By VICKI URBANIK

Six candidates are on the ballot for the three at-large Porter County Council seats. Voting is countywide. Pick up to three. The candidates are profiled here.

Click for candidate information:

William Carmichael

Laura Blaney

Jim Burge 

Sylvia Graham 

Sandra Snyder  

Dan Whitten

William Carmichael

Republican William Carmichael of Chesterton cited his extensive background in public service when asked why he’s seeking a fourth term to the Porter County Council.

“I have the  experience and the knowledge of budgeting in Porter County,” he said.

Carmichael, a lifelong Duneland resident, is currently in his 12th year as an at-large Porter County Council member. Before he was elected to the council, he served 16 years as North Porter County Commissioner. Prior to his work at the county level, he served on the Chesterton Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. He was also a founding member of the Duneland YMCA and owned Carmichael Dental Laboratories in Chesterton for about 40 years before retiring. He has also been a world-champion muzzle loader.

Carmichael is also a long-standing member of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, the board that manages the South Shore commuter service. In 1988, when the then-privately owned South Shore service was on the brink of shutting down, Carmichael was chair of the NICTD Board. He and other NICTD officials successfully negotiated to have the public agency acquire the passenger service to keep it in operation.

Carmichael said his top priority if re-elected is to keep the county’s tax rate low.

When asked what should be done with the interest earnings from the sale of the county hospital Porter, Carmichael said he does not oppose having the county use a portion of the money, estimated at $5 million annually, but that the proceeds “should be returned to the taxpayers.” He said he does not believe that the county should have already decided the issue.

Last year, before the council and commissioners opted to sell the county hospital, Carmichael opposed the proposal to create a private foundation to oversee the money. He was outspoken in his view that the hospital sale revenue amounted to public funds, since county tax  money had been spent on the hospital in its past.

Carmichael said the extension of the South Shore commuter service should be funded through two sources: From ridership fares and the Indiana Department of Transportation funding. He indicated that the extended service might be inevitable.

“It’s time will come.  It's a matter of the expansion of Northwest Indiana,” he said.

When asked the council’s greatest accomplishment, Carmichael said the council has been able to keep the tax rate low while still providing the necessary services. Its greatest failure? “Hiring too many consultants,” he said, referring to the consultants that have been hired to help correct tax billing problems.

 Laura Blaney

Democrat Laura Blaney said she has a good reason for wanting to return to the Porter County Council: Children.

The lifelong county resident and mother of four said Porter County has been very good to her and her family and that she feels strongly that she should give something back in the form of public service. “I want to be a part of the force that shapes the future for my kids and future generations,” she said. “Decisions made today will determine what Porter County will be like for them and their families in the future.”

Blaney, a Porter Township resident, served on the council for two years after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2005. She opted not to run for the south-county district post because she had a  newborn at the time. She formerly taught biology at Purdue North Central. She has been active in two citizen groups -- PROUD, which fought a south-county landfill, and CAPIT, which fought a south-county privatized toll road. Her family business is Kelsey’s steakhouse restaurant.

Blaney said her top priority if elected is “taxes, taxes, taxes.” She opposes new county taxes and favors keeping spending down by tightly watching county budgets. She also noted that she was on the council when it voted to increase the County Economic Development Income Tax in order to join the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority; she voted against that tax.

“I really think people are hurting right now and buried in taxes,” she said.

When asked the likelihood that the council would consider a new tax of some sort, Blaney said she wouldn’t be surprised. She said there have been several major projects proposed but “ no money to fund them.” One of the projects mentioned is a major new convention center possibly in Lake County and possibly funded by a food-and-beverage tax. “With the economy the way it is, people don’t need to be paying for that right now,” she said.

 Blaney said a change in the RDA is needed. The RDA was supposed to hold board meetings in various communities in both counties, she said, but there hasn’t been a Porter County meeting for a while. She also said she feels communication between the RDA and the county is lacking when it ought to be more regular. She also said she was “disgusted” that the RDA used its tax funds to help promote the South Shore extension project; as she described it, the RDA used  tax money to lobby taxpayers to support a project that would cost them more in taxes.

As for the South Shore extension, Blaney said she is not necessarily opposed to it, but does oppose a local tax to fund it. She said she’s all for mass transit and initiatives that would help the environment, but that the project needs more scrutiny. “I just want to make sure it fits. Just because it involves mass transit doesn’t meant it’s green,”  she said.

