At the Jan. 20 meeting of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority board, I presented my case for the creation of a trusteeship that would oversee the millions of dollars in casino revenue that are intended for the sole benefit of the citizens of East Chicago.
While there will likely be opponents of this proposal, I make it in good faith -- but with a clear understanding of the unique history of the public corruption that has robbed the people of East Chicago of the benefits that other cities around Indiana have enjoyed since the state legalized riverboat gambling in the early 1990s. Allow me to explain why I believe creating a special trusteeship is necessary.
In the years I have served as Indiana's attorney general and in the previous years I served in the office as chief deputy, I know well the years of litigation required to bring an end to the unholy deal struck by former Mayor Robert Pastrick and his political cronies that was approved by the Indiana Gaming Commission at the time. The Pastrick era in East Chicago will undoubtedly be recorded in Indiana's history as a period of unprecedented public corruption that culminated in the first-in-the-nation federal court civil racketeering judgment of $108 million against the ex-mayor. …show more content…
The need for the creation of a trusteeship to ensure that history is not repeated can be heard when the people of East Chicago speak of their loss of trust in their
While there will likely be opponents of this proposal, I make it in good faith -- but with a clear understanding of the unique history of the public corruption that has robbed the people of East Chicago of the benefits that other cities around Indiana have enjoyed since the state legalized riverboat gambling in the early 1990s. Allow me to explain why I believe creating a special trusteeship is necessary.
In the years I have served as Indiana's attorney general and in the previous years I served in the office as chief deputy, I know well the years of litigation required to bring an end to the unholy deal struck by former Mayor Robert Pastrick and his political cronies that was approved by the Indiana Gaming Commission at the time. The Pastrick era in East Chicago will undoubtedly be recorded in Indiana's history as a period of unprecedented public corruption that culminated in the first-in-the-nation federal court civil racketeering judgment of $108 million against the ex-mayor. …show more content…
The need for the creation of a trusteeship to ensure that history is not repeated can be heard when the people of East Chicago speak of their loss of trust in their