EDITORIAL: Legislature must focus on unfinished work

On two issues -- sentencing reform and local government reform -- the Indiana General Assembly took a step in the right direction this year, but not far enough.

EDITORIAL: Review entire structure of county government

The Indiana General Assembly appears to be planning to take another look at the structure of county government this summer. It's a good idea.

RICH JAMES: Griffith offers wrong answer on Calumet Twp.

I can’t believe Griffith is at it again, wanting to break away from Calumet Township.

DOUG ROSS: Trust Local campaign could use good bait

Whiting Mayor Joe Stahua is championing the Trust Local campaign for home rule that seems to be picking up steam among Indiana municipalities. It offers an opportunity for local government reform, but are the locals willing to pay that price?

EDITORIAL: Calumet Twp. is poster child for reform

Most of Indiana's 1,008 townships have such small budgets and low visibility that many people don't even know what township they live in, much less what the township government's responsibilities are. And then there are statistical outliers like Lake County's Calumet Township.

EDITORIAL: Township takes step toward efficiency

The Portage Township trustee's office is reportedly the first township in Indiana to go to a paperless assistance program. This is long overdue step.

EDITORIAL: Push forward with library consolidation

Having jettisoned the Hammond Health Department a few years ago to cut costs, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. wants the city's library system to merge with the Lake County Public Library system.

EDITORIAL: Griffith's woe is symptom of bigger problem

The Indiana General Assembly's unfinished business includes addressing the heavy tax burden Calumet Township places on Griffith. That issue must be taken up again in the 2013 session.

EDITORIAL: Poster child for county government reform

The feud between the Porter County Council and the Board of Commissioners would be settled if local government reform were to be enacted finally in Indiana.

EDITORIAL: Local government reforms make sense

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman's legislative agenda for local government reform should have been introduced earlier, for more thorough public discussion than this short session allows. However, there are elements of her plan that make sense.

EDITORIAL: Griffith's solution is a symptom, too

Griffith is offering a $6 million "lovely parting gift," as they say on the game shows, to Calumet Township in hopes of being able to escape the heavy financial burden of supporting township government there each year. It is a salve but not a cure for the wider problem.

DOUG ROSS: Reforming government from within, without

Joe Kernan is both a former and a reformer. He's an ex-governor and was co-chairman of the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform. He hasn't given up the fight.

EDITORIAL: A textbook opportunity for government reform

Once again, Lake County Councilwoman Christine Cid has voiced her opinion on an issue affecting county employees -- including herself. This time it's about employee compensation.

EDITORIAL: Go for real government reform, not half measures

Griffith's efforts to withdraw from Calumet Township because of its high costs should be instructive not just for Griffith's plight but for local government reform efforts in Indiana.

DOUG ROSS: Legislators need to sort out ethical issues

The General Assembly has done the easy work on implementing the Kernan-Shepard report, but now it's time to make the tougher choices. Lawmakers need look no further for inspiration than the recent news from the Lake County clerk's office.

EDITORIAL: Restructure local government for efficiency

The Griffith Town Council tried unsuccessfully in the 2011 legislative session to get the state's permission to secede from Calumet Township. Now that the frenzied session is over, it's time to look not just at the secession attempt but the reasons behind it.

EDITORIAL: Keep trying on government reform

The Indiana General Assembly failed yet again to provide meaningful local government reform, a key part of Gov. Mitch Daniels' legislative agenda.

EDITORIAL: School consolidation is a good start

Voters in LaPorte County's Cass Township face a decision that they haven't encountered in quite some time -- whether to approve a school district consolidation.

DOUG ROSS: Estate planning for death of a township

On Wednesday, I watched while Cass Township officials began making funeral arrangements for the township government.

EDITORIAL: Great hopes for great accomplishments

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels laid out an aggressive agenda for change Tuesday and gave a rousing pep talk to the Indiana General Assembly. His impatience in his State of the State Address mirrors ours.