Do you wonder why Lake County has 27 part-time public defenders who work a few hours a week and get full-time health insurance benefits?

The County Council is wondering, too, and is considering slashing the number of public defenders in the three-judge County Division of the Lake Superior Court from 27 to five, which they argue would make a big dent in the court budget with minimal impact.

The 27 spend the bulk of their time pushing piddling traffic cases through the system, and should not be confused with the Criminal Division public defenders who handle the tough felony cases.

However, County Councilman Tom O'Donnell said the judges have told him it is an "impractical" proposal, although the fact he is a defender in the courtroom of Judge Julie Cantrell may have colored his opinion.

But the judges are right in one way. Having a bloated staff can be very practical in some situations.

Take the case of the late Stan Jablonski, who was a public defender in Cantrell's court until his death in October.

Stan was one of the county's best defense lawyers, with a keen mind, a wicked sense of humor and a flourishing private practice.

Yet he also worked on the plea bargain assembly line in Cantrell's court for a few hours a week so he would not have to buy expensive private insurance because taxpayers would buy it for him.

When Superior Court Judge Jesse Villalpando ran for re-election in 2006, he was on the wrong side of Democratic political fixer Bob Cantrell, Julie's dad, who is awaiting sentencing on federal fraud conviction.

Villalpando had refused to use a Cantrell-connected drug and alcohol counseling service, and he claims that Cantrell swore he would get even by unseating him in the 2006 election.

When Bob Cantrell needed a credible candidate to run against Villalpando, who ran? If you guessed Jablonski, you win.

Jablonski always denied he had been approached by any Cantrell to run, which may be true, but he was enough of an astute political war-horse to know what his boss expected of him.

Cantrell also put in Eddie Fontanez, who shared office space with Cantrell's son, John -- who not coincidentally had been hired by Fontanez in 2002 when he was city judge in East Chicago. John Cantrell is now a public defender for County Division Judge Sheila Moss.

Villalpando won, but he got the message.

For the judges, this merry-go-round may be practical.

But for the taxpayer, it's unconscionable.

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at markk@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-4170.