12132013 - News Article - FBI investigation includes Porter County highway bids

FBI investigation includes Porter County highway bids

NWI Times
December 13, 2013

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/duneland/fbi-investigation-includes-porter-county-highway-bids/article_2c99e92e-ff5b-50b6-8a0a-b7b16a5a8369.html

VALPARAISO | The FBI's investigation into Porter County government continues to widen with agents taking possession of bidding records from the Highway Department.

County Highway Department Supervisor Al Hoagland said the federal investigators requested copies of competitive bids received by the Porter County Board of Commissioners for various materials purchases in 2010 and 2011.

Hoagland did not want to elaborate on the exact information sought, but minutes from the Nov. 16, 2010, commissioner meeting lists various road materials and diesel fuel as the items put out for bid.

Hoagland said he was not subpoenaed to testify in a grand jury proceeding.

Porter County Clerk Karen Martin said earlier this week she was presented with a subpoena seeking records from her office that makes reference to a grand jury hearing on a criminal case to be held Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Hammond.

Martin said it was her understanding she could be called in to testify.

An increasing number of reports are surfacing about FBI agents showing up at various county government offices over the last couple of months seeking records and interviewing officials and staff.

Martin said the agent who showed up at her office wanted copies of conflict of interest disclosure forms designed to reveal a public servant's financial interest in contracts or purchases involving their government offices. The agent also obtained a copy of the general index listing that officials filed these forms over the past years, she said.

The FBI also took possession last month of records related to the Porter County Board of Commissioners' decision Dec. 18, 2012, to switch the provider of wellness and clinic service for county employees from HealtheACCESS to Porter Regional Hospital's CareEXPRESS, said Mike Anton, who serves as the servicing agent for the county's health plan.

12122013 - News Article - FBI takes more records from Porter County Clerk and highway department

FBI takes more records from Porter County Clerk and highway department

Chesterton Tribune

December 12, 2013

http://chestertontribune.com/Porter%20County/fbi_takes_more_records_from_port.htm

The FBI continues to investigate records of Porter County Government and has reportedly seized more documents, this time from both the County Clerk’s office and the County Highway Department.

County Clerk Karen M. Martin told the Chesterton Tribune this morning that an FBI agent came to her office December 3 and asked for “books containing miscellaneous records” that held Indiana Form 236s, or conflict of interest disclosure statements for all types of local government units in Porter County, from 2007 to 2013.

Indiana Code requires public officials to file disclosure statements within 15 days prior to final action of a contract or purchase to the County Clerk’s office and the Indiana State Board of Accounts, Martin said. The forms ask officials to disclose descriptions of the contract or purchase and their financial interest as well if it is a single transaction or an annual disclosure statement.

Martin, who did not identify any public officials who had filed a disclosure form, said the FBI did not indicate what the interest of the investigation was but did tell her “the clerk’s office had done nothing wrong.”

The FBI also subpoenaed Martin to appear before a grand jury in U.S. Federal Court’s Northern District of Indiana, located in Hammond, on Wednesday, Dec. 18 pertaining to the investigation and to bring with her certified copies of the disclosure statements.

Martin said she did not know what she would be questioned on since this is her first time before a grand jury. “This is all new to me,” she said.

Porter County Highway Superintendent Al Hoagland also told the Chesterton Tribune this morning that the FBI had come to his department on Nov. 14 and took copies of “various bid proposals on projects from 2010 and 2011.”

Hoagland, for his part, said that all of the information seized was public information and also on record at the county auditor’s office.

The FBI did not tell Hoagland why they were searching his records.

The Chesterton Tribune reported on Nov. 26 that the FBI subpoenaed records from Anton Insurance relating to the Porter County Commissioner’s contract with Porter Regional Hospital for clinical services provided to the county employee health plan, which was signed in December 2012.

Both Mike Anton of Anton Insurance and County Commissioner President John Evans, R-North, told the Tribune that the contract process and proposals collected were done in a transparent and open manner and they were unsure why the FBI was investigating.

12112013 - News Article - FBI takes more records from Porter County government

FBI takes more records from Porter County government

NWI Times
December 11, 2013

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/duneland/fbi-takes-more-records-from-porter-county-government/article_f83a386a-bc4d-5439-ac33-f8818e902975.html

VALPARAISO | The FBI has made another surprise visit to Porter County government in search of records.

The target this time were conflict of interest disclosure forms designed to reveal a public servant's financial interest in contracts or purchases involving their government offices.

