BILL MASTERSON JR.: NWI constituents must take stand against Bauer

Gov. Mitch Daniels offended and irritated a lot of people in Northwest Indiana last year with the comment, "People in Northwest Indiana are entitled to all the corrupt government they are willing to pay for."

There is another saying that could be tied to that which would likely irritate just as much. It would be something like "If the shoe fits, wear it." Or perhaps the definition of insanity: To do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome.

State Rep. Chet Dobis was ousted Tuesday as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Indiana House of Representatives, the second most powerful House leadership post, by Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend. Bauer did so because Dobis, also a Democrat, did not vote to support a House Roads and Transportation Committee report led by Democrat Rep. Terri Austin that put conditions on approving construction of an Illiana Expressway.

Bauer put it this way, "It's a tradition that leadership support the committee chair on a vote. He knew that when he made the vote, so I know it's not a surprise,"

Wow! I am not sure I could sum up all the issues we have in Northwest Indiana or quite honestly in the entire state government with any more telling of a statement.

Forget about the Illiana Expressway as an issue because depending on where you live and the constituency you support I can understand both proponents' and opponents' viewpoints. We all live by NIMBY (not in my backyard). If I have property along this route and it is going to disrupt my lifestyle, I am adamantly against it. If I am in a part of a region that such an expressway would help improve the quality of life, business and safety, then I favor it.

Everyone knows how congested the Borman Expressway is. Who is likely to build a new business to attract shoppers and customers only for no one to patronize the business because they do not want to place their life into a truck driver's hands as they try to navigate through a stream of semis? For that matter, who wants to build a hospital where a patient might die in an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam?

The Illiana would help divert trucks off the Borman and improve the quality of life and business opportunities for Hammond, Merrillville, East Chicago, Gary and other communities.

But I am not writing about the Illiana. It's not the issue that concerns me.

This is about retribution and retaliation for one of our elected officials voting in the best interest of his constituents and community instead of being a political pawn.

Again, Bauer says, "It's a tradition that leadership support the committee chair on a vote." How scary is that? That's saying an elected official is expected to vote along party lines regardless of what is in the best interest of the people who elected them. What kind of uproar would occur if someone told an elected official, "You need to vote for or against this because the person is African American or Caucasian or Hispanic? You need to vote for or against this because the person is a man or a woman."

Well, how ridiculous is it that Bauer replaced Dobis for doing what was right for the people that elected him and for his choosing not to be part of partisan political sabotage just for the sake of the Democratic Party. And more so at the expense of the region he serves?

Bauer has promoted another Northwest Indiana legislator, Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, to Dobis' former powerful position. I respect Harris as I do many of our elected officials working hard in Indianapolis for the region.

This is a chance for Harris and Northwest Indiana's delegation to the Indiana House to unite for the good of the region and support Dobis. This includes Reps. Charlie Brown, Mara Candelaria Reardon, Tom Dermody, Linda Lawson, Don Lehe, Chuck Moseley, Scott Pelath, Vernon Smith, Dan Stevenson, Shelli VanDenburgh and Ed Soliday.

I am not advocating going against the Democratic Party, but I am saying supporting and voting for the best interest of those who placed the legislators in office trumps politics and is the first obligation of any legislator. If our legislative delegation can't support Dobis after Bauer's ridiculous and dangerous political ploy and comments, then what do they support?

As I said at the beginning of this column, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." We as constituents need to decide that we are either happy with the position our representatives are taking, convince them to put us first or vote them out of office. If not, we are entitled to the government we support and elect as bad as it may get -- just as Gov. Daniels said.

 Bill Masterson Jr. is Publisher of The Times Media Co.