You can't represent all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time.  I will represent ALL of the District 20 Residents ALL of the time, openly, fairly, and with their welfare and security the main priority. 

Recently, State Representative, Jim Pressel, at the request of Mayor Dermody, urged the LaPorte City Council to approve a zoning change in the first ward, to allow a building to be used for multi-family housing for the homeless.  The building is surrounded by single family residences.

Though the program was not presented as such, it would appear that this is Section 8 housing and was rammed through over the objection of neighborhood residents.   

Housing Opportunities is the new owner and manager of the building.  The homeless to be served will include occupants with severe mental illness and recovering drug users. Additionally, these residents are not required to be monitored, receive treatment, or take their medication.  This is disturbing since there was a murder in one of their housing units in Michigan City.  

This affects the safety, security, and peace of mind of our children, our seniors, and our families, and it is, at best, very poor judgement on the part of the Mayor, the City Council, and Representative Jim Pressel. 

This is a concern for the entire District.  It very well could be coming to your residential neighborhood next, and you can count on Representative Jim Pressel to support it. Can you count on him on other issues affecting you?

By the time residents, who are busy living their lives, become aware, the decision by officials has already been made in closed meetings.  Often, meeting agendas for meetings open to the public are not published prior to the day of the meeting or at all.     

As State Representative, I will work for the following: 

1.  Require residents to be notified by letter of a possible zoning change in their neighborhood by any government entity as soon as it is decided by that entity that rezoning is to be pursued.  

2.  City and County meeting agendas must be posted 5 days prior to any meeting open to the public. 

3.  Require that organizations like Housing Opportunities are regulated and must adhere to certain safety regulations such as 24 hour on site management.  They also must notify current residents of their intent to create this type of housing in the neighborhood.  

4.  Homelessness is a concern, but it needs to be managed safely.  The state could establish loan guarantees to help non-profits like Housing Opportunities secure multi-family properties for the homeless, subject to zoning restrictions. These include out of business hotel properties not in residential neighborhoods, for example.  Tunnel 2 Towers is doing just that for homeless veterans including those with PTSD.  

We cannot have a State Representative that ignores the safety and concerns of their constituency.  These are our children, grandchildren, wives, mothers, elderly, friends, and neighbors.  

We can't count on Jim Pressel to keep us safe.   We can't count on Jim Pressel to fight for us.  We have to fight for us.  We can send a message, loud and strong to our officials that this sleight of hand will no longer be tolerated.  We need to vote these people out and elect people who care about all of us. 

Please join me in this fight.  Donate, volunteer or request a yard sign.  Ask your friends to view this website.

(For my stance on other issues, click on the issues tab and scroll down to "Other Issues Summary")

Please also review the ISSUES TAB for the 10 Myths regarding this issue.  Under the VIDEO SHORTS TAB, see and hear comments by me, Representative Pressel, Housing Opportunities, and Residents.  Check out news items as well, including the murder in a Housing Opportunities unit.