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Michigan City responds to commentary on MSNBC

Stan Maddux Times Correspondent

MICHIGAN CITY — Political commentator Chris Matthews will be invited back to Michigan City for a second look after giving his TV network viewers visions of a declining place with little left except empty storefronts.

“I’ve calmed down a bit since then,” said Michigan City Councilwoman Candice Silvas, who described herself as angry after hearing what she said was a bad rap from the popular host of MSNBC’s “Hardball.”

Matthews was talking about a speech Indiana Gov. Mike Pence gave Saturday after becoming the running mate of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the job gains in the state claimed by Pence.

A skeptical Matthews said, “And he was talking about his own state of Indiana. If you go to places like Michigan City down at the bottom of Michigan, Lake Michigan there, you see cities with nothing left, but maybe a Blockbuster that’s probably gone now. Maybe a diner is still there. They’ve been hollowed out.’’

His viewpoint could have been drawn by a visit Matthews made to Michigan City in 2001 as a guest speaker.

There is some truth to his description of the city from when he was here, but apparently he hasn’t returned to see the noticeable changes particularly with the once deserted downtown well on its way to coming back, officials said.

“I don’t put much stock on what he says because it’s all nonsense. We’re way, way better than what he’s saying. We’ve made so many accomplishments in the past five or 10 years,” said Councilman Tim Bietry, a former president of the Michigan City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Bietry said growth in tourism and the arts has also been a significant factor in the community becoming healthier, and manufacturing, although not what it was in its heyday, is holding its own with existing firms experiencing growth.

He also pointed to the beautification of U.S. 35 and plans for further redevelopment near Blue Chip Casino and the lakefront as other examples of the city’s awakening.

Bietry said there’s still a ways to go, but investors continue to show interest in the city, and other building blocks of the economy in key positions are still working.

“I’m excited about Michigan City, and I’m not excited about Chris Matthews,” he said.

Councilman Chris Schwanke agrees.

“It’s done a 180-degree back flip and we’re on the rise. We’re not a hollowed out shell,” Schwanke said.

Matthews has used Michigan City as an example of small town devastation on other occasions, including most recently in 2015.

“It’s just unfortunate because that’s not a true picture of what Michigan City is and it paints a bad picture, which we don’t deserve,” Schwanke said.

Silvas said a letter is being prepared to invite Matthews back so he can update his viewpoint of the community.

An apology is not being sought, but if he were to give one, “It would be nice. We’re very proud of the progress Michigan City has made,” Silvas said.