Porter County Clerk Karen Martin, whose office maintains the disclosure forms for public servants of county, municipal and other units of local government, said the FBI agent served her with a subpoena for the records Dec. 3.

Martin said the agent made it clear her office had done nothing wrong, yet she did not know the target of the investigation. The agent, she said, had interest in specific disclosure forms and the general index listing everyone, who had filed.

The FBI had taken possession last month of records related to the Porter County Board of Commissioners' decision Dec. 18, 2012, to switch the provider of wellness and clinic service for county employees from HealtheACCESS to Porter Regional Hospital's CareEXPRESS, said Mike Anton, who serves as the servicing agent for the county's health plan.

The subpoena served to Martin calls on her to testify before a grand jury in a criminal case Dec. 18 at the federal courthouse in Hammond.

The conflict of interest disclosure form in question begins with a paragraph explaining it is a Class D felony for a public servant to knowingly have a financial interest in or derive a profit from a contract or purchase carried out by the government entity they serve.

The public servant filling out the form is then asked whether the disclosure of financial interest applies to a single transaction or a yearlong event. Details of the contract or purchase in question is called for, as is information about the public servant's financial interest.

An attorney with the Indiana State Board of Accounts, which is to receive a copy of the disclosures along with the county clerk within 15 days of the event in question, declined comment on the purpose and role of the forms.

It appears five county officials filed conflict of interest disclosure forms in 2013.

12022013 - News Article - Disability-rights group drags NIRPC back to court

Disability-rights group drags NIRPC back to court
NWI Times
Dec 2, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/disability-rights-group-drags-nirpc-back-tocourt/article_7353de3a-fa3b-5602-9434-70100e91db80.html
The disability-rights group Everybody Counts is going back to federal court to compel the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission to comply with the terms of a 2006 consent decree.

Months of back-and-forth negotiations between the two organizations has led to police calls and sometimes bitter public debates over the consent decree, which forced area transit agencies to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"Over the past six months, we have made repeated requests of NIRPC’s chairperson, Mayor David Uran, and other commissioners, for progressive cooperation,” said Everybody Counts board member and former Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez. “Instead, they called armed police officers to place us under surveillance and implemented new rules to suppress public comment."

At a Sept. 19 NIRPC meeting, Uran declared the use of Roberts Rules of Order at all future meetings he chairs, saying those rules allow public comments only on points on the agenda for the meeting. That ruling came after people with disabilities spoke about their issues during the public comment section of NIRPC meetings.

On Monday, Uran said he had always broadly interpreted those rules and never prevented anyone from speaking at a NIRPC meeting. He also noted he did not make the decision to call police.

Portage Mayor James Snyder at the time took responsibility for calling the police, saying as head of the municipality where the meetings are held he had that duty.

Contacted Monday, NIRPC Executive Director Tyson Warner said he had not yet seen Everybody Count's court filing and could not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, in Hammond, specifically accuses NIRPC of failing in its obligations to work with Everybody Counts to revise its public participation plan and in regards to an annual meeting the two organizations must hold under the consent decree.

The issue of the consent decree is almost sure to come up Tuesday at a meeting of NIRPC's Transportation Policy Committee, which is set to consider a new public participation plan that has at times drawn outrage from Everybody Counts.

Everybody Counts is represented by lawyer Steven Siros, of the law firm Jenner & Block.

“Unfortunately, NIRPC failed to engage in meaningful discussions to resolve the issues that we identified,” Siros said. “They didn’t even respond to our requests.”

Everybody Counts took care on Monday to praise three other transit agencies, two that were defendants in their original lawsuit first filed in federal court in 1998. The organization pointed out former defendants Gary Public Transportation Corp. and East Chicago Transit, as well as North Township Dial-A-Ride, have all endeavored to meet the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

“They have come to recognize the mutual benefits of collaboration with our agency, and have been actively engaged in meaningful dialog with their riders,” said Everybody Counts Executive Director Teresa Torres.

11262013 - News Article - FBI probing county wellness contract

FBI probing county wellness contract
Chesterton Tribune
Nov 26, 2013
http://chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/fbi_probing_county_wellness_cont.htm

The FBI has seized documents related to the Porter County Commissioners’ decision in December 2012 to contract with Porter Regional Hospital to be the county’s new wellness program provider, after terminating a previous contract with HealtheACCESS.

