City leaders, state legislators react to House budget bill shifting appointments for Gary Airport Board
House Bill 1001, the state budget bill, includes language that would shift two appointments from the Gary mayor to the mayors of Crown Point and Hammond to appoint a person each to the Gary Airport Board.
Currently, four Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority members are appointed by the Gary mayor and the governor; Lake County and Porter County officials appoint one person each. Under the budget bill, two appointees from the Gary mayor will shift to mayors in Crown Point and Hammond.
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, said in a statement the House-passed budget shifts 'the make up of the airport board for a more regional approach, bringing in other key partners, including the cities of Hammond and Crown Point, alongside Gary.'
'The Gary Airport has the potential to be a significant economic driver for our region and state. For the last several years, community leaders have been working together to regionalize the airport to expand its scope and benefit all of Northwest Indiana,' Soliday said.
The budget also includes an appropriation of $9.7 million for a new cargo ramp to help expand the airport, Soliday said.
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said he wasn't part of the conversation when the Gary Airport Board language was added to the bill. Harris, a member of the House Ways and Means committee, which reviews the budget, said he found out about it as the public did.
Harris said he couldn't remember if the language was included in the initial budget bill or if it was added to the bill after the committee approved the budget.
'As someone that represents part of Gary, my preference would be for the city of Gary to keep their representation on the board, especially since it is an airport that's located in Gary,' Harris said.
During a town hall meeting earlier this month, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton criticized the addition to the House budget.
'That was a cowardly move,' Melton said of the anonymous budget insertion.
'Not to author a bill and to own it …this is our airport. We're paying the bills. I've talked to the mayor of Chicago and made him aware. I believe it's because of the progress we've made,' Melton said.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said he was told by a lobbyist that Hammond was added to the bill because it is a member of the Indiana Regional Development Authority.
'It wasn't initiated by anyone by the city of Hammond,' McDermott said. 'I was surprised. I had nothing to do with it.'
Crown Point Mayor Peter Land said in a statement he's been made aware of the proposed language in the state budget bill.
'I have not had any direct communications with either the Mayor of Gary or Hammond on this legislation change; however, should a final version of the bill be adopted that includes this appointment, I will take the necessary steps to select an appropriate individual for this board,' Land said.
The budget is being discussed by the Senate.
akukulka@post-trib.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
a minute ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
California Supreme Court clears way for Newsom's redistricting plan
The state Supreme Court opened the door Wednesday to plans by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats to redraw California's congressional districts in a gerrymander designed to pick up five seats, rejecting a Republican legal challenge. A lawsuit Monday by legislative Republicans contended the hastily drafted ballot measure, scheduled for votes in both houses on Thursday, has not been published long enough to meet the public-notice requirements in the state Constitution. But the court dismissed the suit Wednesday in a brief order with little explanation. The Republican lawmakers 'have failed to meet their burden of establishing a basis for relief at this time under (the) California Constitution,' the court said. Six justices, all appointed by Democratic governors, endorsed the order, while Justice Carol Corrigan, the only Republican appointee, was absent and did not participate, the court said. Newsom proposed the ballot measure, titled the Election Rigging Response Act, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott introduced legislation to redraw the state's House districts and enable Republicans to pick up five seats in next year's elections. Democrats currently hold 43 of California's 52 House seats. The governor's measure, if approved by two-thirds majorities in both the Assembly and state Senate — where Democrats hold more than two-thirds of the seats — would redesign California's House seats for the rest of this decade in response to changes in Texas or any other state. Ballot measures approved by the voters in 2008 and 2010 established a bipartisan, independent commission to draft congressional and legislative districts in California, a task previously left up to state legislators, who design districts in most states. Newsom's proposed state constitutional amendment, ACA8, would temporarily suspend that commission if approved by a majority of the voters in November. While California law does not allow legislative action on a proposed measure until 30 days after it has been introduced, Democrats apparently sidestepped that deadline with a longstanding practice known as 'gut and amend' — using other legislation that had been pending for more than 30 days, erasing the contents and replacing them with the redistricting language. That was apparently enough to defeat the Republicans' lawsuit. Other Republican lawmakers, and the National Republican Congressional Committee, have promised additional challenges under the California Constitution and federal election laws.
The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
California Supreme Court rejects GOP effort to halt Newsom's redistricting push
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition filed by state Republican legislators seeking to halt Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) plan to redistrict California's congressional map. 'Petitioners have failed to meet their burden of establishing a basis for relief at this time under California Constitution article IV, section 8,' reads a brief order posted to the docket. Newsom has hit back at Republican redistricting efforts in Texas by pushing for a special election this November to get voters' approval on a more favorable House map for Democrats in California in time for the 2026 midterms. The ruling paves the way for the California legislature to proceed with voting as soon as Thursday on a package that would set up the special election. Republicans' legal challenge revolved around a 30-day waiting period mandated under the state constitution before an introduced bill can be passed, unless three-fourths of lawmakers agree to waive the requirement. Democrats looked to get around the requirement by gutting the text of bills introduced in February and replacing them with the redistricting effort. Four state Republican legislators — Sen. Tony Strickland, Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, Assemblyman Tri Ta and Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez — went to the state's high court on Tuesday seeking to effectively block the redistricting effort. The petition sought to stop Democrats from moving ahead until Sept. 18, far past the window that state officials have said would be necessary to prepare for an election on Nov. 4. The lawmakers' attorneys acknowledged in court filings that it was a case of first impression but said that permitting Democrats' strategy would be 'comically absurd.' In a joint statement, the lawmakers stressed the court did not explain its ruling and said it is 'not the end of this fight.' 'This means Governor Newsom and the Democrats' plan to gut the voter-created Citizens Redistricting Commission, silence public input, and stick taxpayers with a $200+ million bill will proceed,' the statement reads. 'We will continue to challenge this unconstitutional power grab in the courts and at the ballot box. Californians deserve fair, transparent elections, not secret backroom deals to protect politicians,' it continued.
