Van Til Rants About Air Show, No Word on Corruption

by Ken Davidson

South Shore Air Show moved from Gary, IN to Fair Oaks Farms.

Only in Lake County, Indiana does an airshow warrant a comment from a politician facing numerous felony counts for abusing his position. In a facebook post, indicted yet still working county surveyor George Van Til criticizes the South Shore Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for moving the Air Show from Gary to Fair Oaks Farms for 2014:

The Air Show is not about whats good for Lake County, its citizens and taxpayers. Its about the massive ego t of Spiros (sic) B. that constantly needs to be ministered to , his continuous financial advancement into the upper reaches, and his lust for power. He is so very insecure so he has picked fights with so many Public Servants through the years, to try to massage himself, along with his relentless self promotion in the media, NOT the promotion of Lake County! Last I looked his contract , with unreal perks was at 168,000 yearly, plus a car, plus all the fuel, plus unlimited food reimbursement here and in Indianapolis for his girlfriend there, unlimited dining with legislators , night after night, year after year and anything else he feels like to advance HIMSELF ,The mohey is probably much, much more by now .Now the pig has come out of the poke. ! He has snaked our elected Mayors, and slapped them and every citizen of our county , we pay him, what a quarter million dollars a year, to spend huge amounts of our money to promote himself, big bussiness, and couhties south of here, Using our money to hurt our county and cost us losses. Mayor McDermott you are so rightvon (sic) this one, All other Mayors join hands , asPublic Servants against this self serving self promoter who desperately wants to become th Tourism Czar of all of Northwest Indiana or more. ? Combining area efforts might even be a good idea, done right, but it will NEVER work or nefer hapoen until Spiros (sic) is GONE. Too many people know him too well, and now with his newest Flyin Pig Circus his crass opportunism is open for all to see. ? And theres so much more, personal , political, financial thats coming out now if he pushes. Talk about time for a change! Its today.

Logic tells us that, if the Chair of the Democratic Party wanted the Air Show in his city, it would be there. Apparently, logic has no place in the thinking of George Van Til as his rant appears to indicate that Mayor McDermott was somehow left out of the loop in this decision. If George Van Til has anything worthwhile to say, maybe he should save it for his change of plea hearing. He may get a month or two off his sentence.

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Krieg Calls for Feds to Investigate McDermott Campaign Finance Issues

by Ken Davidson

In the wake of recent FBI activity in Lake Station, political activist and former county surveyor candidate Eric Krieg planned to call on the Lake County Board of Elections to refer Mayor Thomas McDermott’s campaign finance reports to the office of United States Attorney David Capp. Krieg will have to wait until the Board meets in December to present his allegations as this month’s meeting was cancelled.  In a statement provided to the press prior to the planned meeting, Krieg compared McDermott’s payments to his wife with the recent conviction of Former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. He outlines several allegations of impropriety in the reports including:

-Payments to Kelly Consulting, Inc. of over $300,000.  The payments ranging from $3,000-$4,000 per month span a period of over ten years. Krieg alleges that Kelly Consulting, Inc. is owned by Marissa McDermott and that Indiana law requires a written contract on file with the election board in order to pay family members for campaign services;

-a one time consulting fee paid to David Woerpel. This payment is alleged to have been in the amount of $6,000 and paid around the time that Woerpel was charged with a crime in Lake Superior Court;

-A single payment of rent for McDermott for Mayor Headquarters in the amount of $1,000. Krieg alleges that free rent should be reported as an in-kind donation on the finance report.

Krieg explained that the contributions to Kelly Consulting, Inc continue in non-election years. The address for Kelly Consulting is listed as 7134 Knickerbocker, Hammond, IN 46323. Documentation was provided from the office of the Indiana Secretary of State showing that Marissa McDermott is listed as President of Kelly Consulting, Inc. Total payments to Kelly Consulting from the McDermott campaign for the years 2005 to present totalled just over $330,000.

The lack of payment to Kaplan controlled Pyramid Development may be the most damaging allegation. As reported previously, Pyramid Development is owned by McDermott friend and contributor Greg “Krazy” Kaplan. Kaplan later sold the building to the Purdue University Foundation for a reported $1M. Politically connected WJOB radio has announced that they will move into the building sometime next year. So far, they are the only announced tenant.  While not illegal on its face, the entire transaction certainly seems to require some explanation. To date, we have heard none.

You can see Mayor McDermott’s 2011 campaign report here:  http://lwvcalumet.org/files/cfb.mcdermott_jr_thomas_m_2011_annual_rpt.pdf

South Shore Air Show Moves to Fair Oaks

Gazette Staff

 

Hammond, IN (November 21, 2013) – The South Shore Air Show will return in 2014 at a new location. Speros A. Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, and Gary Corbett, CEO of Fair Oaks Farms, announced that Fair Oaks Farms will play backdrop to the event at a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 21.

“When making the decision to bring the air show back, the South Shore CVA staff wanted to bring it back bigger and better than ever,” Batistatos stated. With the recent cancellation of the Indy Air Show, the move will draw even more visitors, Batistatos explained. Fair Oaks Farms is situated between Chicago and Indianapolis, opening the event up to potential attendees who may not have attended the event in Miller Beach.

Fair Oaks Farms is a 33,000 acre attraction, allowing the two organizations ample room to make additions to the family-fun event.

“Hosting an air show at a tourism destination, like Fair Oaks Farms, has yet to be done in the United States,” said Batistatos. “We have a real opportunity to bring in new facets to an event that is already a ‘must-attend’ for residents and visitors.”

Additionally, Batistatos believes hosting the air show at Fair Oaks Farms will challenge conventional thinking on space used for events along the South Shore.

