(LaPorte, IN) - The number of code violations since the new mayor in LaPorte took over

at the first of the year now stands at close to 900.

That’s according to mayor Tom Dermody our guest Friday on Sound Off.

He said the new code enforcement director, Jeff Batchelor, is working

extremely hard.

Dermody said it’s not about issuing fines and collecting money.

It’s about setting a high standard, the city looking better and portraying a better image for itself.

Batchelor is a former correctional officer and former prison administrator who worked at Indiana State Prison and Westville Correctional Facility.

He was a player on the La Porte High School baseball team in the 80’s.