No, Gerrymandering is not a new board game and Niemeyer, Slager and Fine are not a law firm. But does it get your attention? First the law firm that is not - Rick Niemeyer, Hal Slager and William Fine are the Republican candidates for the Indiana House who want to represent your interests when they go down to Indianapolis for legislative sessions.
Now that disctricts are drawn according to common sense, each man represents a clear constituency and area.
Rick Niemeyer for District 11
Rick with grandchildren and naturally a big smile
Rick is running in my district, having been serving as a Lake County Councilman and fought to hold the line on spending and extravagant projects while in office in the County for two years after serving for 23 years as a trustee and assessor while also running a family business. His son, Randy, is a Town Councilman and a darned good singer as well!
Among his endorsements are: Indiana State Pipe Trades Association; ALF-CIO Northwest Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council; Indiana State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police; Indiana Right to Life, Farm Bureau, NFIB (National Federation of Indepedent Business); Indiana Manufacturing Association and some others...and me!
He even gets the endorsement of the NWI Times!
As a Cedar Lake resident and involved in the community, I know that Rick is a lifelong resident here and knows our needs and concerns because he shares them and so do his family members. He is the obvious perfect candidate for our district!!!
William Fine for District 12
Munster Community News seems to agree that William Fine is the best candidate to displace Candelaria Reardon. Munster Democrat Reardon has sought to get credit for work done primarily by Republican Ed Solliday on the House Ways and Means Committee to get funding for the Little Calument River levee project. William Fine is a longtime area resident, attorney-at-law whose practice is centered around small businesses, real estate matters and the jots and tittles of leases and contracts - exactly the kind of knowledge to help the Greater Munster/Highland areas of District 12 attract and keep businesses and do things legally and neatly the first time around.
Your next Representative with your next Governor? That would work!
William Fine gets a Peer Review Rating of 5 out of 5 in Business Law. You cannot do better than five out of five...So for professionalism and experience and for good old-fashioned networking with fellow legislators and downstate officials, William Fine is the qualifed candidate for this position!
The NWI Times profile for William Fine.
Bill and family having a Fine time (yes, that is corny)
Hal Slager for District 15
The Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee says the following about Hal:
"Hal Slager is a 1981 graduate of Butler University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
As a CPA he worked for a local accounting firm, and then went into corporate accounting with Melvin Simon and Associates (retail real estate development and management). He joined Trico Graphics in late 1983, where he advanced the company into electronic publishing, and in 1996 established the company in design and internet production. Hal then established Triangle Equities LLC, for real estate development and management in 1997. This company manages a private
portfolio of residential and commercial property. Outside of his businesses, Hal is a Town Councilman in Schererville Indiana. He is married and has two sons. In November, Hal will run against Democrat Thomas O’Donnell in open seat District 15, which falls entirely within Lake County."
Hal Slager has an extremely informative website right here.
Hal’s experience in local government, as a business owner in marketing and real estate management, and training as a Certified Public Accountant is a powerful combination of skills to represent us in the Statehouse. He helped his community navigate a poor economy and continue improving services – the same expectation we should have of our state government.
While Hal is proud of his professional and community accomplishments,
he is a family man first. His wife, Carol, is a pharmacist and his
college sweetheart – both graduates from Butler University in
Indianapolis. Their sons, Ryan and Colin, are now students there as
well.
Hal Slager is a runner and a man of many accomplishments. A CPA, a business owner. a veteran of working together on the Town Council and assuming leadership roles? Again, the kind of skillset we want to see in a man that Lake County sends to Indianapolis to work for us and for the good of both his constituents but also for the good of all of Indiana. We really need Hal Slager working for us downstate. Please thoughtfully consider his record and give him your vote!
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More about Gerrymandering
Artificially constructing districts to accumulate votes rather than to represent the people or area was begun in the USA in the late 18th Century, but it was a radical 1812 configuration in the State of Massachusetts that was compared to a dragon or salamander and, when added to the name of former Governor Eldridge Gerry, the district-that-resembled-a-beast was dubbed "Gerry-Mander."
image from FairVote.org
Gerrymandering was a commonplace means by which the ruling party in any area would redistrict their part of the country to benefit them. Eventually laws were enacted that put limits and legal language in place, supposedly using the US Census to fairly divide up States by Congressional and State House and Senate districts. In 2001 the Democrats were still keen on keeping alive the spirit of the Gerrymander. But Senator Sue Landske (R - Cedar Lake) and the redistricting committee made sure that districts would be sensible and not bizarre. Mission accomplished in the Spring of 2011!
When the previous census was taken and Democrats ruled the State, they drew oddly-shaped districts that made no sense to the eye but were designed to get as many Democrats elected in a Republican State as possible. You can read the dictionary definition here.