Mike Anton of the Anton Insurance Agency, which services Porter County’s employee health plan, told the Chesterton Tribune this morning that, two to three weeks ago, he was approached by the FBI and advised that “someone had come to them suggesting something questionable about that contract.”

“They referred to it as a wellness program but it’s really a contract for clinic services,” Anton said.

Anton subsequently spoke to investigators for approximately an hour and then, last week, provided the FBI with requested documents, he said.

“We don’t have anything to hide,” Anton said. “It’s not that big a deal. The whole process for RFPs for a clinic service to be provided to county employees as a benefit was completely transparent and above board and in the best interests of the county.”

That request for proposals (RFP) was issued following disappointing results from the wellness program which HealtheACCESS was providing, Anton said: roughly 10 percent of county employees were actually availing themselves of it, at a monthly up-front cost of $18,000 or roughly $200,000 paid in total for access. “After a couple of years of an experiment put in place by (former County Commissioner Bob) Harper, it was suspect as to value.”

That RFP ultimately resulted in five proposals, Anton said: from Franciscan Alliance, from HealtheACCESS, from IU Health, from Porter Regional Hospital, and then a joint proposal from Franciscan Health and HealtheACCESS.

But all of those five proposals but one--Porter Regional Hospital’s--had “up-front” as opposed to visit costs, Anton said. And it was unclear, in those four proposals, whether county employees would actually be seen by physicians or by nurse-practitioners or physician-assistants.

The program proposed by Porter Regional Hospital, in contrast, provides for a flat fee per visit to the Care Express, where county employees “will see docs,” Anton said.

In short, under Porter Regional Hospital’s program, the county “is only paying for what it’s getting” and the Commissioners “don’t have to be concerned with utilization issues,” Anton said. The other proposals, “to varying degrees, had an up-front access fees.”

County Commissioners President John Evans, R-North, similarly told the Tribune today that the process was conducted openly. He declined further comment, however, as the FBI continues its investigation.

Commissioner Nancy Adams, R-Center, for her part told the Tribune that she hadn’t heard of the FBI’s interest in the RFP and said that she didn’t know why the FBI would be investigating.

11252013 - News Article - Feds looking at Porter County wellness deal

Feds looking at Porter County wellness deal
NWI Times
Nov 25, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/duneland/feds-looking-at-porter-county-wellness-deal/article_2b43679c-1f29-56dc-8063-b00d205d8584.html

VALPARAISO | The FBI reportedly has taken possession of records related to the Porter County Board of Commissioners' decision last year to switch the provider of wellness and clinic service for county employees.

Agents showed up unannounced two or three weeks ago asking for information related to the request for proposals that led to the Dec. 18 decision to replace HealtheACCESS with Porter Regional Hospital's CareEXPRESS, said Mike Anton, who serves as the servicing agent for the county's health plan.

Anton said he provided the documents last week and knew of no reason for concern considering the process was transparent.

The change in providers was carried out by County Commissioners John Evans, R-North and Nancy Adams, R-Center, neither of whom returned a telephone call Monday for comment.

There also was no response from the FBI for comment.

Evans had said before making the motion for the change last year that HealtheACCESS had provided the services to the county for the two prior years, according to the minutes of the meeting. While the relationship was positive, he said the service had been underutilized.

In an effort to explore other models, the commissioners sought proposals from other providers, he said. Proposals were received from HealtheACCESS, IU Health, Franciscan Alliance and Porter Regional Hospital.

Evans said the group reviewed the proposals, conducted extensive interviews and settled on Porter's CareEXPRESS, which was the only firm not charging a flat fee regardless of use. CareEXPRESS offered capped rates as a built-in cost containment mechanism and required no contractual obligation.

A Porter representative declined to comment.

09242013 - News Article - Hobart Humane Society responds to social media attacks

Hobart Humane Society responds to social media attacks

NWI Times

Sep 24, 2013

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hobart/hobart-humane-society-responds-to-social-media-attacks/article_efc9b15d-dc92-587c-93ee-5f7c82cea511.html

HOBART | The Hobart Humane Society has been under attack — particularly in comments made recently on social media — Director Brenda Slavik said, adding that the attacks are unwarranted.

The thrust of many of the negative comments is that the shelter, located at 2054 E. Indiana 130, is against pit bulls, she said.

That's not the case, officials said.

"We don't single out any breed," Slavik said.

The shelter accepts and currently has up for adoption several pit bulls.

The shelter is careful and won't accept all pit bulls dropped off by owners who just decide they don't want the animals anymore, office manager Connie Hollar said.

