NWI Times takes Griffith’s rejection personally
Contributed By:The 411 News
Tells North Township Board of Trustees they will be held accountable
It does happen that the media can turn the tides of public policy. Last week, Democratic and Republican senators assumed they had a deal with President Donald Trump to fund the federal budget through early February 2019 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Until he was challenged by the House Republicans Freedom Caucus and blasted on talk radio by show hosts Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh to reject the deal unless it included funding for the border wall along the U.S. and Mexican border. They sent the president a message that he would lose the support of his base and going back on his campaign promise to build the wall.
The House Republican majority demanded a wall. Democrats refused. Now, the partial government shutdown is now a week old.
In the same week, officials of St. John and North townships in northwest Lake County felt the sting of rebuke from the NWI Times after each refused to admit the Town of Griffith.
The state law that allowed Griffith to break away from Calumet Township also gave it permission to seek entry into a nearby township with which it shared borders. The town’s reason to leave Calumet Township was based on no return of its economic investment.
Griffith pays more than a million dollars in taxes yearly to provide emergency housing, medical, clothing, food and utility payments to residents of Calumet Township, which includes Gary, but receives little in return of those services for its own residents.
St. John and North townships, with a lot fewer residents living in poverty than in Calumet Township, would let Griffith keep more of its tax dollars instead of spending it on poor people. A Times editorial took aim at North Township officials, labeling them as “shortsighted” and “ignoring a looming financial cliff” in their township. The paper said the North Township trustee board will be held accountable for their decision.
Griffith will remain in Calumet Township’s boundary for another year, at least. St. John and North townships said they will reconsider Griffith’s request after further study of the financial impact.
Story Posted:12/29/2018
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