Look at the difference between 2001 (above) and 2011 (below), when the map was redrawn more logically:
http://www.stats.indiana.edu/maptools/maps/boundary/legislative/2011/congressional.pdf
http://www.stats.indiana.edu/maptools/maps/boundary/legislative/2011/house.pdf
Now that disctricts are drawn according to common sense, each man represents a clear constituency and area.
Rick Niemeyer for District 11
Rick is running in my district, having been serving as a Lake County Councilman and fought to hold the line on spending and extravagant projects while in office in the County for two years after serving for 23 years as a trustee and assessor while also running a family business. His son, Randy, is a Town Councilman and a darned good singer as well!
Among his endorsements are: Indiana State Pipe Trades Association; ALF-CIO Northwest Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council; Indiana State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police; Indiana Right to Life, Farm Bureau, NFIB (National Federation of Indepedent Business); Indiana Manufacturing Association and some others...and me!
He even gets the endorsement of the NWI Times!
As a Cedar Lake resident and involved in the community, I know that Rick is a lifelong resident here and knows our needs and concerns because he shares them and so do his family members. He is the obvious perfect candidate for our district!!!
William Fine for District 12
Munster Community News seems to agree that William Fine is the best candidate to displace Candelaria Reardon. Munster Democrat Reardon has sought to get credit for work done primarily by Republican Ed Solliday on the House Ways and Means Committee to get funding for the Little Calument River levee project. William Fine is a longtime area resident, attorney-at-law whose practice is centered around small businesses, real estate matters and the jots and tittles of leases and contracts - exactly the kind of knowledge to help the Greater Munster/Highland areas of District 12 attract and keep businesses and do things legally and neatly the first time around.
William Fine gets a Peer Review Rating of 5 out of 5 in Business Law. You cannot do better than five out of five...So for professionalism and experience and for good old-fashioned networking with fellow legislators and downstate officials, William Fine is the qualifed candidate for this position!
The NWI Times profile for William Fine.
Hal Slager for District 15
The Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee says the following about Hal:
"Hal Slager is a 1981 graduate of Butler University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
As a CPA he worked for a local accounting firm, and then went into corporate accounting with Melvin Simon and Associates (retail real estate development and management). He joined Trico Graphics in late 1983, where he advanced the company into electronic publishing, and in 1996 established the company in design and internet production. Hal then established Triangle Equities LLC, for real estate development and management in 1997. This company manages a private
portfolio of residential and commercial property. Outside of his businesses, Hal is a Town Councilman in Schererville Indiana. He is married and has two sons. In November, Hal will run against Democrat Thomas O’Donnell in open seat District 15, which falls entirely within Lake County."
Hal Slager has an extremely informative website right here.
Hal Slager is a proven leader for Northwest Indiana.
Hal’s experience in local government, as a business owner in marketing and real estate management, and training as a Certified Public Accountant is a powerful combination of skills to represent us in the Statehouse. He helped his community navigate a poor economy and continue improving services – the same expectation we should have of our state government.
Hal Slager is a runner and a man of many accomplishments. A CPA, a business owner. a veteran of working together on the Town Council and assuming leadership roles? Again, the kind of skillset we want to see in a man that Lake County sends to Indianapolis to work for us and for the good of both his constituents but also for the good of all of Indiana. We really need Hal Slager working for us downstate. Please thoughtfully consider his record and give him your vote!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More about Gerrymandering
Artificially constructing districts to accumulate votes rather than to represent the people or area was begun in the USA in the late 18th Century, but it was a radical 1812 configuration in the State of Massachusetts that was compared to a dragon or salamander and, when added to the name of former Governor Eldridge Gerry, the district-that-resembled-a-beast was dubbed "Gerry-Mander."
Gerrymandering was a commonplace means by which the ruling party in any area would redistrict their part of the country to benefit them. Eventually laws were enacted that put limits and legal language in place, supposedly using the US Census to fairly divide up States by Congressional and State House and Senate districts. In 2001 the Democrats were still keen on keeping alive the spirit of the Gerrymander. But Senator Sue Landske (R - Cedar Lake) and the redistricting committee made sure that districts would be sensible and not bizarre. Mission accomplished in the Spring of 2011!
When the previous census was taken and Democrats ruled the State, they drew oddly-shaped districts that made no sense to the eye but were designed to get as many Democrats elected in a Republican State as possible. You can read the dictionary definition here.
Look at the difference between 2001 (above) and 2011 (below), when the map was redrawn more logically:
http://www.stats.indiana.edu/maptools/maps/boundary/legislative/2011/congressional.pdf
http://www.stats.indiana.edu/maptools/maps/boundary/legislative/2011/house.pdf
