BURNS HARBOR — Longtime Porter County Council member Robert “Bob” Poparad, 64, died early Friday after a long battle with lung cancer.
Poparad, D-1st, was first elected to the County Council in 2002, following his service on the Burns Harbor Town Council. While on the Town Council, Poparad helped guide the town through the devastating blow from Bethlehem Steel’s bankruptcy in 2001. The steelmaker was the lion’s share of the town’s tax base.
Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-At-Large, sat beside Poparad at County Council meetings for 12 years.
“Bob not only was a mentor teaching me protocol in my early council years, but became a friend and almost a father figure,” Graham said. “He insisted that I would contact him to let him know that I got home safely after meetings.”
The entire time Bob served on the County Council, until this month, he served on the Plan Commission. “He played an important part in the past, present and future planning for Porter County,” Graham said.
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“Bob could speak in a gruff and grumpy manner but down deep, he was just a teddy bear,” Graham said. “Bob was the epitome of what a public servant should be. He was a dedicated, unselfish and caring person that always thought about what was best for the people of Porter County.”
County Auditor Vicki Urbanik said Poparad was working on behalf of taxpayers until the end. As recently as a few weeks ago, Poparad had called her to ask questions about county finances, she said. “I knew he was suffering, but he still needed to know.”
Urbanik got to know Poparad when she was a reporter, especially when she, Poparad and attorney David Hollenbeck were digging into local government finances to see how Bethlehem Steel’s bankruptcy would affect local government operations throughout the county.
“Above all, his passing is a very sad, devastating loss for the taxpayers,” she said. “I’m going to miss him absolutely.”
County Council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, said everyone learned something from Poparad.
“There was never any doubt who Bob represented while sitting in his council seat, the taxpayer, and if a department head or elected official came in front of the council to ask for taxpayer dollars they better damn well be prepared to answer questions. If they weren’t prepared, Bob would soon let them know,” Rivas said.
“While Bob might have appeared rough around the edges, he was a genuinely honest person. And he governed with that quality,” he said.
Council Vice President Mike Jessen, R-4th, said Poparad’s death is “a true loss for his family,…
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