On the issue of spending the estimated $5 million yearly in hospital interest earnings, Blaney said it will be critical to get a bipartisan consensus on what to do, with as much input as possible. She expressed support for establishing a committee made up of council members, commissioners and citizens to explore the options.

In the interim, though, Blaney called on county officials to re-evaluate that the money is in a safe bank not at risk of folding, given the turmoil in the financial world.

Blaney’s preference for use of the hospital interest money is to first use it to help lower property taxes. She said she does not yet have a preference on what specific method would be the most fair or what the administrative expense would be, but that those issues would need to be studied.

 In addition, she said she would like the county to  “get creative” and use the funding for business start-up in areas close to cities and towns. She said the funds could be used, for example, for developing infrastructure and shovel-ready sites.

Blaney said  she is glad that the county hasn’t yet decided what to do with the hospital money. The  amount of potential money is so large and the various options complex that Blaney said county leaders need to take the time to make sure that they are making the right decision. She also said the issue of spending the money so far hasn’t “gotten the attention it deserves,” so more time is needed before decisions are made. She also noted that new people might get elected in November, so it would be up to them to oversee how the hospital funds are used.

Another reason why Blaney said she’s pleased that the county hasn’t yet spent the hospital proceeds is that no one knows for sure what economic conditions await the county. The worst case scenario is that the economy will “really really tank” and local government units will find themselves so strapped for revenue that they won’t have the funds to pay for police and other emergency personnel.

 When asked how the county should address ambulance service when its contract with Porter hospital expires in 2011,  Blaney said ambulance service is a basic need and that the county will obviously have to figure out how the service is provided if the contract isn’t extended. She noted that another hospital is planning to build in Porter County and that there is a possibility that ambulance service could become competitive between the two hospitals. Another possibility is to use the hospital interest funds toward an ambulance subsidy. At this point, she said there are too many unknowns to say for certain how the county should address the issue.

Blaney said the best accomplishment of the county council is that unlike Lake County, Porter County doesn’t have bloated budgets. “Overall in Porter County, the departments operate pretty efficiently in terms of dollars,” she said. “The county has made a concerted effort to keep costs and spending down. I’d like to continue that.”

When asked the greatest failure of the council, Blaney said communication among departments involved in the tax bill “fiasco” had been lacking. However, she said the council put forth a strong effort to get everyone on the same page, and that these efforts now seem to be working.

Blaney said her insistence against new taxes will likely mean that there will have to be tough decisions made on  the  council as revenue becomes more limited, something that she’s not afraid to deal with. She said she isn’t a polarizing figure and feels that she can work with various parties. “I think I’m good at bringing people together,” she said.

Jim Burge 

Republican Jim Burge said with experience comes knowledge and the ability to be more effective. And those are the reasons why he’s seeking re-election to the Porter County Council.

 “There are a lot of things that aren’t functioning properly, and I’d like to try to make them better,” said the Valparaiso resident who works in the emergency response industry in sales marketing and management.

Burge said one example of what’s not right is the property tax process, which he described as being “completely out of whack” and in need of an overhaul. The late tax bills have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said, but added that the county council has a  limited role to play. “Unfortunately, the council doesn’t have direct control over that. Only the voters can fix that,” he said.

The council has tried to fix the tax bill problem by retaining consultants to help the offices that deal with tax bills. But, Burge said, such an attempt at a remedy points to the root of the problem: That county government is the “most ineffective level of government there is.” Burge notes that unlike a municipality, the county government does not have a single person where “the buck stops.”

One of Burge’s priorities has been the establishment of a human resources department to streamline county employee matters. Burge said the idea is not meant to dictate employee hirings or promotions as critics have said,  but to give department heads more structure when it comes to job descriptions and competency levels.

Burge said his top priority deals with economic development. One way that he said the county council can directly influence economic development is through the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. Burge said he feels the RDA needs to shift from pursuing a number of smaller-scale projects to focus on a broad and major one. The RDA’s pie is only so big, he said. “Everybody’s at them to get a part of the pie,” he said.

To Burge, the RDA should focus on developing a major regional logistics and distribution hub. He envisions developing an area between the Gary Airport and Portage into a massive complex for warehousing and distribution of goods, taking advantage of the area highways, railroads, and port.  The Gary Airport should become a cargo airport, he said, since most attempts at passenger service have failed. Plus, he notes, the Chicago region doesn’t have a cargo airport.

