Thomas McDermott, Jr.
| Thomas McDermott | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 20th Mayor of Hammond | |
|
Assumed office January 1, 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Duane Dedelow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 4, 1969 South Bend, Indiana, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Marissa McDermott |
| Alma mater |
Purdue University, Calumet University of Notre Dame |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Website |
Government website Campaign website |
Thomas Matthew McDermott Jr. (born March 4, 1969) is the 20th mayor of Hammond, Indiana, the fifth largest city in Indiana as of the 2010 United States census. He took office on January 1, 2004, the first elected government office he has held. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After winning the general election in November 2015 for an unprecedented fourth term, McDermott became the longest serving mayor in Hammond's history.
McDermott's father, Thomas McDermott Sr., (R) was the 18th Mayor of Hammond and served from 1984-1992. The young McDermott was born and raised by his mother in Northern California's Napa Valley and spent summers with his father in Indiana.
After graduating from Napa High School in California, McDermott joined the United States Navy. After the six years in the navy, McDermott moved to Northwest Indiana where he attended Purdue University Calumet and later the University of Notre Dame Law School near South Bend, Indiana.
During McDermott's first term in office, the dilapidated River Park Apartment complex was razed under the guidance of the Hammond Redevelopment Commission. Mayor McDermott's father, Tom McDermott Sr., helped attract Cabela's outdoor recreation retail store to the former Woodmar Country Club site in south Hammond in 2005. Critics at the time referred to the generous tax abatement awarded Cabela's as "corporate welfare" while supporters, including the mayor, cited a "public-private partnership."
Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr. is responsible for leading the charge to eliminate the Hammond Health Department in 2004, in 2005, and finally succeeding in September 2007. According to McDermott, this department was an example of duplicate government better left to the county to operate, while mayoral detractors claimed it was a valuable and much-needed service to the city, especially its poorest citizens.
On March 28, 2008, McDermott tacitly endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for President and hosted a rally for the senator at the Hammond Civic center. McDermott later joined her campaign at a restaurant in Crown Point where Senator Clinton famously "downed a shot of Crown Royal whiskey." Senator Clinton's arrival in Hammond was the first visit of any presidential political candidate since Ronald Reagan visited Hammond (Hessville Park) in 1976, and Robert Kennedy in 1968. During the Democratic Presidential primaries in Indiana, McDermott was seen on CNN questioning Gary, Indiana mayor, Rudy Clay about votes that had not yet been posted many hours after the polls had closed. This "mayor fight" was satirized the following day on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also criticized the busing of high school students to voting booths saying "These kids come from the worst performing schools in the state of Indiana and we are giving them a day off to go vote for Obama. They can vote on election day like everybody else."
...
Wikipedia