The local politics of a lakefront town likely don’t mean much to the rest of us beyond a curious interest or a gaper mentality. But it should.
The town of Ogden Dunes is dealing with a protracted controversy regarding an appointed official accused of bullying, harassment and retaliation regarding enforcement of town codes through the town’s plan commission.
“Please help me understand what these folks consider harassment? Bullying? Or retaliation?” asked Mike Falk, the town’s plan commission chairman.
He asked me this question Sunday after reading my previous column and related comments from social media readers, mostly town residents. I’m not sure if Falk honestly doesn’t understand why he’s being accused of these allegations or if he’s taking this stance to defend himself.
The psychology behind his question is less interesting compared to how it reflects the communication discord between town officials and residents. Contacting media is typically a last resort or a desperate attempt by people who’ve exhausted other avenues to resolve a problem.
“You have only given the poor contractors a voice,” Falk told me. “These poor contractors also promise to follow code when applying to be registered in town.”
Yes, sometimes as a columnist, I give people a voice in public.
“Please keep being a voice for the residents,” wrote one Ogden Dunes resident after reading my previous column. “I have lived here 35 years and have seen it go from bad to worse. It is at an all-time low.”
Similar to other residents who contacted me about this town-wide divide, I’m not publicly sharing this reader’s name because she also fears some kind of retribution from Falk or town officials.
“So you will reveal my name but not the others?” Falk asked me. “You only want to sell papers.”
I told Falk that I did share the names of some of his critics in my column, including two residents and one outside contractor. These three sources, and the other residents who’ve contacted me, are not appointed public officials in a position of power. This is the difference between Falk and his detractors, I told him.
This obvious disconnect offers another lesson to the rest of us about public officials, in any municipality, and the residents they’re elected or appointed to represent. These officials should be held to higher standards of behavior, specifically because they were elected or appointed. If they can’t attain or maintain such standards of social etiquette and professional ethics, they should step down.
“I do not run Ogden Dunes,” Falk said, referring to his critics’ allegations. “I have never stated or claimed to run Ogden Dunes.”
Falk cited non-compliance code violations regarding existing property walls of a few residents. “The law does not support them. The facts do not support them. So all they're left with is complaining,” he said.
One resident’s wall was supposed to have 12 inches of compacted gravel and up to 5 feet of geogrid behind it, Falk said. It’s non-compliant, he said. End of discussion.
“Unfortunately things like this happen way too often,” he told me.
I pointed out that the walls he’s not acknowledging have nothing to do with compacted gravel or a geogrid support. The key issue is about the walls of division between town residents and their representatives. These are the walls that need to be addressed in Ogden Dunes, and in too many other communities across Northwest Indiana.
Why not host a town hall-type public forum to at least attempt a meeting of the minds? This time, though, allow public comment without the restriction of only one minute per attendee (which happened at the latest town council meeting). This time, sincerely foster an open dialogue. This time, don’t allow public cursing or personal rants by any town official (as Falk has done, per audio recordings of previous meetings).
“Regardless of what is legally required or not, if the Town Council really cares about the community and our fellow residents’ major concerns, you would not limit their opportunity to speak,” Ogden Dunes resident Jim Slawinski wrote to town council members Monday.
“As an engineer and a former member of the Plan Commission, I am well aware that this has been a long standing issue which was made worse when this particular individual became Chairman,” he wrote. “While on the Plan Commission, I saw first-hand his ‘my way or the highway’ erratic behavior which brought us to the current situation.”
Falk insists his critics are lying. They insist he’s lying. This behavior is as human as a rationalization. These debates are taking place elsewhere, of course, and continually in our nation’s capital. There, it’s “information warfare” using weapons of misinformation. Also known as flat-out lies.
Tom Frain, owner of Duneland Landscape LLC in Chesterton, is a contractor who’s been butting heads with Falk since 2017. Frain sums up Ogden Dune’s antagonistic situation this way: “An unnecessary mess that too many in town don’t know about and others don’t want to acknowledge.”
Slawinski’s letter smartly addressed the broader issue at hand, pointing out the erosion of trust and communication with town officials. “While the major issue involving beach erosion is affecting the quality of life and property values… so are the numerous issues involving the current chairman of the Plan Commission.”
Can all parties sit down in person to talk about these issues in a civil tone? Can they address the alleged lies and disputed facts? Or are there too many existing walls between them?
Frain said the town should honor the wishes of homeowners, and the conclusion of an independent engineering firm. Falk isn’t budging from his stance. The town council appears to support him. Residents are fed up or embarrassed.
“This is why we will end up telling it to a judge,” Frain told me.
The rest of us shouldn’t judge the dirty laundry hanging publicly from this otherwise invisible town. We should learn from it.