this is huge for the region. and before anyone jumps down my throat for posting this here, remember Chicago proper's biggest neighbor (in terms of both population and border) is Hammond. much longer than Evanston's Chicago border, and 84,000 people.
Governor signs bill at Gary/Chicago Airport
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority becomes effective July 1
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, May 12, 2005 12:50 AM CDT
Times Staff Report
Huzzahs, back-slapping and handshaking on Wednesday filled the lobby of the Gary/Chicago Airport as Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the bill creating the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority at the only place Daniels considered signing it, he said.
"I'm signing a lot of important bills these days, but if I could only sign one it would be this one," Daniels told the crowd of elected officials, lawmakers and regional business people gathered at the airport.
NIRDA will manage expansions at the Gary/Chicago Airport, regional rail and bus transportation projects and facilities as well as shoreline and economic development capital projects.
Almost as soon as the bill was passed, controversy erupted when Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. announced he would appoint himself to the board.
Daniels said it's not so important who serves on the board or who does the appointing but rather how the board conducts itself. He could think of worse things than having mayors serve on the NIRDA board, Daniels said.
"It's important the decisions the new authority makes are wise, based on solid business practices, the process is open and transparent and they use the highest ethical standards," the governor said.
A seven-member board will govern the activities of the authority. Representation includes one person each from Lake and Porter counties appointed by the council and commission of both counties; one representative each from the cities of Gary, East Chicago and Hammond; and two representatives appointed by the governor. One of those appointees would serve as chairman for at least the first seven years of the authority, and the other would be an individual recommended by the cities of Portage and Valparaiso in Porter County.
The state will contribute at least $5 million and up to $10 million in 2006 and 2007. Additional state money could be committed once a comprehensive strategic plan is developed and approved by the director of the Office of Management and Budget and reviewed by the Legislature's Budget Committee. The cities of East Chicago, Gary and Hammond as well as Lake and Porter counties each would be required to contribute at least $3.5 million annually to NIRDA.
A bipartisan group of Porter and Lake county legislators led by Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary; Sen. Sue Landske, R-Cedar Lake; Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville; and Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, negotiated NIRDA with the governor's office.
Rogers called the bill "a grand slam home run."
"The airport was on first, the railroads were on second, buses were on third and the governor came up to the plate and hit the home run," Rogers said.> |
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