09102003 - News Article - Turn over vote fraud probe to outsider - The issue: Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter - ROBERT CANTRELL

Turn over vote fraud probe to outsider
The issue: Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter
NWI Times
Sep 10, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/turn-over-vote-fraud-probe-to-outsider/article_cbf4dbde-927e-5b97-852b-f9d6089000f3.html
Our opinion: In light of the recent federal indictments of nine local officials, someone else should handle this matter.

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter says he has no intention of stepping down from an investigation into vote fraud because some possible targets have contributed to past campaign funds.

Well, he's wrong. He should step aside.

This is not to say there are suspicions about how he will conduct the special grand jury he convened to examine allegations that absentee ballots were illegally cast in East Chicago, Schererville and other municipalities. This is not to imply that he would somehow circumvent the grand jury process.

What is important here is perception. Carter, widely respected as both a diligent prosecutor and a straightforward politician, nonetheless must turn the investigation over to a special prosecutor to avoid even the impression of favoritism.

If that is not palatable, there also is the option of having the outside presence of someone from the state attorney general's office or the secretary of state's office. There are legitimate reasons for having either or both state offices involved. The attorney general's office is the state's top law enforcement agency. The secretary of state's office is responsible for election matters.

Carter has received donations over the last few years from the East Chicago Democratic Central Committee led by Mayor Robert Pastrick, County Councilman Joel Markovich, East Chicago City Councilman Gus Kouros, Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, Robert Cantrell, former East Chicago Republican Party chairman, and Schererville Democratic Precinct Committeeman Bob "Bosko" Grkinich.

If those names sound familiar, it is because they figured in the recent high-profile recount trials in East Chicago and Schererville. In the East Chicago case, the names of Markovich, Kouros and Cantrell cropped up often in testimony. In the Schererville trial, Riga's nomination was reversed by a judge who threw out 23 absentee ballots for her. Grkinich refused to answer questions about his alleged involvement in the casting of some of those ballots.

Carter explained that most of the contributions were in the form of buying tickets to his fund-raisers and that those buying tickets did so to not necessarily to support him but because other politicians would be there.

That's not the point. In light of the recent federal indictments of nine local officials, it would be statesmanlike of Carter to let someone else handle this investigation. That's another step toward public trust of public officials.