I begin with a few words about foresight or the lack of it. The first diagnosis of asbestosis came in 1924 in the UK. Despite increased knowledge of the dangers of asbestos over the next few decades, Lake County built its sprawling Crown Point Government Complex in the early 1970’s with asbestos seemingly in every ceiling. Though the risks of asbestos were known in the early 1970’s Lake County Government failed to take heed.
Another lapse in foresight arose from the 1970 amendment to Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution eliminating references to Justices of the Peace. It was inevitable from that day that the General Assembly would proceed with the plan to phase out the JP’s and replace them with “county courts.” The JP system was (in my view) a medieval embarrassment, and I applaud its passing. But two good things about the JP system were that (1) it handled a lot of cases; and (2) did so without requiring space in the conventional courthouses. By the time of the building of the Lake County Government Complex, any rational officeholder knew or should have known that “county courts” were coming to Lake County and that they would require space. Still, the Government Complex was constructed with no designated expansion space for the additional courts that were already inevitable.
The legislation establishing county courts came in 1975, and soon came the scramble to find Government Complex space for two (of three) divisions of the county assigned to that location. Initially, Divisions 2 and 3 of the County Court were housed in temporary or shared-use locations in the Building “B” Courts Building. Then space was found on the ground floor of the Building “A” Administration Building where (I’m told) voting machines (the old gray behemoths) had been stored. In that converted space the County made room for three county courts (including the new criminal docket of Division 1 that held small claims court in Gary). Basking in the glorious ambiance of its achievement, Lake County Government took the predictable step of congratulating itself with a commemorative plaque. And there hangs a tale.
If you enter Building “A” from the South entrance, you will likely be steered through the Security Station to a north-south corridor adjacent to those County Courts (now the County Court Division of the Lake Superior Court). You may notice a shallow alcove between the courtrooms of Judges Schiralli and Moss. The alcove is the location of a stately bronze plaque bearing the names of the County Commissioners, County Council, Judges of the County Court, the County Clerk, and the County Prosecutor. Care to guess now how many were indicted? Though undated, the plaque contains office-holder names associated with the period of 1981-1984. The first line identifies the County Commissioners: N. Atterson Span, Jr.; Frank A. J. Stodola; and Rudy Bartolomei. All three Commissioners were indicted and convicted in U.S. District Court.
By comparison, the seven listed councilmen were angels. Among their number only Steve Corey (to my knowledge) faced indictment. Then come the Judges of the County Court. Judge Orval Anderson was indicted and convicted. Judge Steven Bielak was indicted and convicted. In stark contrast, Judge Nicholas Schiralli was untouched by the scandal that claimed his fellow judges. And then there was County Clerk Edward Lukawski, also indicted and convicted.
While the plaque bears the names of six unindicted councilmen and others who served honorably, I cannot imagine any one of the innocent taking comfort in his name cast in bronze so near such bad company. If Lake County Government has the capacity to feel shame, then today’s Commissioners should take down that plaque and replace it with an apology for the legacy of corruption that it symbolizes.
What fate would you declare for this monument to corruption?
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