Philpot takes one for the party

CROWN POINT | Lake County Coroner Thomas Philpot has put his future political career on hold as he awaits trial on federal public corruption charges.

Philpot didn't file for re-election before the noon Friday deadline, leaving the May 8 primary race for coroner to seven other Democrats and one Republican.

Philpot is scheduled to face a jury in U.S. District Court in Hammond the week of July 9 on charges alleging he illegally enriched himself from federal grants between 2004 and 2009, when he was county clerk.

An attorney and a podiatrist, Philpot has been a prominent player on the Lake County political scene for more than two decades. He won elections for coroner in 1992 and 1996, county clerk in 2002 and 2006 and coroner again in 2008.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., the county Democratic chairman, said he urged Philpot to attend to his personal troubles before thinking about another campaign and publicly thanked him for the gesture.

"I think Tom Philpot did the right thing for himself, his family and the party. Tom truly believes he can win this (federal court) case against the government. I told him if he does, then he can come back and run for something else. There is no reason for him to be campaigning for coroner and in trial. He had to figure out which one was more important and he did," McDermott said.