Past GOP chairman dumped from Chiabai hearing panel
NWI Times
Jan 23, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/past-gop-chairman-dumped-from-chiabai-hearing-panel/article_3b76fc47-26ff-597f-ae39-5297b6948b6c.html
Lake County Republican mavericks seeking to oust Roger Chiabai as party chairman scored a procedural victory Wednesday, though they worry the war is rigged against them.
The Republican State Central Committee decided to remove former state GOP Chairman Gordon Durnil from a panel scheduled to consider a complaint against Chiabai next month.
Republican dissident Peter Thayer is accusing Chiabai of working with Democrats to weaken the Republican Party. In 1986, Thayer led similar efforts to depose former Lake County Republican Chairman Joseph Kotso, also accusing Kotso of working with Democrats.
At that time, Thayer declared victory when the state committee decided it would seriously consider any future allegations that party officials had appointed Democrats to GOP posts.
But Durnil was quoted in a news story, defending Kotso's appointments. "We all know Peter Thayer is a nut," Durnil said. "Whenever he comes back to state headquarters again, he will be thrown out."
Joseph Hero, the St. John Republican chairman who has allied with Thayer and others in seeking to oust Chiabai, expressed only partial satisfaction with the GOP central committee's decision Wednesday.
"We're happy they got rid of Durnil, but we have an uneasy feeling this thing is wired all the way up to the state committee," he said.
Hero said the central committee had not allowed him to address a number of issues concerning the upcoming hearing, including the decision to not hear the complaint against East Chicago Republican Chairman Robert Cantrell.
Luke Messer, executive director of the Indiana Republican Party, said hearing chairman Michael Miner had decided to limit the inquiry's scope simply because "you can't cover everything. It would take months and months and months."
Messer also said the state central committee decided it would be best to have current central committee members on the four-member hearing panel, rather than Durnil.
"Sure, those quotes (regarding Thayer) were raised in the group, but it was 16 years ago, and Gordon is considered to be a very fair guy," Messer said. But he added that the central committee "wanted to make it clear we will be as fair as possible."
Durnil said he volunteered to be removed. "I said this sounds like a 20-year-old issue," he said. "I got more information about it and it sounded not only like the same issue, it's the same people."
He also called the effort to oust Chiabai "silly."
"It's not the way you change party structure. You don't do it by getting somebody on high to take out the guy you don't like," but by winning precinct committeemen races.
Hero and other critics contend that in Lake County party control is rigged in a fashion that prevents a fair fight at election time.
Cantrell says he's not resigning
NWI Times
Jan 9, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/cantrell-says-he-s-not-resigning/article_6a0bc648-c937-514d-a7be-7bccba05ff6a.html
HAMMOND -- Robert Cantrell said Wednesday he will continue to serve East Chicago's Republican Party as its chairman, despite a call by some among the GOP faithful to resign.
"I am not resigning," Cantrell said. "And I'm not about to."
Lake County GOP Chairman Roger Chiabai met recently with Cantrell to discuss whether Cantrell would relinquish the helm because of perceptions within the party that Cantrell either had been, or soon would be, involved in the Hammond mayoral campaign of Democrat Tom McDermott Jr.
McDermott, a partner with Cantrell's son in a law firm, is a recent Democratic convert who plans to file candidacy papers for mayor, a post held by Republican Duane Dedelow Jr.
Chiabai, who did not ask for Cantrell's resignation, was told by Cantrell he would not step down as East Chicago GOP chairman because he is not involved in McDermott's race or the race of any other Democrats.
Yet, Cantrell left the door open for such a move.
Cantrell said he told Chiabai he would step down if he gets engaged in any race involving any Democrats.
"I will not be involved in any race involving any Democrats at this stage," Cantrell said. "Now, what happens in May -- I'll have to look at it at that time."
When asked whether he will run or promote McDermott's campaign if he wins the primary, Cantrell answered, "I'm saying anything's possible."
The meeting took place the same day Dedelow and at least one ally, Republican Randy Peters, drove to Indianapolis to meet with Jim Kittle Jr., chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, to ask for a fair playing field in the upcoming election.
