The Chesterton Town Council will hold a closed meeting this month at the request of Councilwoman Jennifer Fisher about the alleged “misconduct” of someone who is likely an Advisory Plan Commission member.
During Friday’s council meeting, Fisher, R-5th, requested a June 13 executive session related to a discussion about a proposal to develop the Brassie Golf Club property into a housing subdivision and the plan commission process.
She said the reason for the executive session is “to receive information concerning the individual’s misconduct,” per state statute Fisher did not name the person.
Plan commission member James Kowalski, who attended the meeting, said he does not doubt that he is the subject of the executive session. During the meeting, he told the Post-Tribune he was “being thrown under the bus.”
Fisher said “no comment” when asked if Kowalski is the individual who is the subject of the executive session.
Fisher was upset with Kowalski for remarks he made during a May 15 plan commission meeting. She told the Post-Tribune after that meeting: “It is really inappropriate for an advisory plan commission (member) to be yelling and cussing when talking to people.”
During the presentation by PMM Chesterton, which wants to redevelop the golf course, Kowalski used a vulgarity to describe how the houses would be too close to each other.
Kowalski, along with Plan Commission members Thomas Kopko and Sharon Darnell, who is also a councilwoman, stated the proposal from PMM Chesterton for 600 housing units on 200 acres was too high in density. Other concerns also were expressed about the proposal during the sometimes rocky review session.
After Friday’s meeting, Kowalski noted that Fisher made direct eye contact with him when she requested the executive session.
“She was trying to bait me,” Kowalski said. He believes Fisher was trying to provoke him into an intemperate response to make the case that he should resign.
Kowalski said he has served for nearly 40 years on Chesterton’s Advisory Plan Commission and with the Board of Zoning Appeals. He apologizes for using the word “BS” but his concerns are foremost about the development and its impact on the town.
“I have never made a decision in my life that I can’t go to bed with. And I have always put the community before myself,” Kowalski said.
Kowalski said several people concerned about the Brassie development were there to support him.
During the May 15 meeting, Kelvin Christian, who lives on Brassie Avenue, said he appreciated the questions plan commission members asked about the project. He drew applause from the audience when he said he couldn’t believe the town would even consider the development.
Councilwoman Darnell, D-4th, while not naming Kowalski, seemed to come to his defense.
“I have a problem with people being ostracized or condemned or spoken of in less than a professional light in a parking lot outside of a library,” Darnell said.
Fisher made her comments to the Post-Tribune in a library parking lot after the May 15 plan commission meeting,
“The whole thing centers around freedom of speech. People are allowed to say what they want. If they don’t agree with the planning commission that’s only one of seven (votes on the panel). That’s the feedback I’m getting,” Darnell said.
The proposal for the Brassie Golf Club development has traveled a different path, which has caused some tension. The town last year hired Rebecca Parker as its first economic development director, and she had extensive discussions with PMM Chesterton officials before a proposal was made to the plan commission.
Fisher, who has overseen the economic development initiative, said there needs to be a better alignment between the Town Council and plan commission on goals for the community. She has also stated the town needs to foster better relationships with developers.
But Darnell pointed out that it never has been spelled out in writing what the change in the process is.
“I still don’t have this new process in writing if we did in fact change,” Darnell said. “The planning commission seems to be the bearer of everything going on incorrectly but what is incorrect about the process we’ve been following for so many years?”
Darnell said that she wants the new policy in writing. She acknowledged that the May 15 plan commission was “not a successful meeting.”
However, Darnell said she believes the plan commission has worked well in the past. She cited the 1100 Woods subdivision which took 2 1/2 years to go through the plan commission process, but the result was a good development.
Councilman James Ton, R-1st, said he remembers times when the council and plan commission have had different opinions about projects. He said would not want to have the process become like a “rubber stamp”.
Fisher agrees the proposed density in housing is too high for the property and that there should be more single-family homes.
However, Fisher noted that the idea of 300 single-family houses on golf club property — floated by commission member Kopko — would drive the individual cost of housing up to $700,000 per unit.
Fisher said a problem in the Chesterton community is the cost of housing is becoming too high. Property values have risen an average of 60% during the past four years, she said, which is causing working-class people and teachers to be priced out of the housing market.
Last August, the Town Council met with Duneland school officials over concerns about young families and teachers being unable to afford housing within Chesterton. The Duneland School Board issued an endorsement of the Brassie Plan for redeveloping the golf course into a housing subdivision.
Fisher said a majority of the Town Council agreed there needed to be entry-level housing, and that’s what, in part, guided the proposal from PMM Chesterton.
Meanwhile, PMM Chesterton is starting the annexation process for 71 acres of the Brassie Golf Club property to be brought into town limits from Liberty Township.
The council approved a pre-annexation agreement, which started the process. PMM Chesterton would need to have the property brought into Chesterton for town services.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
