What can be done to improve Gary? (Hammond, East Chicago: appointed, real estate)

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Southside Shrek

it's no wonder that all the folks up in NW Indiana are Chicago Bears fans. can't say that I blame them when the pols in Indy don't care about them. any chance that Chicago can just annex Gary, East Chicago and Hammond?

I'm sure most in Lake County would welcome being annexed, but not the property taxes that would come along with it!

[Purdue1906]

Originally Posted by domergurl

I agree with you, but it also doesn't help that the government of this state doesn't care about NW Indiana either. They never tried to help out that area of the state when things got bad. They have been on their own for decades. I would even venture to speculate that most of the mill workers in Gary don't live in Gary. You have to have a population base that actually works in the city to get the ball rolling, not just people who come, work or watch a game and then leave.

to the bold point...BINGO!!! This is EXACTLY why I was AGAINST the construction of the stadium to begin with, even BEFORE the price more than doubled. I've been to a Railcats game and trust me, the majority of the people there are NOT reflective of the majority population of the city (i'm being PC). What happens when another town or city in a better financial situation decides to build an attraction and draws THOSE people away? What happens when Gary has another situation such as when the Indiana State stormed the city back in the mid-90s and even THOSE people (game attendees) are scared away? THEN WHAT?? You're left with a white elephant.

You are also dead-on about the state, they have looked out for everywhere else in Indiana but NWI, but have no problem taking their cut of the boat revenues. What pisses me off even more is that Gary, Hammond and EC must SHARE boat revenues with the surrounding communities who contribute absolutely NOTHING in terms of services (police, fire, EMS), road and infrastructure maintainance, etc.

[Southside Shrek]

Originally Posted by domergurl

I'm sure most in Lake County would welcome being annexed, but not the property taxes that would come along with it!

I'll send a crew of land surveyors up to start plotting the proposed annexation. we'll call the entire area *New Chicago*.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Southside Shrek

I'll send a crew of land surveyors up to start plotting the proposed annexation. we'll call the entire area *New Chicago*.

I seem to recall a few years back, longtime East Chicago mayor, Robert Pastrick wanting to have center township in lake county secede to Chicago. He wanted to call it North Center.

[artemis]

""$5000 dollars for an OLDS ALERO?? Is that full coverage or just liability?? I know Gary insurance rates are high as all hell, but 5K? Is this person under 25, a male, has a bad driving record, etc, etc? Let's not try and just pin in ALL on location without telling the other factors, that just over dramatizing the point you're trying to make, IMO.""

She is a 45 year old single woman with a clean driving record. Full coverage on an Olds Alero. No DRAMA here. Only on your part.

[Southside Shrek]

Artemis
she needs to get a quote from AIG.

[Purdue1906]

Originally Posted by artemis

""$5000 dollars for an OLDS ALERO?? Is that full coverage or just liability?? I know Gary insurance rates are high as all hell, but 5K? Is this person under 25, a male, has a bad driving record, etc, etc? Let's not try and just pin in ALL on location without telling the other factors, that just over dramatizing the point you're trying to make, IMO.""

She is a 45 year old single woman with a clean driving record. Full coverage on an Olds Alero. No DRAMA here. Only on your part.

That's unbelievable........

[nobleman4]

To save my hometown will mean any over climate adjustment in Indiana. That will never happen. Indiana does the least for people of color and since Gary is populate by mostly people of color... no money will be spent to improve their quality of life.

Do not respond to my post unless you can document to me and explain

why
carmel schols are better than gary schools
(only 1 elementary school in gary can compete)

economic growth is dead
(the city has the groundworks for a great urban area)

i can go on but ...the people in gary are good souls and I wish I could leave among them but I have to eat

[Southside Shrek]

nobleman4
you raise a very valid point. Maybe the Indiana General Assembly led by Governor Mitch will draft and enact a 'Trading Places' Bill which would require the good folks of Carmel, Indiana to trade their schools and homes with the people of Gary for an initial trial period of one (1) year. If everything seems to be working out well after the one year period, then it can be made permanent.

[Purdue1906]

Originally Posted by nobleman4

To save my hometown will mean any over climate adjustment in Indiana. That will never happen. Indiana does the least for people of color and since Gary is populate by mostly people of color... no money will be spent to improve their quality of life.

Do not respond to my post unless you can document to me and explain

why
carmel schols are better than gary schools
(only 1 elementary school in gary can compete)

economic growth is dead
(the city has the groundworks for a great urban area)

i can go on but ...the people in gary are good souls and I wish I could leave among them but I have to eat

Gary vs. Carmel is not an apples to apples comparison. For starters, Gary's economic base for MANY years was based solely on manufacturing. The property taxes paid by US Steel and citizens of Gary kept the city running, especially when USS was at its peak and Gary had 150k+ residents. Carmel, on the other hand, has built its economic bases of property taxes and the resulting businesses that have moved to that city as market forces have dictated. People, including a lot of folks with substantial incomes, sought Carmel as a) a place to escape big, bad Indianapolis and b) somewhere to build big houses due to lots of available land. Those home and business provide Carmel with plenty of tax revenue which is used in their school system and public services. Gary, on the other hand, does not have the kind of tax revenue that Carmel brings in, plus has 4 HS's, 4 or 5 middle schools, and quite a few elementary schools to supports vs. Carmel's school districts schools.

Yes, Gary has the groundworks, however, the politics and politicians have robbed the city blind, and coupled with drugs and crime, have crippled Gary's ability to attract even the most basic of businesses and services. How do you explain HAMMOND getting something as simple as a Wal-Mart and GARY CANT? We've had riverboat gambling for what, 10 years now, what has improved? Hammond and East Chicago have put their boat monies into their cities, why hasn't Gary (oh yeah, we built a freakin' baseball stadium that cost 25 mil more than org. estimates for a team not even affiliated with MLB)? Added on top of all that, the CITIZENS of Gary don't demand more, they keep voting in the same incompetent councilpeople and mayors ever damn election.

One day, Gary will rise again. Hopefully, USS will be gone, there will be a MASSIVE cleanup of that land, and the city will rise back to its glory. I just hope I'm not too old or dead to see it.