But the shelter doesn't euthanize dogs based on their breed.

"We euthanize only if the animal is sick or aggressive," Slavik said.

A stray pit bull puppy brought to the shelter by a Portage resident was euthanized because it had gotten sick and its owner, when reached, never came to pick it up, Slavik said.

The shelter was founded and received its charter in 1954. It has provided animal control for Hobart since 1957 and also contracts for animal pickup with Portage and Lake Station, Slavik said.

Given their small staff of seven employees and limited funding, the shelter does its best to handle the hundreds of dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits and even guinea pigs it takes in.

The number of cats and kittens, in particular, have increased this summer with 145 kittens and 77 cats brought in during the month of June alone, the shelter reported.

"Animals are disposable to people," Slavik said.

In addition to the misconceptions perpetuated on social media, there have also been email threats sent to employees over the summer, shelter officials said.

"We worry about every animal. We don't need to worry about the crazies," Hollar said.

For information about the shelter, call (219) 942-0103.

09052013 - News Article - Sheriff: Animal Shelter may reach critical mass with Portage animals

Sheriff: Animal Shelter may reach critical mass with Portage animals
Chesterton Tribune
September 05, 2013
http://chestertontribune.com/Porter%20County/sheriff_animal_shelter_may_reach.htm

Sheriff David Lain expressed personal concerns this week about the effects of the offloading of stray cats and dogs by the City of Portage’s Animal Control at the Porter County Animal Shelter on his own department, as well as the Shelter itself.

Lain said that the County’s Animal Control officers have been told on several occasions recently by Shelter staff they would have to hold an animal until space opened up at the cramped facility on Ind. 2 south of Valparaiso. The officers have had to wait for an hour or more at times before being able to unload the animals from their trucks, Lain said.

Meanwhile, Portage officials received a letter on Aug. 6, 2013, from Humane Society of Hobart saying the "temporary agreement" to house animals from Portage Animal Control "cannot go on indefinitely" as it poses a safety issue for the animals and Humane Society employees

.

Carol Konopacki, director of Humane Society of Hobart, said in the letter that the arrangement "has been too many years, too long," and she will consider charging the city extra fees starting in January unless Portage officials find another location to drop off their animals. She suggested that Portage build its own facility, as was discussed years ago when the agreement was made.

08302013 - News Article - Portage may be looking for new animal shelter

Portage may be looking for new animal shelter

NWI Times
August 30, 2013

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/portage/portage-may-be-looking-for-new-animal-shelter/article_535035d0-3069-5fb4-90d0-0723b55743c6.html

PORTAGE - For more than a decade, Portage has contracted with the Humane Society of Hobart to take the city's stray animals.

That relationship could be coming to an end, and that has officials urging their Porter County counterparts to move forward with the construction of a new county animal shelter.

Carol Konopacki, former director and present board member of the Hobart agency, sent a letter to the city earlier this month. The letter revolved around "bite case" dogs that had been brought to the shelter.

She also noted the relationship was never meant to be permanent.

"Many of you were not officials in the City of Portage when we agreed to house your strays. You may not be aware of this, but this arrangement was to have been temporary until you found and made other arrangements. This cannot go on indefinitely," Konopacki wrote.

She said Friday that her animal shelter can no longer afford to house the city's strays.

"The ideal situation is for them to house their own animals," she said, adding the shelter also provides the service for Lake Station and Hobart, but are also hoping to separate from Lake Station.

City Council President Sue Lynch said she has spoken to a couple Porter County Commissioners.

"I've told them whatever the city needs to do, we'll do," said Lynch, adding that if the humane society does cut off services, the city will have no place to take strays. She's been told the county shelter is too full.

"Our relationship with them is deteriorating," said Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham. "They would like us to move on. It has given us the motivation to contact the county and become a part of the county."

Stidham said the city sends 50 to 60 animals to the shelter each month.

The city pays the Hobart Humane Society somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000 a year for shelter services. The city also employs one full-time and one part-time animal control worker.

Neither Lynch nor Stidham knew for sure why Portage contracted with Hobart 10 to 15 years ago. They believe it had to do with the proximity of the Hobart shelter.

County officials have been talking about building a new animal shelter for several years. They have mentioned locations at either Sunset Hills Farm County Park or on county-owned land at Ind. 149 and Ind. 130.

