Gary has a reputation as being a haven for corruption and frivolous spending over the years. That has cost the city dearly in terms of respect and support from the rest of the region.

Improving that image, as well as the city's finances, would go a long way toward turning the city around.

Adopting a sensible ethics policy -- including one that forbids nepotism -- would be a good step.

Mayor Rudy Clay's son has been a source of criticism and consternation ever since he was put on the city payroll.

The Gary Sanitary District didn't improve matters this month when it gave Rudy Clay Jr. a 33 percent raise -- to $39,960 -- for video recording and editing services.

That obscenely generous contract did nothing to build good will in surrounding communities.

"I just think that it's horrible," said Merrillville Town Councilman Richard Hardaway.

Merrillville, Hobart, Lake Station and New Chicago rely on the Gary Sanitary District's services.

The mayor defended the district's decision, saying his son is "just a citizen."

How could he say that with a straight face? Would Junior have been given that job were it not for his dad's influence?

The hiring of the mayor's son speaks of the need for an anti-nepotism policy. The 33 percent pay raise, at a time when people are lucky simply to keep the same salary they have, practically shouts of the need for that policy.

Gary needs to address its nepotism problem if it's going to win support for its appeal to be declared a distressed unit and be granted special assistance from the state.

The right way to start is to either join the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission or adopt the city's own nepotism policy right away. No one will take the city seriously as long as the mayor's son has such a lucrative contract.