Burge said a distribution complex would create thousands of jobs and, unlike some other industries, would be somewhat immune to the ups and downs of the national economy. He also noted that because Indiana no longer has the inventory tax, the state is attractive for this type of industry.

Burge firmly supports one of the RDA’s projects, the South Shore extension, but said the funding for it must come from a statewide source. He said the rail extension would provide Porter County the link needed for high-speed rail, which ultimately could allow someone to work in St. Louis and return home in less time than it takes now to make a daily commute to Chicago.

Another priority for Burge is to expand the county’s park system, including development of athletic facilities for organized sports. Noting that the county has spent millions on the juvenile court system, Burge said it would save money in the long run by providing youth with a positive activity like a sports complex. He also said that traveling teams are known to have a major impact on tourism, with a spill-over effect for area retail and entertainment.

To fund a major sports complex, Burge said the money could come from a combination of County Economic Development Income Tax funds as well as a portion of the hospital sale interest funds. The private sector could also provide funding, he said.

Burge said he would not be opposed to establishing a blue ribbon commission to recommend how to spend the hospital interest earnings, estimated at $5 million annually. The commission could establish criteria, guidelines and a priority list for the funding. Burge’s own priority list for the money is to pay down the county’s debts and pursue economic development projects, capital and infrastructure improvements, and mental and physical health needs not covered by private providers.

Burge also said that whatever is proposed for the hospital interest money, the council and commissioners should take an up-and-down vote and not nitpick at individual line items. Whether the projects would be long-term or reviewed annually remains to be seen, but Burge said there should be some flexibility and the opportunity for projects not funded one year to move up in the priority list for later years.

Burge said he feels the process for spending the money should have already been resolved, instead of being “mothballed” earlier this year.

With the ambulance contract set to the expire in 2011, Burge said the county needs to address ambulance coverage, but said this issue could be rolled into a larger discussion about emergency services and disaster preparedness. He noted that about 80 percent of fire service in Porter County is provided by volunteer crews, and that most of their fire calls deal with the need for an emergency technician. He also said these volunteer departments are continually facing staffing strains, due to the investment of time required and a dwindling number of volunteers. Burge said the solution may be to establish and expand fire protection districts. He said the hospital sale revenues could be used for this purpose, though he would prefer that the hospital money, like CEDIT funds, not be used for operational costs.

When asked about his accomplishments, Burge said that when he first ran four years ago he had a set list of objectives, each of which have been realized in part or full. One goal was to reduce county indebtedness, which he said was accomplished by applying the ISG tax payments toward the Bethlehem Steel bailout loan, reducing the total loan in half. Another Burge goal was to reduce property taxes, which he said was greatly helped with the new county homestead credit created with the CEDIT increase. Another goal was better communication, which he said has been aided by forming the League of Councils. He said he was amazed at how little communication occurred among different entities, and that he was proud to have spearheaded the county league. “Nobody ever did it before,” he said.

The biggest failure of the council, he said, is that it has been more reactionary than proactive. “We need a clear vision,” he said, “In many ways, in the last four years, we have been adrift.”

Sylvia Graham 

Democrat Sylvia Graham got into politics because of her concerns about state issues. She said she’s still very much concerned about how so much is in flux at the state level, but that she has plenty of concerns about the issues at the county level as well.

To name a few: Property tax bills that are delayed in part because of problems dating back for years. County roads ill-equipped to handle increasing growth. Not enough cross training among employees.

Graham, of Center Township, is a retired nursing supervisor who serves on the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission and who two years ago ran for state representative. She said if elected, she would bring her work ethic and management skills to the county council.

 “I think we need to have strong leaders who are involved with the community who people can trust. I feel that I can offer that,” she said.

She said that with the funding changes in store for taxing units under the state’s H.E.A. 1001, no one knows for sure what will happen in county government but that tough decisions may be needed. The champion bass angler said she’s up to the challenge. “I feel as if I am a problem solver,” she said.

One of the Graham’s top priorities involves correcting the late tax bills. “We all know there have been problems. A lot of it goes back for years. A lot of it has been brought on because of the state,” she said, adding that county council members, through a number of planning meetings, have tried to get the bills back on track.

As a former hospital unit director who hired, trained, and budgeted, Graham said she would bring her management skills to do what she can to make the tax process more efficient for the county departments involved.  “I want to be a catalyst and do as much as I can to help them,” she said.

