As budget season approaches, Gary is at the intersection of local growth, political maneuvering, and statewide education reform, all of which promise to reshape the city’s future.
In August, Gary’s local leaders stayed busy tackling a range of issues, from a potential $800,000 boost to the city’s budget via changes at Gary/Chicago International Airport to ongoing park renovations aimed at revitalizing neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Indiana’s state politics heated up with Attorney General Todd Rokita’s legal challenges over sanctuary laws and gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick’s bold education reform proposals. Together, these developments reflect a city and state on the brink of significant transformation, with implications that could resonate far beyond Gary’s borders.
At the Council
Airport Update
Gary’s budget may soon receive a boost to the tune of $800,000 from Gary/Chicago International Airport, according to airport Executive Director Dan Vicari.
Vicari appeared before Gary’s Common Council last month to provide an update on several developments at the airport, including plans for passenger service, cargo logistics, and the future realignment of Airport Road. Perhaps most important to Gary residents, however, are the airport’s plans to abandon its tax levy, which could result in more revenue for the city.
In July, the airport broke ground on a 47,000-square-foot hangar, set to be completed by May 2025. The hangar will become the new base of operations for Wingtip Aviation, which signed a 20-year lease with the airport. According to Vicari, this $12 million capital investment is expected to generate $720,000 per year in rent revenue. Funding for the project includes $9.8 million from the state of Indiana and $4.5 million for a smaller hangar, which Vicari anticipates will generate $270,000 per month in rent revenue for the airport.
Vicari said the anticipated additional revenue is why the Airport Authority has challenged him not to request the annual tax levy from the council.
The airport currently receives a tax levy of approximately $800,000 yearly, which represents about 17% of its $4.4 million operating budget.
“It will be a great addition to this budget from an operational standpoint for the city if we can get that [$800,000] back into our hands,” said Gary Common Council President Tai Adkins.
The airport is currently undergoing redevelopment to relocate operations from in front of the passenger terminal to accommodate growth.
“As we redevelop passenger service at the airport, we need to relocate them, but we’re not going to just relocate them,” Vicari said.
“We’re going to bring in FedEx, we’re going to bring in Ameristar, USA Jet, all kinds of other carriers, but first they need the space to go to, and we need to show them that we can do that.”
Jewel Park Update
With Labor Day in the rear view, the unofficial end of summer has arrived, and city officials are taking stock of the progress made on the city’s Jewel Park Project. The project, originating in 2020 under the Prince administration, identified one park in each of the city’s six council districts for improvement.
- 1st District: Glen Ryan Park
- 2nd District: Brunswick Park
- 3rd District: Tolleston Park
- 4th District: Ironwood Park
- 5th District: Roosevelt Park
- 6th District: Howe Park
Gary Parks Department Director LaVetta Sparks-Wade presented a status report on each park to the council last month. Sparks-Wade said all parks have made progress, with some further along than others. New playgrounds have been installed at Tolleston and Ironwood, while those at Glen Ryan and Brunswick are set to be completed later this month.
As previously reported by Capital B Gary, basketball courts at each park still need resurfacing. Roosevelt Park has undergone a near face-lift with renovations to the pavilion and both Little League fields, including the installation of irrigation systems at the fields.
Lori Latham, council vice president and Parks, Recreation, and Culture Committee chair, said she was pleased with the report but acknowledged the need for additional planning.
“Everything that we have done is great. However, it looks more to me like just the first cut — the first phase of improvements is the first time our parks have been invested in that way for many years,” Latham said.
In 2022, $3.25 million was appropriated for the project, with $1.3 million spent by the end of 2023. Nearly $2.3 million was reappropriated in 2024, and as of Aug. 5, expenditures have totaled just under $1.6 million.
With considerable work remaining at most parks, Latham and Sparks-Wade agreed in what was an entertaining exchange that future plans would necessitate more funding.
Latham expressed doubt that the remaining $1.2 million appropriated for the project would be enough to cover unresolved improvements, including resurfacing of basketball courts at each park, security, and lights.
“We’re coming back to the council. That’s what y’all do, right? Appropriate,” replied Sparks-Wade. “I believe a few meetings ago, Madam VP, you said, ‘Whatever you need, just come back and ask.’”
From the State
No Lawsuit … Yet
The Indiana Citizen reported that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita intends to move forward with a lawsuit against the city over a so-called sanctuary city law that protects immigrants.
Rokita also threatened to sue the city of East Chicago, but the city has since repealed its “welcoming city” ordinance.
According to the attorney general’s office, Gary has made changes to its ordinance, but it remains out of compliance with state law. The council was given a deadline of Aug. 6 to repeal the ordinance.
McCormick Unveils Education Plan
Indiana’s Democratic nominee for governor, Jennifer McCormick, released her education plan late last week, highlighted by her guarantee that teachers’ salaries will start at $60,000, a dramatic increase from the current salary of $40,000.
McCormick and her running mate, Terry Goodin, released the plan with five essential pillars:
- expanding access to pre-K education until Indiana has universal pre-K;
- holding all schools accountable to the same academic and fiscal standards;
- increasing base salary pay;
- creating autonomy at the local level to design curriculums; and
- reestablishing a statewide emphasis on post high school education.
McCormick, a former Republican, once led the state’s educational efforts following her election as Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction in 2016. Since then, the GOP-led state legislature eliminated the position, replacing it with the governor-appointed secretary of education.
McCormick will square off against Republican Mike Braun in November.
Other Tidbits
- The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus was named the recipient of the Marion County Bar Association’s Fairness, Justice and Equality Award. State Reps. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, Vernon Smith, D-Gary, and Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, are among the members. The award will be presented during the Kuykendall-Conn Gala and Awards Ceremony on Oct.19. Capital B Gary recently reported on an IBLC town hall at Indiana University Northwest’s Bergland Auditorium.
- Former Gary Mayor Jerome Prince’s portrait was unveiled in a ceremony last month, joining the collection of mayoral portraits at City Hall. Prince, who became Gary’s 21st mayor in 2019, previously served in multiple roles, including as a city and county councilman. Dr. Gerri Browning of Gary painted the portrait.
