Area 45

Flash back if you can to junior high school.  Remember those crazy-quilt maps of medieval Europe with the Kingdom of This, the Duchy of That, and the Principality of Toomanyconsonants, all in perpetual geopolitical conflict.  Couldn’t help but think of that today when reading of the downstate public squabbling among the leaders of Lake County’s Five Families major cities over South Shore expansion.  Whether you agree with proposed expansion or not, the Region’s feudal structure and its parochial politics [or its “Balkanization,” per The Times] continue to embarrass. 

Does Don Barden have the City of Gary by the short hairs?  Barden’s lawsuit alleges the City reneged on its casino development agreement with the Majestic Star, and it suggests that Gary’s casino revenues will be/should be escrowed.  The lawsuit was filed in Marion County, so there’ll be no home cooking here for Gary with this case.  The prospect that Barden may turn off the financial faucet might explain the recent rumor (a well-placed rumor, but a rumor nonetheless) that some sort of municipal bankruptcy looms on Gary’s horizon.

Addendum (02.19.08):  So Barden has turned off the faucet.  Clay’s reported comments bode ill for the City, and bode well for the rumor noted above.    

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 9:21 pm and is filed under Dispatches. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.