"I told Kittle that if there were any people in their own party that are working against us, like we believe Cantrell is, that he would look into it, and, if appropriate, take some action," Dedelow said.
Kittle said he would.
When Dedelow was asked to comment on Cantrell's decision, he said he wasn't surprised.
"I guess we'll see in the end who is playing it straight in regards to Republican Party politics," Dedelow said. "I'm going to let Mr. Kittle do what he said and go from there."
Assertions made of Cantrell's involvement in the Democratic Party spring from a comment Tom Philpot made when he won the 2002 election for county clerk, one crediting Cantrell for his success. He also attended McDermott's first, $25-per-plate fund-raiser June 28.
Cantrell said the only help he gave to Philpot was advice, and it came because he had no Republican opposition in the primary.
"Originally, McDermott was running as a Republican, so when he declared he was turning Democrat, that's when I had to step back," Cantrell said.
McDermott said Tuesday that Cantrell has had no participation -- financial or otherwise -- in the race since he announced his candidacy for mayor June 28.
Cantrell said he thinks the Dedelow camp is worried about the impact McDermott is having and warned that if the "harassment" and "character assassination" continues, he will step down and campaign against Dedelow full time.
"I'll resign as city chair and turn Democrat in June, and I'll campaign full time," Cantrell said. "It's not a threat. I'm just saying, 'If you slap me, I may slap you back.' "
Cantrell to quit as GOP chairman?
NWI Times
Jan 8, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/cantrell-to-quit-as-gop-chairman/article_15faecce-d911-5b93-9fa1-cdd6e09f7cfc.html
HAMMOND -- Pressure is mounting for East Chicago GOP Party Chairman Robert Cantrell to show his political party colors in this year's race for mayor of Hammond.
And today may be a turning point.
Lake County GOP Chairman Roger Chiabai confirmed plans to meet with Cantrell for breakfast this morning to talk about potential resignation of his leadership post.
"I didn't ask him to resign," Chiabai said. "He's wanting to get out."
Cantrell could not be reached for comment, but Chiabai said impetus for the chat has to do with perception Cantrell either has been, or will be, involved in the campaign of Democratic Party convert Tom McDermott Jr.
McDermott, who began laying a foundation to unseat Republican Mayor Duane Dedelow Jr. of Hammond more than a year ago, is a law partner with Cantrell's son. The two stand side-by-side in billboards on key traffic areas in and around Hammond.
But of the elder Cantrell, McDermott said, "Bobby isn't working on my campaign -- not at all."
While the elder Cantrell did attend McDermott's first, $25-per-person fund-raiser in June, McDermott said, it was to hear him make the announcement official. He has made no financial contributions to the campaign since, McDermott said.
Chiabai, on the other hand, said he believes Cantrell is thinking about resigning to work on the McDermott campaign.
"We've talked about his kid's involvement in this and my instructions were he cannot get involved," Chiabai said. "It's tough. Bob's a family man and family comes first."
Chiabai, noting he empathizes with the family man's view, told Cantrell it was his call, but that if he wanted to play a part in McDermott's campaign, he had to resign.
"I already fired him once ... years ago," Chiabai said. "I told him, 'I won't fire you again.' "
Meanwhile, Dedelow and at least one ally plan to meet with Jim Kittle Jr., chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, to air concern over alliances Cantrell has had with Democrats involved in active campaigns.
"I want to make sure Hammond's interests are protected," Dedelow said. "I want to make sure the Republican Party is allowed to operate unimpeded in the city of Hammond, that the election process is fair and that we have a real, two-party system in Lake County."
Randy Peters, a Republican supporter of Dedelow and a critic of Cantrell's role in the successful Democratic race waged in 2002 by Tom Philpot for county clerk, warned that if assurance can't be given by Kittle that there will be a "level playing field," the national party will be contacted.
Philpot bested Peters' sister, Bernadette "Bobbi" Costa, in the race for county clerk. At the time, Philpot thanked Cantrell for being with him "every step of the way" during a victory party for Philpot and Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell, the daughter of Cantrell, who was unopposed in her re-election bid.
"If Cantrell's going to campaign for Democrats, he should be one," Peters said. "You don't play one party against the other."