Graham agrees with the pending proposal to establish a county human relations department, though she said this new department should not be given as much authority as some might want, but rather function as an office that holds employees records, settle disputes, and the like, but not one to hire and fire or micromanage department heads.

One of Graham’s priorities is to get a time study done of county departments to track the hours worked and the output. Though the cost could be steep, she said she believes the payback would be worth it. She also said that several department heads, including Sheriff Dave Lain and County Clerk Pam Fish, welcome the idea for their departments. “We have to be accountable for the work that’s being put out,” she said.

Another top priority for Graham is to place a renewed emphasis on public safety. She said people need to feel safe as they go about their daily lives. As the economy worsens, and as the county grows with an  influx of new people, the need to focus on public safety is clear, she said. She also said she would give top priority to funding  programs that address the “skyrocketing” drug problems in Porter County, as well as the increasing suicide rates. She commended the council for its decisions to increase funding for drug-related programs, such as for the adult and juvenile drug courts.

Roads are another priority for Graham. The upkeep of county roads has not been able to keep pace with all the new construction in Porter County in recent years, she said.  Even though the recent flooding was a disaster, she said the storms gave county officials an opportunity to study the county’s roads and  identify how they can be improved, whether the improvements are aimed at disaster-preparedness and detours or stormwater retention or even areas where roads could be widened.

The county also needs to address its disaster readiness, Graham said. If the county has a pandemic or other large-scale disaster, it must be prepared with ample supply of masks, gloves, and water supply and transportation for seniors.

On the issue of the hospital interest earnings, Graham said she has heard two distinct viewpoints during her campaign regarding what to do with the estimated $5 million annually: Those who want to spend the money as soon as possible, and those who question “what’s the hurry?”

Graham said she tends to favor the latter approach of not spending the funds until the county gets a better idea of how state-mandated changes might affect local units. “Right now, we have Four-Star Schools and they’re in the process of tearing them down,” Graham said of possible state measures that could reduce school funding and consolidate schools.  She said it’s conceivable that counties could find themselves -- depending on state mandates --  having to subsidize schools, fire departments or other agencies.

Graham said she would favor allowing the hospital interest funds to grow until a consensus is reached on one or more big projects that benefit all the people. She said examples of such large-scale projects could include road and sewer projects  as well as emergency response programs.

Graham expressed doubts that Porter hospital will want to renew its ambulance contract once it expires in 2011. She noted that the Valparaiso Fire Department, which has established its own ambulance service, has effectively absorbed a profitable component of the hospital’s service.  She said the county must explore all alternatives for dealing with what will undoubtedly be a major dilemma; she said her experience in the medical field will help provide insight into that process. One factor affecting service in Hebron that will need to be addressed, she said, is that Hebron is located closer to hospitals in Lake County though the hospital-run service brings Hebron area patients to Porter hospital.

Overall, Graham said she is not against the proposed extension of the South Shore service, but the project proponents need to find a funding source other than local taxes. “I truthfully do not believe the taxpayers of Porter County are willing to put out money for that,” she said.

Graham said she doesn’t see a need to change how the County Economic Development Income Tax funds are handled. She agrees that there is a perception that the county commissioners are “guarding” the tax money but adds: “That’s not a bad thing. They do not spend it frivolously.”

Graham said Porter County needs strong leaders who will always be  accessible to the voters. “I will not let the taxpayers down. I will do my job. I’ll always be a voice for them. I’ll always be available to listen,” she said.

Sandra Snyder  

Republican Sandra Snyder said she decided to run for Porter County Council after several prominent county Republicans impressed with her work in the town of Porter urged her to go the next level and run for countywide office.

Snyder, who served for one term on the town council, notes that Porter has been described as one of the most efficiently run towns in Porter County, even though when she and her colleagues first took office, the town had a $500,000 deficit.

 “We worked together as a team. We got results. We got things done,” she said.

Snyder said she would bring that same mentality to the county council if elected. She said that in addition to her work as a town council member, she has the hands-on pressure and experience of managing a business; she and her husband run Northwind Appraisal Service from their home. She is also active in Fairhaven Baptist Church, in which she works weekly in faith-based programs for underprivileged children and seniors.

Snyder said she believes people sometimes stay in office for too long. In her own situation, she opted not to seek a second term on the Porter Town Council in part because she wanted to spend more quality time with her grandchildren. Plus, she said, she found someone who could serve as her replacement.

