Dec
30
There’s always some sort of investigation going on in the Region. This time Lake County prosecutors and the Indiana attorney general are looking into Lake County’s printing contracts, reports the Post-Tribune’s John Byrne.
The two law enforcement agencies haven’t decided which will be in charge of the investigation, according to Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter. It could also mean the Lake County Commissioners select other printers.
Lake County officials are investigating whether two bidders for government printing contracts illegally joined forces in an effort to freeze out a third company vying for the work.
County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said Thursday he had been notified of allegations that Hammond printing companies A-1 Union Graphics and Sheffield Press Printers & Lithographers had colluded in their bids for 2007 contracts.
“Right now the information we have is incomplete,” Carter said. “The situation definitely deserves further investigation. We have been in contact with the Attorney General’s Office to determine which agency will proceed with that investigation.”
Officials from A-1 and Sheffield could face civil or criminal charges if it is determined they violated Lake County’s non-collusion agreement, Carter said.
Dec
30
Will Tax Issue Mean New Faces In County Gov’t?
Filed Under Lake County Election 2008 | Leave a Comment
Will the proposed and unpopular Lake County income tax (and political perks — such as free taxpayer paid gasoline) mean that voters will throw out the incumbents in 2008? Despite the unrest, it always seems to me that the same people somehow always end up staying in power — they just move from one post to another.
Writes the Northwest Indiana Times:
Incumbents thinking about re-election may look with dread at popular unrest over taxes and scandals involving county Surveyor George Van Til lending a county truck to his son and pumping public gas into his private vehicle
Incumbents aren’t giving up, despite the tax protests. They have their eyes on moving into new positions that are opening up as other candidates leave.
Outgoing Commissioner Fran DuPey is retiring after 12 years. Possible candidates to replace her might include Hammond City Councilmen Dan Repay and Robert “Bob” Markovich and Richard Novak, director of East Chicago’s boat marina and a member of the North Township board.
Dec
29
If You Were King Or Queen
Filed Under open thread | Leave a Comment
It’s a Saturday in between two major holidays, so it seems like a perfect time for an open thread post.
If you were king or queen of Northwest Indiana, what would you do?
Since I’m asking the question, I’ll provide my response to get the ball rolling.
I’d consolidate government resources to save money by reducing the need for overlapping spending while creating greater bargaining power for the consolidated government unit. While I don’t necessarily always like the idea of a larger government, maybe consolidating school systems, libraries, and other government functions would reduce costs with the goal of improving the services rendered. While I’d like to consolidate some government functions, some should remain municipality-based, such as town and city police departments.
Feel free to let me know what you think about government consolidation in addition to providing your insights into what you’d do if you were the Czar of Lake County, the Potentate of Porter County or Magnate of LaPorte County.
