Times of Northwest Indiana
When Gary officials went to the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board, they threw themselves at the mercy of the court of public opinion.
Some of those public opinion jurors were less than kind.
Ann Gallagher lives in Gary's Miller neighborhood. She called it a "dying city" and compared it to a Third World country because the city depends on outside aid to get by.
"Throwing good money after bad is only prolonging its inevitable death," Gallagher said.
Her sentiment echoes that of some of the others who testified at that hearing in Indianapolis.
So what happens if Gary is denied outside aid? We shudder at the thought. The city's property owners would see tax caps at their full level, but turning around the ship of state, even at the local level, requires time.
Gallagher's argument seems to ignore the fact Gary is working from within to bring its spending under control.
Gary Mayor Rudy Clay has been cutting spending during his tenure.
"We have cut 446 jobs, and that was in 2009, so we're headed in the right direction," Clay said.
And the city has additional guidance from its state-mandated fiscal monitor, Public Financial Management, to help shrink government sensibly so it can learn to live within its means.
Those cuts will be painful, including shutting down fire stations and sending dozens of firefighters packing.
Agencies will have to be consolidated. Some government services will have to be contracted out, and some will simply have to be eliminated. Gary will need to provide fewer services, but with better quality.
Bringing Gary's spending under control and reinventing government accordingly requires a positive, can-do attitude.
Saying the city should simply be left to die helps no one.
Gary needs help, and its citizens need to see the folly of cutting off state aid. Give the city help, and time, to turn itself around.