Original page, with comments here.

Seaton could hand GOP a county office

The Lake County Democratic Party may not know it, but it's got a problem.

And it's going to take a lot more than Dr. Phil to fix it.

Could the party be on the verge of losing its first countywide election since the Republicans snatched away the prosecutor's office for one term in the late 1940s? Could be.

The problem is Carol Ann Seaton, who was a surprise winner in the Democratic primary for county assessor.

But shortly after winning, she began to implode.

The question seemed to be whether she was a resident of Gary or lives just over the state line in Union Pier, Mich.

Creating the confusion is the fact that she holds driver's licenses from both states. And she has titled more than one car -- including the one she now drives -- in Michigan.

It was fairly quickly resolved that she does, in fact, live in Gary.

That's got to be the case since the address she gave the Michigan Bureau of Motor Vehicles apparently is a vacant lot.

And to make matters worse, she doesn't even own the lot. And the woman who does own it never has heard of Seaton. What a tangled web she weaves.

This all begs the question as to why she would need a Michigan license if she lives in Indiana.

And why would she fib about where she said she lived in Michigan. Granted, Michigan is a nice state, but this is going too far.

Seaton renewed her Michigan license in February.

Indiana BMV officials have said Seaton may have committed perjury by completing license renewal applications that ask if the applicant has a license issued by another state.

But Seaton's attorney, Trent McCain, rose to her defense in true lawyer style.

McCain said Seaton couldn't have committed perjury in her most recent Indiana license application because she didn't enter a response to some questions on the application, including one that asked whether she had a license in another state.

In other words, how could she have done anything wrong if she avoided the question? Now, that's justice.

I doubt that Seaton will be charged with any wrongdoing. If she were charged with a felony -- which is what they call perjury -- and convicted, she couldn't hold public office in Indiana.

It doesn't matter whether she gets charged. The damage is done. And therein lies the problem for the Lake County Democratic Party.

If Seaton's name remains on the ballot, there might as well be an asterisk next to her name.

People didn't react kindly to Seaton's two-state odyssey and the lack of an explanation as to what it is all about.

Seaton aside, people aren't terribly happy with government right now. And any candidate who taunts the voting public is asking for trouble.

So, can a tainted Democrat lose a countywide race to a Republican?

Possibly, especially when some Democrats are encouraging a Republican to run. And there is little doubt it will be a good year for Republicans in November.

St. John Township Assessor Hank Adams, a Republican, is the guy Republicans and some Democrats would like to see run.

Adams would be a heck of a candidate. He's an excellent assessor and an independent kind of guy who doesn't wear his party label on his sleeve.

But I doubt Adams will run. He is a virtual lock for re-election as township assessor. In fact, he could be assessor for life over there.

Giving up a sure thing to take a chance on a possibility isn't the smartest thing in the world -- especially if you want to stay employed.

Seaton might well make a wonderful assessor. But I'm not sure that any longer matters. It may no longer be part of the discussion.

The fact remains that the Democrats likely will have a wounded candidate running in November.

And it isn't just Republicans, but a good number of Democrats, sensing that there's blood in the water.

Whether it is Adams or someone else, a Republican finally may become a player in a fall election for countywide office in Lake County. And it is a Democrat who is making it possible.

Only in Lake County.