Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. feels a bit out of his element these days.
More Top Picks Best Macbook Pro Case
Having gone through three election cycles now, the incumbent said this is the first time he’s ever run a positive campaign. He had to best former Mayor Duane Dedelow as the new kid on the block in 2003, and after negatively campaigning – and nearly losing – to GOP candidate George Janiec in 2007, he really came out swinging in 2011, he said.
This time, he’s running against 6th District Councilman Homero “Chico” Hinojosa, and he’s ready to let his experience do the talking at the polls.
“There’s a clear difference between us, and I’m clearly the better candidate,” McDermott said. “I have the experience and the education.”
In a city that has been hit, like most Northwest Indiana cities, by the property tax caps, McDermott is more than aware of the $20 million it’s lost in its budget. Unlike years ago when casino money was the answer, however, McDermott thinks he’s found the new money-making resource for Hammond: Lake Michigan water.
“Without a doubt, this is our lowest cost alternative. We’ve been selling water to Calumet City and Chicago Heights and have seen the revenue go up 800 percent,” he said. “One of the things we’ve been thinking about is building a second filtration plant; maybe then, we can double our footprint.”
In terms of public safety, McDermott readily admits the city had a rough year. During the height of the Ferguson, Mo., protests, the city attracted national attention after a traffic stop resulted in officers using a stun gun on a passenger who refused to get out of the car. The incident was recorded by the driver’s son, and the driver, Lisa Mahone, filed suit in federal court.
McDermott said he knew his stance of supporting the officers from the start was unpopular but wouldn’t change it; as well, he was proud of residents for remaining calm and offering solutions rather than escalating tensions. As a result, the Hammond Police Department purchased 156 body cameras to help eliminate the problem.
“That call had to have been the worst day of my career as mayor, and if we’d had body cameras, it wouldn’t have been an issue,” McDermott said. “Since then, we’ve analyzed what we could’ve done, and as such, we’ve diversified with some emergency hiring in the last six months and worked on more community outreach.
“With the body cameras, though, they were $1,000 per camera, so we did have to marshal some money. But now, they’ll be on 24/7, and every officer’s shift will be stored for a certain period of time. If there’s an incident, we’ll know immediately and be able to capture the footage.”
Hinojosa, meanwhile, is concerned the city is heading for bankruptcy and wonders why McDermott keeps borrowing more money. The latest example, he said, is when the council was asked to vote on an ordinance for a $36.5 million bond sale.
Hinojosa said the city’s bond rating has been downgraded and that no one bought the city’s junk-rated bonds, so McDermott pulled the sale in order to privatize it. It’s the first time in the city’s history, he said, that the city hasn’t been able to sell bonds.
“He says the bond issue is only for $36.5 million to pay a $23 million debt of which no one knows where that debt came from, but in 18 years, that payment will equal $63 million,” Hinojosa said. “The payments would be $3.5 million a year.
“Every budget, we’re $23 million short, but my opinion is, he’s paying one credit card off with another. We were getting $400 million from gaming revenue; why wouldn’t you save 10 percent of that for the city?”
The 40-year union member said he would focus his energies first on having an audit done to see where the city is hemorrhaging money. He would also cut the $10 million he said McDermott spent on lawyer and consultant fees for 2013-14.
“If you’re spending that much on consultants, why should there be a mayor?” he said.
Hinojosa would also work on restoring transportation in the city as well as a health department, an amenity that would help the city’s seniors, he said. Additionally, he would work with the School City of Hammond to improve its schools and change – but not eliminate – McDermott’s crown jewel, the College Bound program by having the students tutor and mentor other students instead of treating them “like work-release.”
An area where the two candidates do agree is the South Shore expansion not being good for the city. McDermott has vocally opposed the expansion, and Hinojosa also voted “no” to both the expansion and the $250,000 study on which Hinojosa said McDermott signed off.
Hinojosa said he’s extremely concerned that crime in his district has skyrocketed since an ordinance allowing council members to use some of their casino revenue to pay for SWAT raids in their districts was foiled in 2012.
“They keep saying that crime is down 37 percent, but how? Home Security Force Shield puts East Chicago in a better position than we are,” Hinojosa said.
Finally, Hinojosa is most concerned that McDermott is incurring municipal debt and eventually is going to leave the city for a higher office, leaving Hammond in serious debt. McDermott said he does have higher political aspirations, but he also has commitments.
“I have a 9-year-old son who I believe deserves the same kind of upbringing his brother and sister had: With two parents at home as much as possible,” McDermott said. “I’m very cognizant of that.”
More Top Picks Best Architect Desk Lamps For Eye Care
Debate Tuesday
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and his challenger in the Democratic primary for Hammond mayor, Councilman Homero “Chico” Hinojosa, will meet for a debate at 7 p.m. April 28 in Room 200 at Calumet College of St. Joseph, 2400 New York Ave. Hammond.