept. consistent with that phylosophy? Because you do influence the weakest thinkers (politicians) of our society, you should be held accountable for your poor judgement. This is about people, not advertizing dollars. "

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