Gary Common Council members met with state legislators to advance priorities

Gary Common Council members advance Gary's priorities with state lawmakers

Contributed By: The 411 News

Several members of the Gary Common Council spent the last two days at the State Capitol in Indianapolis working to advance Gary’s legislative priorities, advocating for responsible property tax reform, addressing current legislation impacting Gary residents, and insuring Gary has the necessary local control to ensure that decisions impacting Gary residents happen as close to home as possible.

“I am proud to lead my colleagues in representing our city at the Indiana statehouse,” Gary Common Council Presiding Officer Lori Latham said. “We are here to show that we are willing to have tough conversations with those we don’t always agree with, for our city to grow and thrive. Working closely with our local government advocacy partners and our state legislators we can continue to achieve great things for Gary, beginning with the important dialogue we had today.”

Council members spent time with Gov. Mike Braun discussing the importance of Gary’s success to the State of Indiana, the progress and challenges ahead of the city, and the need to establish open lines of communication between his office and the Common Council.

They also met with Senate President Rod Bray and invited him to Gary to meet with community members about fostering an ongoing dialogue about the city’s progress.

They met with members of the Indiana Black Caucus, as well as Rep. Harold Slager, who authored the bill that would require the city of Gary to make supplemental payments to East Chicago and Michigan City after a state accounting error mistakenly issued the funding to Gary instead. Council members discussed the impact of Slager’s legislation and advocated for a favorable solution for Gary’s residents.

“It’s great to see Gary’s Common Council members rolling up their sleeves and advocating on behalf of Gary and its residents,” said Greg Porter, the ranking minority member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and voting member of the State Budget Committee. “We look forward to working with them more as we move Indiana and all of its great cities forward.”


Gary Common Council members who met with legislators were Lori Latham, Linda Barnes-Caldwell, Marian Ivey, Dwight Williams, and Dwayne Halliburton

Story Posted:02/05/2025