"I'd like to set the record straight about the strength of our Highland police force. Mark Herak concocted a fairy tale that Joe Wszolek and Dan Dernulc voted to cut the staff of the Highland Police Department.

This is far from the truth. In fact, they voted to add additional money to the budget during the year to ensure our police department could hire additional officers.

I find it morally offensive for him to use scare tactics and prey upon our citizens' fears regarding their safety for the sole purpose of trying to maintain power.

Join me on Nov. 6 by making Mark Herak a private citizen again."

- John Koval, Highland Police Commission member

Pat Popa, Joe Wszolek and Dan Dernulc want to assure our residents that we fully support our current police chief and staff in their efforts to keep Highland safe.

And further I pledge to retain Chief Hojnicki as our police chief.

DON'T FIRE THE TOWN MANAGER TO HIRE AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Do you want a political puppet?
Eliminating the Town Manager position—like my challenger has promised—will take us 10 steps backwards. Saying that he will hire an administrative assistant instead (to save taxpayers what amounts to pennies per year) is just pandering. This will result in the hiring of a political puppet that is less experienced and less qualified than a professional town manager hired by ordinance. This would be a waste of your tax dollars. (Town Manager Report Card 163K PDF)

I believe professional management is important to the future direction of our town. Highland competes for residents and businesses with neighboring towns that have Town Managers. Without a professional town manager we would be at a disadvantage. Munster, Schererville, Dyer, St. John, Merrillville and Cedar Lake have Town Managers. Griffith, Lowell, Winfield and Schneider do not.

THE FLOOD

Did we fail to plan properly YEARS before the flood?
My challenger has spent 19 years on our Town Council and has served as liaison to the Sanitary Board. He was the one who reported to the Town Council each meeting on the Sanitary Board's actions. He was the one who should have raised concerns. But he didn’t. Instead he blames others and takes no responsibility for the town's flooding problems.

Not only was Mr. Herak the liaison to the sanitary board for the last several years, he also served on the Town Council back in 1990 when Highland experienced the devastating Wicker Park Manor flood. We have paid dearly for his ineffectiveness.

After the recent flood, the Town Manager coordinated efforts to obtain over $9 million of federal, state and local aid—more than any neighboring community. The town stopped all spending on major projects in order to pay for necessary improvements and hired an independent engineer to find out how to improve our sanitary and storm water system.

Our future budget should include ongoing improvements to our infrastructure to protect residents and their property. It is the Town Council's job to meet our needs today while addressing our needs for the future.

Setting the record straight
September 13th, Town Council Vice President Dan Dernulc contacted Governor Daniels and solicited his aid in helping our residents recover from the devastating flooding. In response Homeland Security was sent to Highland to survey the damage. On September 15, 2007, Governor Daniels toured Highland and discussed the strategies that would enable Highland (and Lake County) to qualify for state and federal disaster aid. The result of Governor Daniels visit included over $9 million in disaster assistance from FEMA and the Small Business Administration for Highland alone. Without the prompt action by then Town Council Vice President Dan Dernulc, disaster assistance would have been delayed.

Many false statements have been made about Highland Town Manager Rich Underkofler being told to “go on vacation” during the flood. Underkofler was PRESENT in Highland on September 13, 2007 and was the public information officer during the rain event. Underkofler coordinated all local, state and federal aid programs with various department managers and staff.

Underkofler spoke with then Town Council President Joseph Wszolek about a vacation trip scheduled for September 25-28. Upon reviewing the progress made up to the weekend prior to September 25, the decision was made by Wszolek to grant the request on the basis that he be available by cell phone and be willing to return to Highland on short notice if necessary. Other staff and department managers were allowed to take some relief time in September. However, none of them have been singled out for use as political fodder during this campaign.

TAXES/BUDGET

Higher overall assessed value = Lower property taxes
The way to manage our property taxes is to redevelop our community to have a greater overall assessed value, thus keeping our tax rate low. In addition, we must embrace new ideas to create efficiencies for how our government operates in the short-term, as well as the mid- and long-term.

STRATEGIC PLANNING / REDEVELOPMENT

Planning is the key to our future. Without a road map how do we know the best way to get where we want to go? If we are going to be better than yesterday, we must support tools to help us redevelop our community. I support qualified professional management to assist us in reaching the goals outlined in our strategic plan. According to Highland's master plan our town is 97% developed; therefore, redevelopment is a key strategy for improving our community.
(Download the Highland Strategic Plan 250K PDF)

Redevelopment or No Redevelopment?
Do you want your property values to go down and your taxes to go up because we fail to redevelop? If we do not encourage redevelopment, we do not add to our tax base to help keep our property taxes low. My challenger wants to cut the redevelopment budget and has stated this at public meetings. That would be irresponsible and will cost you money long term.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Quality sewers and safe and maintained roads are critical.
Investing in Highland’s infrastructure to ensure sufficient sewer capacity, safe and maintained roads, and ample street lighting is common sense. It is far better to be proactive and avoid future problems than be reactive when problems arise. This not only offers peace of mind, but helps keep Highland strong.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Our park system is a source of pride and recreation. Continual development and reinvestment in our parks enhances our quality of life. The programs, recreational opportunities, and special events keep Highland a desirable community in which to live, work and raise a family.

YOU DON'T NEED RHETORIC. YOU NEED SOLUTIONS

The independent slate says they are “Highland’s voices for a bright new future”, but as independents, they do not have party support at the state level. We do. Highland cannot risk losing financial support from the state because of a lack of representation. Most democrats’ only apparent plan is to fire the town manager. Then what?

Our opponents want to live in the past. We know Highland’s best days are ahead of us.




Please vote for
Pat Popa, Joe Wszolek and Dan Dernulc
on November 6th

Thank you