EDITORIAL: Embracing cronyism sends wrong message
NWI Times
Mar 1, 2017
It's a pattern that should alarm all of us: Region government and political leaders forging allegiances and associations with those convicted of crimes.
Right now, it's rearing its head in the race to determine the next chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party — the clear party of power in the county's local government network.
Lake County Commissioner Mike Repay, one of two candidates for the chairmanship, should disavow an element of political corruption he’s accepted into the fold of his campaign.
The race will be decided in a party caucus Saturday.
Current Chairman John Buncich, who is Lake County sheriff and is facing felony federal bribery charges related to his sheriff's post, won't be seeking another term as party head.
Repay, a reasonably young face in Lake County politics, has pitched himself as a fresh voice who could change a good-old-boy party structure.
He's left us with little confidence he can deliver on that promise based on his political associations.
Repay confirmed this week he enjoys the support of longtime political operative and federally convicted felon Robert Cantrell.
Cantrell, a longtime Region political power broker, worked in various capacities for the North Township trustee's office in the early 2000s.
At the same time, Cantrell accepted kickbacks while steering contracts for county court defendants' drug and alcohol counseling to a politically connected service.
In 2009, Cantrell was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for using his position in public office to steer contracts in the scheme. He also was convicted of insurance fraud for "deceptively procuring" township-funded health insurance coverage for two of his children and filing false income tax returns.
In short, Cantrell has the type of history any respectable leaders should want to distance themselves from.
But not Repay.
"I'm not in a strong position to kick anybody's support away," Repay told The Times this week when asked if he embraced Cantrell's support.
Repay then went on to attack political affiliations and allegiances of the other candidate for chairman, Lake County lawyer Jim Wieser.
Wieser admits to being a close personal friend of former Lake County Surveyor George Van Til, also a federally convicted felon.
However, Wieser also said he told Van Til, who recently completed a federal prison term for essentially stealing from taxpayers, that Van Til could not be a part of Wieser's campaign for chairman.
"I said, 'George, we will be friends forever, but you cannot be involved in this campaign. It would be hypocritical of me,'" Wieser said. "He agreed and understood. That just sends the wrong signal to people."
The Times Editorial Board makes no endorsement in the race for Lake County Democratic Party chairman.
But Repay's embrace of Cantrell as a political ally shows a complete lack of sound judgment and a perpetuation of an embarrassing culture of political corruption.
Repay's acceptance of sharing a political fold with Cantrell comes a little more than two months after Repay attended a questionable social gathering with Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington.
The gathering occurred at a Merrillville restaurant one day after Washington pleaded guilty to battering his wife. Some local leaders invited to the gathering characterized it as a "victory party" for Washington after he avoided felony charges by pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery.
Earlier this week, Repay told The Times that the county chairmanship race "is not about the past. It's about the future. It's about putting somebody in the office of chairman who has the guts to speak truth to whoever the truth needs to be spoken to."
If he wants to show true fortitude, he'll stop kissing the rings of political cronies and distance himself from those who have harmed the fortunes of taxpayers and reputation of local government.
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