07212013 - News Article - RICH JAMES: Cops aren't needed at NIRPC meetings

RICH JAMES: Cops aren't needed at NIRPC meetings
NWI Times
Jul 21, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/rich-james/rich-james-cops-aren-t-needed-at-nirpcmeetings/article_b8a5ac7a-9e46-5e9b-b497-0a80553669a8.html
I’m not sure what makes Portage Mayor James Snyder tick, but it has become evident he needs a rewind.

It seems his minutes are only 59 seconds long.

The first-term mayor got a lesson from the big boys at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission meeting on Thursday.

Although it was just a one-vote margin, the commission told Snyder that Portage police officers aren’t needed at NIRPC meetings.

In case you’ve forgotten, six people with physical disabilities showed up at the May 23 NIRPC gathering to talk about problems with public participation at the commission meetings.

Snyder, apparently thinking there might be a coup, sent three police officers to the meeting hoping to quell any potential uprising.

When he was criticized for sending officers – whose presence intimidated the disabled – Snyder said safety was his priority as mayor.

He said there were some pretty important people at the meeting – including mayors, commissioners, councilmen, legislators and other elected officials – and he was going to make sure they weren’t in harm’s way.

Apparently if the NIRPC members were a bunch of average Joes, the police presence wouldn’t have been needed.

After last week’s meeting, Snyder showed his true colors, calling Teresa Torres “a rude, obnoxious individual” who shouldn’t be given a forum at NIRPC meetings. Torres is executive director of Everybody Counts. She is the voice for those physically disabled people who drew the police presence in May.

Torres is brash and demanding, but she represents those who otherwise wouldn’t be heard.

The 14-13 vote to return the Portage officers to real police work wasn’t a Republican or Democratic thing. There were Porter County Republicans who told Snyder, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Snyder seems to have a problem with police. He recently was criticized by City Council President Sue Lynch for his hiring freeze for police and firefighters. She said it was “crippling” the two departments.

And I remember Snyder during his election saying he would give Portage Police Chief Mark Becker, who is perhaps the best in Northwest Indiana, an interview if Snyder beat Mayor Olga Velazquez. As they say on “Maury” after the lie detector test, “That was a lie.”

So there is a hiring freeze at the Portage PD and Snyder has one of his officers sitting at a NIRPC meeting reading the morning paper. Go figure.

In response to the letter approved by NIRPC telling Snyder an officer isn’t needed at the meetings, the mayor had this to say.

He said he would respond to NIRPC as directed by his police chief.

As directed by the police chief?

Hey, mayor, you sent in the gendarmes in May to ensure people were safe. If that were still the case, I would think you’d say so.

What gives?

07182013 - News Article - Oops! NIRPC calls off vote on transportation plan

Oops! NIRPC calls off vote on transportation plan
NWI Times
Jul 18, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/transportation/oops-nirpc-calls-off-vote-on-transportationplan/article_495b0c0d-74fa-5972-b390-d8b6347904b0.html
The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission on Thursday deferred action on a $724.8 million transportation plan after the disability-rights group Everybody Counts pointed out no public hearing had taken place.

The 2014-17 Transportation Improvement Plan will now be considered at a NIRPC full commission meeting Aug. 29.

Transportation Projects Manager Gary Evers delivered the news that approval would have to be delayed due to the oversight.

"We apologize for the apparent disorder," Evers said. "There were a number of factors that played into this."

A 30-day comment period and a public hearing on such four-year transportation plans is required by federal regulations. Without those, the plan would be invalid.

Everybody Counts Executive Director Teresa Torres said her agency's pointing out the omission is an example of how it is trying to play a positive role at NIRPC. She said her agency could have held off on saying anything and simply complained to the Federal Transit Administration, endangering NIRPC's funding.

The overlooking of the public hearing requirement came as NIRPC and Everybody Counts continue to wrangle over how to increase public participation in NIRPC's planning process.

That process continued Thursday with a 14-13 vote in favor of sending a letter to the city of Portage stating that police are not needed at NIRPC meetings. The motion to take that action was made by Lake County Surveyor George Van Til.

One Portage police officer sat outside Thursday's meeting. That was a comparatively light presence as compared to a May 23 meeting when six people with disabilities showed up to voice their displeasure with NIRPC's public participation and a small squad of Portage police showed up.

At least three police officers were there at any one time and six officers in all rotated in and out during a more than three-hour span that day. Those officers were requested by Portage Mayor James Snyder.

Snyder voted against Van Til's proposal and protested one commission member describing it as a "courtesy letter."

"It's not a courtesy letter," Snyder said. "It might sound nice to say it like that. But that's not what it is."