Because of family obligations, Snyder said she didn’t campaign much during the primary, where she was among five Republicans vying for the three nominations. She attributes her primary win -- in which she secured the third-place spot  -- to the “good people supporting me,” specifically, the primary campaigning on her behalf by former State Senator Bill Costas.

Snyder said her top priority if elected is to streamline and reform county government. “Our government is 150 years old,” she said.

With a copy of the statewide local government reform report at hand, Snyder said in general she supports the Kernan-Shepard report, including the proposal to replace the three county commissioners with a single executive. Although the report needs to be tweaked in some areas, overall it contains good recommendations, she said..

Much of the report seeks to make office holders more responsible, she said. “I think our government leaders need to be accountable for their decisions and their spending.”

Snyder cited how her husband, as part of their appraisal business, has been bounced from one department to the next -- assessor, auditor and recorder -- when seeking a plat. The council should have a financial department for all such documents rather than force people to go to separate offices, she said.

 Government needs to offer ways for people to know where to turn when they have a problem while also removing some layers, she said. It “needs to be simpler, easier to understand.”

Snyder agrees that some reforms would require action by the Indiana Legislature. But at the same time, she said she strongly believes that county officials can make county government more efficient by implementing changes on their own. Without being in office yet, she said it’s difficult to pinpoint specifics. But she said her experience in the town of Porter shows that there are always ways to make operations more efficient and always places to cut.

Snyder is critical of the council’s decision to bring in consultants to help resolve tax billing problems. “What do we elected these people for?” she said of the office holders most involved with the tax work. She said she’s tired of hearing about the county’s “perfect storm” as an excuse for the delayed tax bills, saying that the consultants who were brought in were supposed to help fix problems. “I don’t see anything being fixed.”

Regarding the use of the hospital interest earnings, Snyder said she supports the plan earlier proposed by County Treasurer Jim Murphy that would provide funding to cities and towns as reimbursement for the loans they needed due to the late tax bills. She also said supports using some of the earnings to address the county’s drug problem. “It seems like we are not making any progress,” she said.

She would like to funnel some of the hospital money to faith-based initiatives that work with children and troubled youth. She cited in particular Reformers Unanimous, a Christ-centered addictions treatment program.

Snyder said a decision on use of the hospital funds should be a top priority. “The money is just sitting there. It needs to be put to good use,” she said.

She said council members and the commissioners need to work together on a plan that can get adopted. She also said the decision should have already been made by now; when asked what the council’s greatest failure has been, she said it’s been the lack of a plan for the hospital funds.

The fact that county officials have not yet dealt with the hospital earnings is one reason why county government needs to be streamlined, Snyder said. Trying to get everyone on the same page is like “pulling teeth.”

Instead, she said the county needs to come up with both short- and long-term plans for use of the funds, with the goal of putting money  “back in the hands of citizens” through the programs that get funding.

When asked what the council’s greatest accomplishment has been, Snyder cited the creation of the Regional Development Authority. “I think anything that promotes regional development is a good thing,” she said. She also cited the League of Councils spearheaded by council member Jim Burge. “I think it will take off the more it’s promoted,” she said.

Snyder said her objective would be to lower taxes if possible. Towards that end, she said she supports the South Shore extension, saying that it would be a good investment, but not a local tax to fund it. She said leaders need to get creative about how to fund the project. She noted that grants and leases are among the ways that major public projects can get funded without the need for a new tax.

With the county’s ambulance contract set to expire in 2011, Snyder said if Porter hospital doesn’t renew the contract, she would first want to see if private ambulance services could provide the ambulance coverage, but with government oversight, possibly by regulating the rates.

Snyder pledged to listen to citizen ideas if elected, saying that everyday people are often smarter than the elected officials. “I’m for borrowing a brain here and there,” she said. “I want the people to know they would have a strong friend and ally in me on the council.”

 Dan Whitten

Ask Democrat Porter County Council member Dan Whitten about the various issues facing county government, and his answers may in some way involve planning.

Whitten, a Porter Township resident who has a law practice in Portage specializing in bankruptcy, said he was amazed that when he first got on the council four years ago that no one asked or seemed to know how much revenue the county had or what its spending priorities were. He said he feels that at the very least, he brought to the table an emphasis on budgetary planning. “I think that I got them prioritizing ... away from shooting from the hip,” Whitten said.

