When Indiana Gov. Mike Braun arrives for a big-ticket fundraiser in his honor at one of Hammond’s premier spots, Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. and whoever joins him will be jeering Braun on.
Monday afternoon, McDermott told a local paper that a friend alerted him to Braun’s fundraiser at The Banc, a recently completed $20 million mixed-use development. He didn’t feel any particular way about it, though he wondered why someone who had nothing to do with The Banc would choose it as a venue, he said.
McDermott received several more calls throughout the day, where a second friend let him know the price of admission, and where he didn’t care before, the eye-watering ticket price crawled under his skin, he said.
“Politicians have fundraisers all the time, but $10,000? I was just stewing,” McDermott said. “This is a development that I built; this guy had nothing to do with it. And I’ve reached out to him multiple times, and he’s never returned a phone call. I had relationships with Governor Holcomb and Daniels, but not this guy.”
He then got a hold of the event flyer, which says the event is being hosted by The Banc’s developers, NWI Development Group out of Michigan City and Asa Real Estate Development, and posted it to his social media page Saturday night. The event is being paid for, and donors can write their checks to, political action committee Indiana Victory Committee.
McDermott then flocked to social media where he wrote, “Governor Braun is making his first appearance in Hammond to visit The Banc, a housing development my (democratic) administration delivered for downtown Hammond! But unless you’ve got $10,000 to spare, don’t expect to get in. This isn’t a public visit — it’s a closed-door fundraiser for wealthy donors. Meanwhile, the families who actually live in Hammond and made this city strong are left outside.”
The post itself amassed around 20,000 views and that was believed to be the extent of the matter; However, Chief-of-Staff, Scott Miller, said the post caught some unexpected attention.
“Sunday morning, Scott calls me and says he’s getting blown up by Braun’s people telling him I need to take the post down because they think it’s ‘a security risk,’” McDermott said. “That’s the reason I posted the second post: This is a First Amendment issue, and I’m not taking it down.”
McDermott in his second post said that he was asked to take the post down so “the Governor and his donors can drink and dine in peace without the inconvenience of the public being present.” He refused.
“There was nothing untrue in my original post. Nothing threatening. Nothing to be ashamed of. It simply stated the truth: Governor Braun is holding a swanky, closed-door fundraiser in downtown Hammond,” McDermott wrote. “The post stays (it’s been seen by over 50,000 people already).
McDermott later relayed that troopers with the Indiana State Police showed up at the Hammond Police Department Monday morning to question administrators about how they were going to handle protestors and safety. ISP Spokesman Sgt. Glen Fifield confirmed troopers went to the department but clarified the visit had nothing to do with any potential protest.
No one affiliated with NWI Development group appears to have donated to the Indiana Victory Committee between 2023 and 2025, according to the Federal Election Commission website.