“Northwest Indiana is such a unique area. There are many different features that can be highlighted and tailored to make an event truly special and successful,” said Batistatos.

According to Batistatos, Fair Oaks Farms enthusiastically agreed to partner for the 2014 air show.

“Fair Oaks Farms is transitioning and growing at an exponential rate,” said Batistatos. “With breaking ground for a restaurant and discussion for the additions of a hotel and indoor water park, Fair Oaks Farms has positioned themselves to being leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.”

South Shore Air Show attendees will be able to enjoy the traditional, exciting aerial acrobatics in addition to exploring all Fair Oaks Farms has to offer. With the recent addition of The Pig Adventure, Fair Oaks Farms has numerous educational and entertaining activities for all ages. Proposed additions to the air show include a car show and live music entertainment.

Previously, the South Shore Air Show has been held on the beaches of Marquette Park in the Miller Beach section of Gary. In 2012, the air show saw an estimated 570,000 attendees over the three-day event which included numerous aerial acts, a twilight night show with fireworks, kids’ zone, beer garden, food vendors, charity event and VIP receptions. The 14th annual South Shore Air Show was canceled due to the impacts of sequestration.

“The South Shore CVA Board of Directors and staff, as well as Fair Oaks Farms, are very excited for the opportunity of presenting a reconfigured, unique visitor experience,” stated Batistatos.

Dates for the 2014 South Shore Air Show will be announced in the coming months. For additional information on the air show, contact Nicki Mackowski-Gladstone, vice president and chief communications officer for the South Shore CVA, at 219-554-2720 or nicki@southshorecva.com

South Shore Air Show moved from Gary, IN to Fair Oaks Farms.

Two Sentenced, One Pleads Guilty in Unrelated Firearms Cases

Gazette Staff

The office of United States Attorney David Capp has announced that two individuals have been sentenced in unrelated firearms charges this week.

George Black, 53, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 120 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a stolen firearm. According to documents filed in this case, Black has 3 prior felony convictions for burglaries in Wisconsin and was on probation for the most recent conviction at the time of his arrest. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives HIDTA Task Force and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

Brittini Anderson, 27, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 24 months of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm. According to documents filed in this case, Anderson straw purchased a firearm that has not been recovered by law enforcement. Based on her interview with ATF agents, Anderson admitted that she purchased a 9mm pistol for a person she knew could not buy a gun. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.

Additionally, Shamekka Thomas, 29, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm. Sentencing has been set for 1/30/14. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Libertarian Party of Lake County Meeting Thursday 11/21

Submitted by Beth Duensing, Lake County Libertarian Party Chair

Just a quick reminder that the LPLC meeting is tomorrow at 6:30 Pm. We
will meet in the back dining area of Amarillo Roadhouse in Schererville.

All are welcome to attend. If you’re not already a voting member consider
joining the National LP via this link. When you join the LP before the end
of the month you will receive a copy of Rex Bell’s book, Stinky Shorts. The
book is a very entertaining compilation of short stories with libertarian
viewpoints.

http://www.lp.org/join

The agenda will include determining when and where our county convention
will be held plus discussions regarding possible candidate training and
outreach opportunities. If you would like to be a candidate in 2014 now is
the time to start planning!

See you at the meeting.

Coroner Seeks Help Identifying Victim

Gazette Staff

CROWN POINT– Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey is requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a White or Hispanic male who was found on 11/4 2013 in the vicinity of 2700 block of Maryland Street in Gary. He was wearing a red hooded sweat shirt, blue jeans and a pair of Diesel tennis shoes. This individual weighs 147 pounds is 5’-6” tall with brown hair. The only personal property found was a bronze whistle and an Acura key fob with an attached Ace Hardware house key. If you have any information leading to identifying this person please contact the Lake County Coroners Office at 1-219-755-3265

Sources Say LS Mayor, Wife Targets of FBI Probe

by Ken Davidson

 

On Friday FBI agents walked into the offices of Lake Station, Indiana at 1969 Central Avenue and ordered all employees to step away from their computers according to sources close to the investigation.  Although the Gazette has confirmed no computers were seized, the FBI reportedly got all the information it needed by using high tech equipment to download from the City servers.  This represents a significant step in an ongoing investigation.  You will recall that the indictment and arrest of George VanTil, the most recent indicted politician in Lake County, was preceded by a similar public FBI raid.  Not only is judicial review in the form of  a warrant required before FBI agents can take such action, the US Department of Justice has strict guidelines dealing with public corruption cases.

Sources say that the crux of the investigation centers around two incidents.   The first relates to using campaign funds for personal use.  Sources tell me this aspect of the case is unclear.  Several point to various expenses which appear to be personal but there is none that stands out when viewing reports of similar local politicians.

The second investigation is related to an “add-on” charge by a street contractor.  According to a source close to the investigation, the Mayor suggested he would get an additional charge approved on a construction project that was in progress.  In exchange, the contractor would pay the Mayor’s wife a sum of money.  Such charges are often scrutinized by the State Board of Accounts as well as Federal Prosecutors because they can be used to award bids to friendly contractors.  In many cases, the bid comes in low and the contractor then submits additional charges which are approved by the municipality.  Other contractors have no opportunity to compete because they are not assured of having additional charges approved later.  In this case, however, sources say the contract was awarded prior to the time of Soderquist’s election.

Soderquist is also on the governing board of the Lake County Democratic Organization.  If indicted, Soderquist would be the second current sitting member who is under federal indictment.

A Lake Station construction contract appears to be at the center of a recent FBI raid on city offices.