GARY | A Thursday meeting that had been pitched by city leaders as a means to encourage transparency in Gary's bid for federal stimulus dollars was closed to the public and media.
At the closed-door meeting, Gary officials asked civic, business and community leaders to support the city's bid for hundreds of millions in federal stimulus dollars, some who attended the meeting said.
Though advertised through a news release to the media earlier in the week, neither press nor public were permitted to attend, a city spokeswoman confirmed.
The irony of a meeting preaching transparency being closed to the public wasn't lost on one attendee.
"That kind of confuses me," said Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority.Throughout the meeting, Batistatos said, "all I kept hearing was 'transparency, transparency.'"
On March 20, city officials notified the media about the meeting but did not include a date, time or location information.
In the release issued by the city, Mayor Rudy Clay said: "We want the business community to be involved in the process as it relates to transparency, accountability and spending of stimulus dollars."
Despite the notice, city spokeswoman LaLosa Burns later told The Times that neither the media, nor the public, was allowed.
In a packet of information provided to those who attended, Clay expressed his regret at missing Thursday's meeting. He met instead with the state's Distressed Unit Appeal Board and the Department of Local Government Finance, his letter stated.
Clay did not respond to several calls seeking comment Thursday.
John Vinzant, of the Miller Citizen Corp., however, said the meeting's privacy encouraged candidness without the media's presence.
"I think it made a lot of sense, actually," Vinzant said.
Vinzant said Gary officials discussed the ways the group could support the city's stimulus projects, including with help navigating the complex grant process.
"It's a lot of work," Vinzant said. He called it a "real good idea" that officials are seeking community support.
Clay has touted that the $400 million worth of stimulus projects the city has pitched would create about 18,000 Gary jobs.
Clay's letter also invited group members to create a Stimulus Transparency Advisory Committee, "charged with ensuring accountability for the use of the stimulus dollars coming to Gary."
"It's exactly what needs to happen," Vinzant said. "It's just got to be as transparent as hell."
The group is expected to meet again soon, though neither Vinzant nor Batistatos knew of a set date.
Batistatos said he is eager to learn more about the city's plans to partner with agencies to leverage grant requests.
