Krusas has three Dem challengers in 1st District

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Updated: January 23, 2012 2:14AM

GARY — Incumbent 1st District City Council representative Marilyn Krusas has three challengers who hope to best her in the May 3 Democratic primary.

The challengers — Robert Leonard, Ron Matlock and Lita Filippo — are vying for a spot on the November ballot to face off against Republican Michael Shawn Sanders, who is unopposed in the primary.

Krusas represents one of the most diverse areas in the region. The district stretches from the historic Emerson neighborhood in the west, eastward across the multimillion dollar homes along the lakefront and south to the Glen Ryan and Aetna neighborhoods.

The racial and socioeconomic diversity of the district doesn’t change the issues for its constituents, said Leonard.

“To me, I don’t see it as Miller as Miller exclusively or Aetna exclusively, because it’s all the 1st District,” said the union electrician and real estate investor. “It’s all one district and our most critical issue is the lack of service we get from the administration.”

Complaints of poor service were echoed by most of the candidates for the council seat. The challengers were united in claiming the district needs better service and in their demands to improve the city’s cleanliness and attractiveness.

Getting the city to do something with the 8,000 abandoned parcels it owns will be key to turning around morale throughout the city, said Matlock, who also is a Calumet Township Board member.

“We should give homeowners a neighboring, vacant house for $1 if they promise to rehab it,” he said, also calling for infrastructure improvements, improved public safety and tax abatements for developers looking to build in the city. “We have depopulation because people are losing hope, so we need to cause them to see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

The challengers weren’t in her shoes making tough decisions for the city, including laying off 34 firefighters, said Krusas, who works for a property management company and has been on the council for 12 years.

The city has lost 20,000 residents in 10 years, and property tax caps and pitiful collection rates have plunged Gary into a financial crisis, she said.

“I think we have to turn the city government inside out and really go through every entity on the budget,” said Krusas, who said stabilizing the city’s finances must be a top priority, along with improved public safety.

“I, at least, know how the budget works, since my personal background is management and budgets, so I do have more experience than any of my challengers,” she said. 

But, the firefighter layoffs went beyond saving money, said Filippo, who owns an insurance company and was, until recently, a contractor for the city.

“That layoff will affect public safety and raise homeowners’ insurance rates,” she said. “But, we have economic development resources, especially Lake Michigan, and we should be utilizing them.”

Filippo said she wants to see a job-creating marina on the lake, which will generate restaurants and shops to lure those using its boat slips.

She also said the city can save money by scaling down its “expensive” insurance plans.