Later in the day, Snyder said he would respond to the NIRPC letter as directed by his police chief.

"My job is to keep people safe," Snyder said. "That's my job No. 1 in this city."

07182013 - News Article - Mayor Snyder responds to Times story - PDF - Google Drive

Mayor Snyder responds to Times story - PDF - Google Drive
NWI Times
Jul 18, 2013
nwitimes.com/mayor-snyder-responds-to-times-story/pdf_1a250eb6-8d76-513f-ae76-ef14d0766db7.html

Portage Mayor James Snyder e-mailed Times reporter Keith Benman this critique of today's story on the face-off between the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission and the disability-rights group Everybody Counts. In the e-mail, he also criticizes the behavior of Everybody Counts Executive Director Teresa Torres. (Snyder's phone number has been blacked out to protect his privacy)

07182013--Portage-Mayor-Snyder's-Email-To-Times-Reporter-Benman--PDF

07032013 - Color of Law complaint against Portage Indiana Police Department - Filed with FBI -- Porter County Indiana -- Cause No. 64D01-0708-DR-7804

-----Original Message-----
From: Renee Harrington <sur5er1998@aol.com>
To: Indianapolis <Indianapolis@ic.fbi.gov>; AskDOJ <AskDOJ@usdoj.gov>
Sent: Wed, Jul 3, 2013 3:44 pm
Subject: Color of Law Complaint - Portage Indiana Police Department


FBI
US Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division

RE: Color of law complaint - Failure to protect domestic violence victim / whistle blower; unlawful police entry into home: Porter County Indiana Superior Court Judge William Bradford; Porter County Indiana Superior Court Magistrate James Johnson; Portage IN Mayor James Snyder; former Portage IN Mayor Olga Valezquez; former Portage IN Police Chief / former FBI Agent / Current East Chicago IN Police Chief Mark Becker; City of Portage Indiana; Porter County Indiana; Portage Indiana police department.


On October 07, 2010 Portage Indiana police officers and my ex-husband unlawfully entered my home. My ex-husband, who had a protective order against him and a previous conviction for threatening to kill. I was put out on the street with nothing and the police turned my home over to my ex. The police also gave my dogs Abbi and Bailey to my ex, who later had them euthanized.

At the time of the unlawful police entry I was the whistle blower of Porter County Superior divorce court Magistrate Johnson. The State was in the process of investigating Magistrate Johnson for his failure to issue final rulings in approximately 100 divorce cases.

The State was also reviewing my complaints surrounding Johnson's failure to protect me, a domestic violence victim. Johnson had failed to uphold an arrest warrant against my ex, and repeatedly failed to uphold the protective order.

Other complaints filed against Johnson centered around his retaliation against me after I exposed his failure to uphold Porter County Local Court Rule 2100 - Mandatory Financial Declaration Forms in divorce cases. Instead of the County investigating and correcting the error with other cases, Johnson was allowed to use my divorce case to retaliate against me.

The Magistrate's actions against me and the violation of my rights through the abuse of his position are documented in my court transcripts.

The State's investigation and my complaints against Magistrate Johnson disappeared after the unlawful entry into my home.

During the past two years, I have contacted numerous Indiana officials. I have been ignored. In July 2012, a Portage city councilman sent me an office memo that Mayor James Snyder had sent to all city officials. Snyder instructed everyone to not respond to my requests for help; answers to the unlawful police entry; and accountability for the deaths of my dogs Abbi and Bailey.

I have posted the documentation for my Color of Law Complaint on my website: http://www.abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/

Quick Links on website for documents for Color of Law complaint: http://abbiandbaileyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2013/07/quick-links-for-website.html

Renee' Harrington

05302013 - News Article - Former sheriff wants Portage mayor to apologize for police call

Former sheriff wants Portage mayor to apologize for police call
NWI Times
May 30, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/transportation/former-sheriff-wants-portage-mayor-to-apologize-for-policecall/article_c925daab-1323-58a3-94ea-88c49d365a02.html
Former Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez is calling on Portage Mayor James Snyder to apologize for calling police when half a dozen people with disabilities showed up May 23 at a Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission meeting.

"Using that kind of intimidation to discourage people from expressing their concerns in a public setting was downright un-American, and completely uncalled for," Dominguez states in his May 29 letter to Snyder.

Dominguez pointed out among the half a dozen people who came to participate in the NIRPC meeting, three were in wheelchairs and one is blind. Almost all were older, with one being 84. The former sheriff wrote on behalf of the disability rights group Everybody Counts, where he is a board member.

