Some worry corruption moving south from EC
Schererville politics suffers blow with indictment of former town judge Riga
NWI Times
Aug 7, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/local/some-worry-corruption-moving-south-from-ec/article_b63f9f19-c93a-59ed-b6c1-b5fd33d499a9.html
From Hammond to Crown Point, residents worry aloud about the encroachment of "East Chicago politics" -- that is, corrupt politics -- into their borders.
On Friday, residents of Schererville got their strongest hint to date it's already there.
The indictment of former Town Judge Deborah Riga on charges she committed mail fraud and extortion during her tenure surprised some residents who consider the fast-growing town a refuge from the chicanery associated with the county's northern cities.
Over at Town Hall, Riga supporter Art Schweitzer could hardly believe the news.
Standing in the hall's historical room, the president of the town's historical society flipped through pictures of Deborah Riga meeting with school children. The judge liked to describe how trials work to young students, Schweitzer said.
"She showed the children things that will happen if they get in the wrong," he said. "If you asked me what did I think of her, I thought -- and think -- the world of her. ... The stories I keep hearing around is, isn't it a shame that such a nice lady got tied up in politics?"
Not everyone thinks Riga was so innocent.
Frank Martinez, who campaigned for Riga's opponent and eventual successor, Kenneth Anderson, said the May primary represented a turning point for Schererville.
"Everyone who worked on this campaign said, 'we're not going to allow these shenanigans that have gone on in other communities to go on in Schererville.' That's not going to happen in this community," said Martinez, a Highland attorney.
But the indictment likely won't have a lasting effect on the town, said Dana Vozar, executive director of the Schererville Chamber of Commerce.
"Just because one person is being indicted doesn't mean that Schererville is now not a good place to live -- that doesn't mean anything," she said.
"This is just one person, and we don't even know if she's guilty or innocent. It's just a rumor right now."
But it might not be the last "rumor" they hear. The town will continue to be a destination for residents who flee North Lake County cities, Schweitzer said.
"Schererville has always had that (stigma) for the reason that the people came out here from Hammond and East Chicago, and they used their influence. And some of their influences were East Chicago politics," he said.
"So when they refer to Judge Riga, that's what would be said -- that's just East Chicago politics."
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