GUEST COMMENTARY: After bitter campaign, it's time to govern

It is difficult to adequately express how very honored and grateful I am to be overwhelmingly elected by the voters as Lake County surveyor for a sixth term on Nov. 6.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Soliday's Little Calumet plan lacks discussion, solidarity

State Rep. Ed Soliday and his co-authors' push for their Little Calumet River maintenance tax is a classic example of how not to approach a problem in government.

Times are tough, but there are opportunities

At 3 p.m. on Dec. 30, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter administered the oath of office to me for another term as the Lake County surveyor.

Cid needs to put aside political, personal vendettas

After reading Councilwoman/Deputy Clerk Christine Cid's political diatribe and her misuse of the facts and attacks on me for her own personal agenda, I call on her to do the following things to help her through the budget process:

Temporarily using county's gas wasn't wise

I am in pain. I am mortified. I am puzzled. But more importantly, I feel so badly for my wife and my beloved son. My family is suffering terribly. The very highly regarded, extended Van Til family has to wonder about this too.

I'm sorry for my lapse in judgment

I am very sorry. I apologize to the people of Lake County for misusing their pickup truck a few times recently, by unthinkingly allowing my teenage son to drive it to school when my family had transportation problems.

Commissioners and I set aside our differences

I need to respond to Times writer Mark Kiesling's latest sarcastic screed that he masquerades as a fact-based opinion column, entitled, "Lake May Not Be Ready For Reform."

I'm being frugal, not spendthrift

Friday, I read a notice from the U.S. Department of Justice that Dallas, Texas, was forced to agree to spend $4.7 million and pay a penalty of $800,000 to "adequately fund and adequately staff" the city's clean stormwater activities.