Another busy month around Gary’s political landscape is officially a wrap. As we get deeper into the presidential election season, Capital B Gary is ensuring local political decisions are understood by keeping tabs on some of the most consequential news in the city, county, and state. This month, city and county lawmakers provided financial boosts in the areas of health and public safety, while local state lawmakers focused on education.
City Government
Gary Police Department
It was Christmas in July for the Gary Police Department, which received more than $500,000 in grants and donations from county and federal sources. A joint effort between the Lake County Council and Lake County Board of Commissioners provided $262,000 for new equipment. The funds will be used to purchase rifle vaults and storage for police cars, new signage for the Gary police station, and outfitting for Animal Control vehicles.
“This will be a plus. It will move the department in the direction of filling some gaps so police can make sure they are able to do a decent job for the citizens of Gary,” said Ron Brewer, a Lake County Council member and former Gary Common Council president, who voted to approve the funds.
Separately, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-1st, Gary’s representative in the U.S. House, secured $264,000 through Community Project Funding to finance new license plate readers for the Gary Police Department.
“The license plate readers are the technology that allows our police departments to have eyes and ears where the policemen and women can’t be,” Mrvan said at a July 15 press conference inside the Gary Police station.
Common Council Fund Appropriations
The Common Council spent much of July approving funds received by the city, including the allocations to the Gary Police and Health departments.
The city received several funding allocations, including:
- $833,751 from an interlocal agreement with Lake County for the Gary Health Department as part of new state funding approved last year to provide core public health services.
- $340,474 from the Indiana Department of Health for immunizations. The funds will go to the Gary Health Department to support school-age immunizations, community outreach, and COVID-19 immunizations. The department will allocate 43% of the grant money for salaries and wages. The grant runs until June 30, 2025.
- $15,000 from Supporting Addiction Free Environments (SAFE) for Gary City Court. The money will be used to purchase the products and materials needed to conduct urinalysis in drug court.
- $100,000 from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University through the Love Your Block Grant. The grant spans two years, with $50,000 allocated each year to hire a Love Your Block Fellow who will engage with residents and community partners to lead community revitalization projects.
Partnership with University of Notre Dame
Gary recently announced a partnership with Notre Dame to create a downtown revitalization plan. Both Notre Dame and the Melton administration have pledged to include community input in their plans to design a new vision for Downtown Gary.
Beginning Aug. 5, residents are encouraged to attend public engagement sessions at 504 Broadway on the ground level. The second session will be Aug. 9, followed by draft reviews Aug. 12, 14, and 16.
Public Engagement Sessions will take place at the lower level of 504 Broadway as follows:
Brainstorming Sessions
- Aug. 5, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Aug. 9, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Draft Review Sessions
- 1st Draft Review: Aug. 12
- Mid-Draft Review: Aug. 14
- Final Draft Review: Aug. 16
Dunbar-Pulaski Zoning Dispute
Since its closing in 2018, the usage of the Dunbar-Pulaski Middle School property has been a contested issue for residents of the city’s 4th District. Although the property was sold to American Kitchen Delights by the Gary Community School Corporation, approval to operate as a business is procedurally done through the Zoning Commission and ultimately through the Common Council, which has yet to take place.
During the public comment portion of the July 2 council meeting, LaTanya Rodgers, president of the Pulaski Community Block Club, addressed the council directly:
“I’m here to ask for clarity and investigate the Pulaski Middle School purchasing,” Rogers said.
“Why is the electricity and the gas lines running at this property without going through the zoning department?”
Councilman Darren Washington acknowledged the issue at the close of the meeting, highlighting American Kitchen Delight’s apparent unwillingness to come before the council for proper zoning requests.
“In August, it will be two years, Madame President, that they have been operating in that facility,” Washington said. “One thing I do not like is when businesses know that they need to come before the city council to get zoning approval before they start, they begin to start doing things.”
“I just ask that we get this done and get this before the council.”
State Government
Gary’s Continued Fight Against the State of Indiana and Gun Companies
After more than two decades of legal and legislative battles, Indiana legislators crafted a bill designed specifically to kill a 1999 lawsuit brought by the city of Gary against various gun companies and gun shops for illegal arms sales. On July 1, HB 1235, passed by the GOP controlled state legislature, went into effect.
While the law’s passage appeared to cut Gary’s ability to further the case, the city has instead continued its fight by challenging the constitutionality of HB 1235 itself. The case is being heard at the Hammond Federal Plaza by Lake County Superior Court Judge John Sedia, with the next hearing scheduled for Aug. 8.
Indiana’s New Diploma Requirements Raise Flags for Lawmakers and Universities About Their Effect on High Schoolers
Indiana education officials plan to radically redesign high school diploma requirements to emphasize career training, a first-in-the-nation move. This proposal has stirred controversy in the academic community, with universities statewide expressing concerns about students potentially being unprepared for post-secondary education. In a letter to state education leaders, Purdue University President Mung Chiang said the new diplomas will not meet the university’s admission requirements.
Indiana University President Pamela Whitten also weighed in:
“It is imperative that all students who plan to (or may want to) attend college receive adequate preparation for higher education in the academic areas our research demonstrates are most meaningful to success: rigorous preparation in higher-level math, sciences, communication, world languages, arts, and social & historical contexts,” Whitten said in a letter addressed to both Indiana’s Secretary of Education and the Commissioner of Higher Education.
Lawmakers, including state Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, whose district includes a portion of Gary, also voiced concern. Harris testified before the Indiana State Board of Education in a public hearing.
“Purdue University has outright stated that the diploma requirements do not meet admission standards in math, lab sciences, social studies and world languages,” Harris said.
“This is a major problem, and we cannot overlook the consequences of implementing a diploma system that does not even meet the bare-minimum admittance requirements for Indiana’s universities.”