Citing the decisions that will be made regarding the use of the hospital sale earnings and the upcoming property tax caps, Whitten said: “There are some challenges facing the county. I think we need responsible leadership on the Porter County Council, and I think I’ve shown that.”

Whitten said one of his priorities deals with tax bills. He said when he first came into office, the county was a “mess,” with various problems in assessments, Tax Increment Financing districts and other tax-related issues. The council has made a strong effort to get the tax work corrected and long-standing problems fixed, he said.

“County government has been broken for many, many years, and I think we are trying to fix it, the right way,” he said. “I think anyone who thinks this is a recent problem is part of the problem.”

Another priority for Whitten is to ensure that the county has planned growth. Anyone who travels in Lake County on Broadway to I-65 knows the reasons why so many people are moving to Porter County, he said, since they want to get away from “bumper to bumper “ traffic and unplanned development. He said there is nothing wrong with Porter County maintaining a rural residential community. “We don’t all have to have congested cities that outspend themselves,” he said.

Another of Whitten’s priorities deals with ensuring that the approximately $5 million a year in interest earnings from the sale of the county hospital are properly spent. He said he would like to see the county take the time it needs to come up with a solid plan as the interest continues to build up.

To Whitten, the money should be directed toward substantial projects aimed at business growth and retention, citing health care research as one possible industry that the county could try to attract. Coming up with strategies to spur such investment will take time, he said. He strongly rejects the mentality that “we’ve got it, we’ve got to spend it.”

He also opposes previous suggestions, like the one included in the plan advanced by County Treasurer Jim Murphy earlier this year, that would give some of the hospital interest money to municipalities to spend. “Once you give it to them, it’s gone,” he said.

Whitten favors establishing a committee that would be run by the commissioners and the county council but which would also include business people and other community members to propose long-term initiatives that could be funded with the hospital earnings. He said he’d like the county to establish the study process “sooner than later” but added that the county should not be in a hurry to make its decisions. He also said he has been disappointed in the “hair brained ideas” that have been suggested aimed at spending the hospital money as quickly as possible.

With the county’s ambulance contract with Porter hospital set to expire in 2011, Whitten said continued ambulance service must be a   priority. “We cannot not have ambulance service,” he said. He noted that the city of Valparaiso just implemented its own ambulance service; the question of how to budget and fund countywide coverage will need to be studied.  He didn’t rule out establishment of a county Emergency Medical Services department  like the one that used to exist  or a continued subsidy to private operators -- “whatever is cheaper.”

Whitten said that as a member of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, he has been amazed at how ready some officials have been to endorse the South Shore extension project without knowing the long-term costs and how these  would be funded.

 “We have to be honest with the people. How much would it cost. Is it worth it?” he said. A cost-benefit analysis may be in order, but “that has yet to happen with the South Shore.” Whitten said he supports alternative modes of transportation -- joking that because he is a Democrat after all, “I like to ride trains and get off to hug trees” -- but that there is not enough solid information about the ongoing costs to say if the project should be rejected or supported. “They have been anything but honest,” he said of the South Shore extension promoters. “I think it’s reckless.”

When asked what department is in need of more attention, Whitten said the war on drugs has been a council priority and must continue. He also commended the council for its efforts to keep the Portage Adult Education program afloat.

Whitten, a former police officer, said an ongoing analysis is needed to determine if the county should open the last pod in the county jail. Further, he said, the county needs always to be cognizant of the needs of law enforcement. The county also needs to ensure that the plan commission has enforcement abilities to ensure compliance with building rules.

County officials also need to be prepared for the unexpected and to “be global” in their priorities, Whitten said. He cited the proposed federal funding for the widening of C.R. 100S: When one considers that the county’s match for this project would have equaled about half of the county highway’s budget, he said, the project wasn’t worth it.

Whitten cited his push for budgetary planning and prioritizing as his best accomplishment on the council. The greatest failure, he said, was that the council didn’t take the time to engage in a meaningful discussion regarding the merits of the Regional Development Authority. Whitten was in the minority in voting against the income tax hike that led to Porter County’s membership in the RDA. He said there were high expectations of what the RDA would do with the tax funds it gets, but that the reality has been “sorely disappointing.”

Whitten said he  always votes “based on what I believe to be right,” and that he never votes based on how he thinks his vote might hurt or help his re-election chances.  Even his critics “have to admit,” he said, “I’ve been honest with the voters.”

Posted 10/27/2008