When contacted Thursday, Mayor Snyder said he had not seen Dominguez's letter. When a copy was e-mailed to him he responded that he had no intention of responding to the letter, stating the City of Portage never commented on how Dominguez ran the sheriff's department.

"We have a police presence at all City Council meetings (as do most municipalities) as a preventative safety measure," Snyder stated in his email. "NIRPC has dozens of leaders: mayors, commissioners, councilpeople and state legislators all in one facility, all at one time, and all in one place. The people of Portage have elected me to make decisions to keep them safe from harm and to take preventative measures when necessary as well."

The small group of people had shown up at the NIRPC meeting to hear about and comment on a public participation plan that was scheduled for a vote that day. Some carried signs protesting the proposed plan. Those people waited in the front foyer of NIRPC headquarters for three hours under the watchful eyes of three Portage police officers before being admitted to the NIRPC meeting around noon.

In all, six officers rotated in and out of NIRPC headquarters during the day, with at least three always stationed there.

The long wait was due mainly to confusion over the meeting start time. That came about in part because of an email sent by NIRPC to the disability rights group Everybody Counts stating the meeting would start at the regular time of 9 a.m. The meeting time was subsequently changed to 11 a.m. so a closed session could take place at 9 a.m. to consider lease proposals for NIRPC's headquarters. A notice was posted and sent out about the change.

However, many people, including Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., Indiana Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Bob Alderman and others showed up expecting the open meeting to start at 9 a.m.

Just after 9 a.m., with members of the public gathered in the meeting room, NIRPC Chairman and Crown Point Mayor David Uran apologized for the confusion and asked the public to leave so the closed session could be conducted. After receiving assurances they would be heard later, all members of the public exited the room.

A few minutes later the police officers showed up.

When the public was readmitted to the meeting room after noon, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland made the motion to postpone the vote on the public participation plan due to what he said were valid concerns brought forth by the advocacy group Everybody Counts. A number of the people who were there are members of the group.

When contacted Thursday, NIRPC Executive Director Ty Warner said he was not aware if that meeting had yet been scheduled yet. He affirmed the meeting will be held.

05232013 - News Article - NIRPC public participation vote postponed

NIRPC public participation vote postponed
NWI Times
May 23, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/nirpc-public-participation-vote-postponed/article_806aa8fe-f4a0-5eb5-a111-bd308c88e110.html
Action on a public participation plan was postponed Thursday at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission due to concerns raised by disability rights advocates and confusion over what was to be voted on.

East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland made the motion to postpone the vote due to what he said were valid concerns brought forth by the advocacy group Everybody Counts.

"All of your concerns are totally legitimate," Copeland said, as about half a dozen people in the audience held up signs with messages such as "Listen to Us!" and "Liar Liar Plans on Fire!"

The NIRPC board resolved to host a commission meeting specifically devoted to the public participation plan, which has been in the making since last year. Everybody Counts and other disability rights groups have complained their views on the plans have been misrepresented.

NIRPC's public participation plan is designed to meet federal requirements the public have a vigorous voice in NIRPC's actions, such as approving millions of dollars for road projects, regional planning and economic development.

The disability rights advocates had waited for almost three hours for the meeting to begin, after confusion about a closed executive session scheduled for 9 a.m., which is usually when the open full commission meeting takes place.

NIRPC officials produced meeting notices that cited the section of Indiana's Open Meetings law authorizing the closed session and giving its time as 9 a.m.

However, not only the disability-rights advocates, but others such as Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and Indiana Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Bob Alderman arrived under the impression the open meeting began at 9 a.m. Alderman waited patiently outside for the closed session to end but had to run to another appointment before the open meeting started.

People at the open meeting also expressed concern about the presence of three Portage police officers, who arrived after being requested by Portage Mayor James Snyder.

Leonard Sullivan, of Chesterton, said he had been coming to NIRPC meetings for more than 40 years and had never seen anything like it. Sullivan said he had nothing against the officers, but they didn't need to be there unless they anticipated a riot.

Snyder said it was standard procedure at some public meetings, including the Portage City Council meetings, especially when people came holding signs.

03112013 - News Article - Snyder: Separating campaign, mayor's duties 'no-win' situation

Snyder: Separating campaign, mayor's duties 'no-win' situation
NWI Times
Mar 11, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/portage/snyder-separating-campaign-mayor-s-duties-no-winsituation/article_4be36bdf-4f01-53c3-9cdf-719aca83705b.html
PORTAGE | Mayor James Snyder may have raised more than $117,000 in campaign funds last year, but he spent more than $105,000.