Boston Globe
31 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
These states could redistrict before the 2026 midterms
Advertisement Republicans hold a 219-212 House majority, with four vacancies, and any change to the congressional map could determine which party controls the 119th Congress. Right now, the math favors Republicans, as red states have more opportunities to shift district lines to their advantage before the midterms. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here's a look at some of the potential targets and the steps involved to change political boundaries in these states. Texas Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, surrounded by fellow Republicans as he faced off with Democrats during debate over a redrawn US congressional map in Texas, during a special session on Wednesday. Eric Gay/Associated Press Texas The redistricting battle began with Texas, where Trump originally pressed Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to draw a new congressional boundaries with more safely red seats. The state legislature has control over drawing district boundaries, so the governor called a special session in early August to create and vote on a new map. The resulting proposed map would give Republicans five potential pickups in the House. Advertisement A majority of the state's Democratic lawmakers broke quorum by leaving the state, delaying a vote on the new map. Republicans subsequently kicked off a second special session after the first session ended Aug. 15, and most Democrats who had fled the state returned to Texas on Monday. Republicans later introduced two additional map tweaks, and the legislature Republicans control 25 of Texas's 38 House seats. The new map is more partisan — each of these new districts recorded double-digit vote margins in the 2024 presidential election, so none will be considered especially competitive. Two Democratic House members from Texas — Rep. Henry Cuellar in the 28th District and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in the 34th — currently represent districts that split the ticket and favored Trump in 2024. Both districts have been redrawn to shift further to the right. California California was the second state to jump into the redistricting battle. In response to the potential Republican pickups in Texas, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and state Democrats have proposed a new map that would potentially turn five House seats blue, evening the score with the actions in Texas. But implementing any new maps off-schedule in California Advertisement California Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher spoke in opposition to Democrats' plan to advance a partisan effort to redraw the state's congressional map at a press conference on Monday. Tran Nguyen/Associated Press The current map in California is deeply blue, with Democrats holding all but nine of the state's 52 House seats. But many of the districts are considered competitive. In 2024, the presidential vote margin in 15 congressional districts was 10 points or less. The proposed map introduced by Democrats shifted most of the state's competitive districts toward the left. Indiana Vice President JD Vance visited GOP-controlled Indiana this month to discuss redrawing its congressional map, which could net Republicans one more seat. State law limits congressional map drawing to the first legislative session after the decennial census; however, Republicans have a supermajority in the state legislature and could easily change the law. GOP state lawmakers have seemed hesitant to shake up the state's political boundaries, but increased pressure from the White House could shift their stance. The most vulnerable seat is likely in the 1st District, which includes the edges of suburban Chicago. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (D) won reelection there by eight points in 2024, but the district favored Democrat Kamala Harris by less than half a percentage point in the 2024 race. Ohio Redistricting is already on the table this year in Ohio, as the state is required to create a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms. Congressional maps in Ohio must be approved by a supermajority in the legislature, but neither party has been able to agree on a new map since the state Supreme Court struck down the map drawn after the 2020 Census. In 2022, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a map that could be used only until 2026. Advertisement The timing in Ohio couldn't be better for Republicans pushing to pick up more House seats ahead of 2026. Three of the state's Democratic-controlled districts had single-digit vote margins in the 2024 presidential election. Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Emilia Strong Sykes are probably the most vulnerable Democrats in any new maps, as both won by narrow margins in 2024. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (left) joined Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu, along with other members of the Texas House, while they spoke about Texas Republican's plans to redraw the House map, on August 3. Mark Black/Associated Press Illinois Illinois jumped into the redistricting story when Gov. JB Pritzker (D) invited Texas House Democrats to stay in suburban Chicago after they left their state to stall the Republicans redistricting efforts. Pritzker has been vocal about the redistricting battle nationally, and Illinois state lawmakers have full control of the map-drawing process. But the impact of any map changes could be limited here — Democrats hold 14 out of the state's 17 House seats, and the map is already carved largely in Democrats' favor. Missouri Republicans are considering Missouri a possible target for redistricting ahead of 2026. The legislature could introduce new maps in September during its annual veto session. State Republicans may try to squeeze an additional red seat by carving up the 5th District, currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D). This solid blue district, which includes Kansas City, heavily favored Harris in 2024. Carving up Kansas City for a new GOP seat would leave only one solid blue district in Missouri — the 1st District around St. Louis. That is a majority-minority district and protected by the Voting Rights Act. Florida Florida's congressional map has shifted in favor of Republicans in recent years. The GOP picked up four additional seats after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pushed state lawmakers to redraw the map in 2022. Advertisement Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) told state lawmakers he is creating a 'select committee' on congressional redistricting, and a few more districts could shift toward the GOP. But the state constitution has a 'Fair Districts' amendment that says districts cannot be drawn to favor any one political party, and any changes to the map could be challenged in court. Five congressional districts had 2024 presidential vote margins within 10 points, and all of those seats are held by Democrats. Maeve Reston, Patrick Marley, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this report. Data analysis by Lenny Bronner. Presidential results for the proposed new districts are from a Washington Post analysis of 2024 precinct election results and data from Redistricting Partners.
