Radio show co-host new recycling general foremanSteve Fowler replaces Tina Woerpel at facility
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By Susan Brown -
susan.brown@nwi.com, (219) 662-5325 | Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 12:00 am | (41) Comments
HAMMOND | Political activist Steve Fowler, an ally of Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., has replaced embattled Tina Woerpel as general foreman of the Hammond Recycling Department, part of the Hammond Sanitary District where Fowler served on the board of commissioners until earlier this month.
Fowler also co-hosts a WJOB radio show with Woerpel's husband, fellow political activist David Woerpel.
The Woerpels and their sons, James and Derrick Woerpel, on Monday pleaded not guilty to possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance. Officials with the sanitary district said Monday the charges against Tina Woerpel were not directly related to Woerpel's leaving her post at the Recycling Department shortly after the family's arrest in September.
Fowler declined to confirm or comment on his new job, which pays about $36,300 annually.
McDermott confirmed he made Fowler's resignation as Sanitary District commissioner a condition of accepting the recycling job.
Beyond that, the mayor declined to comment, saying, "I'm not going to talk to you about that. I don't need to."McDermott appoints Hammond's representatives on the HSD, which serves Hammond and Munster. The board of commissioners must be split three to two between the two political parties. Since first appointed as a Republican, Fowler declared himself a Democrat in last year's primary, creating a Democratic majority on the board.
Fowler, who left a full-time position at WJOB around 2006,
most recently worked as a laborer at the Hammond Street Department. It is awfuly nice to know that the Mayor doesn't have to talk to the taxpayers as he does not need to!