Of those expenses, the Portage mayor paid his own company, SRC Properties, $36,000.

The Citizens for Snyder committee made payments to SRC of $24,000 on May 21, 2012, and $12,000 on Dec. 19, 2012.

Snyder said Monday his election committee and his mortgage company have had a lease agreement for the last two years. The $24,000 payment was for the 2011 lease and the $12,000 payment was for 2012.

"We believe it is important for our campaign efforts to be completely separate from day-to-day operations of the mayor's office and the city of Portage," said Snyder, adding the agreement does not only include the use of office space at his building at 5955 Central Ave., but also includes outdoor signs, staff, telephones, equipment and other necessities.

Snyder said in the past he believes previous administrations, who did not maintained year-round campaign offices, conducted campaign business from the mayor's office. He said he and his committee decided they would not do the same.

"It is a no-win situation," he said, saying his campaign committee holds quarterly fundraisers, a golf outing and other functions that require planning and meetings.

"State law requires these expenditures to be reported on a finance report and we are complying the the state campaign finance law," said Snyder, who filed his annual report last week. The deadline, however, to file the report was Jan. 16.

Snyder said he anticipates raising twice the amount of money this year as he looks toward running for re-election in 2015.

"I enjoy being the mayor of Portage and believe that is is important to be ready for the next campaign as our vision will take more than one term to accomplish," he said.

His largest expenditure totaled about $36,000 for his annual golf outing. Snyder said he also made several contributions to other political campaigns during the year.

03072013 - Portage Mayor James Snyder's campaign finance report - PDF - Google Drive

03072013--Portage-Mayor-James-Snyder's-Campaign-Finance-Report--Citizens-For-Snyder

03072013 - News Article - Mayor Snyder month and half late with campaign finance report

Mayor Snyder month and half late with campaign finance report
NWI Times
Mar 7, 2013
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/duneland/mayor-snyder-month-and-half-late-with-campaign-financereport/article_7008f28e-262c-51a5-b422-11c8c5de3f94.html
VALPARAISO | Portage Mayor James Snyder, a Republican, turned in his year-end campaign finance report Thursday, more than a month and a half beyond the deadline and on the same day the Democrat Party chair called for action on the delinquency.

Snyder reported income of $117,530 and had a balance left of $50,615 for 2012, which was a non-election year and his first year in office.

When asked about the late filing Thursday afternoon, Snyder said, "It's been an extremely busy year. It's still not an excuse to be late."

He pointed out he also filed a document changing campaign treasurers and wanted to make sure the report was accurate.

The report had not been turned in by the time of an early Thursday afternoon meeting of the Porter County Election Board, whose members discussed the late document.

Members were presented with a letter from Porter County Democratic Chairman Jeffrey Chidester, who said it was his understanding Snyder's report had not been filed by the deadline of noon Jan. 16.

He asked the election board "to take the appropriate action necessary."

"If any present or future candidates of either political party know that no reprizeals (sic) or repercussions will happen to them for late filing then the public, the political parties, or their opponents will be in the dark concerning who is financing campaigns," Chidester wrote.

"For the record this is not a political witch hunt, this is just what it is at face value ... Transparency!" he wrote.

Sundae Schoon, the Republican director at the county voter registration office, said other than a few reports coming in a few weeks late, the only other finance report that did not arrive until this week was from Ralph Levi, who made a failed bid as a Republican candidate for sheriff in 2010.

The election board did not act on Chidester's request after being told by Schoon that she expected to receive a report from Snyder by the end of the day Thursday.

Snyder said of the large amount of money raised in 2012 that he intends to double the amount this year in preparation for his bid for re-election in 2015.

In other business Thursday, it was announced to the election board that early voting begins April 8 on the referendums for proposed property tax increases for the Metropolitan School District of Boone Township and the Union Township School Corp.

The same day is the deadline to register to vote for the special May 7 election, which is being financed by the school corporations, said Kathy Kozuszek, the Democratic director at the county voter registration office.

Early voting will be offered at the county administration center in Valparaiso from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays April 27 and May 4.

03052013 - Portage Mayor James Snyder's 2012 Campaign Financial Statement

Portage Mayor James Snyder's 2012 Campaign Financial Statement
January 01, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Submitted: March 05, 2013