Wow, you can find out all sorts of interesting things by going to Hammond city council meetings.
Like how the mayor's gaming money really gets spent (maybe Governor Daniels, the State Board of Accounts and the State Gaming Commission would like to know too).
Did you know that the City of Hammond pays Bose Public Affairs Group about $5,000 per month, and part of their job is to wine and dine state legislators and government officials to persuade them to see things Hammond's (or McDermott's) way?
Especially persuading Cheryl Musgrave, the former commissioner of the DLGF, to approve the new Hammond high school project. Too bad she resigned and Rushenberg took her place.
And that Bose bills the City of Hammond for such things as composing emails, conference calls, reading newspaper clippings for articles of interest, attending fundraisers and Democratic golf outings. (We sure would like to get paid to read the newspaper, talk on the phone or send emails!)
Not to mention all the fun extracurricular activities such as Andrew Miller from Bose billing the city for 10 hours for traveling to Chicago on April 17, 2008 to take Mayor McDermott to lunch and a White Sox game. Funny thing is: the White Sox were in Baltimore that day playing the Orioles (the Sox lost 5-6).
Or Paul Mannweiler* (see old lawmakers don't die, they just become lobbyists) from Bose billing the city for 14 hours for traveling to Chicago on April 17, 2008 to take Mayor McDermott to lunch, a Cubs game, and dinner (the Cubs were at home but lost to the Reds 2-9).
Did these guys think taxpayers were too stupid to look at Cubs and Sox schedules for 2008?
Or how about Andrew Miller from Bose taking State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon to a Cubs game on April 2 and State Rep. Dan Stevenson to a White Sox game on April 28? Geez, this Andrew Miller must really love baseball!
And even though this lobbying firm is paid out of the mayor's gaming fund, again this money is not the mayor's personal money to spend on himself (i.e. his salt-water aquarium). It is taxpayers' money and should be spent wisely and frugally for the benefit of ALL Hammond citizens and not just a certain select few.
When citizens are suffering because they have lost their jobs and homes, we don't believe they will be sympathetic to the city paying a consulting group to take elected officials to ballgames or attend golf outings.
*Paul Mannweiler is a principal for Bose Public Affairs Group. Before joining the firm, he served for 23 years in the House of Representatives. He was also elected Republican Speaker of the House on 3 separate occasions.