Former longtime Lake County attorney John Dull died Tuesday
Friends and colleagues remembered attorney John Dull for his countless contributions to Lake County and a penchant for making co-workers smile over his more than four decades serving the board of commissioners.
Dull, 83, died Tuesday from complications related to cancer. He served as attorney to the Lake County Commissioners since 1982 through his passing, according to a statement from Michael Repay, president of the board of commissioners.
“John’s contributions to the people of Lake County and Lake County Government are immeasurable. Countless policies, procedures, friendships and occasional song will be among his legacy,” Repay said in the statement.
Dull began as the county’s chief legal adviser in 1982 until he voluntarily semiretired in 2018. Dull continued to work as a legal adviser to county commissioners under the guidance of new county attorney Matt Fech.
“John Dull was a lot of things to a lot of people. I considered him a dear friend and teacher,” Repay said Tuesday. “There is nobody quite like him, and his personality will be missed at the Lake County Government Center. I will personally miss his energy and tenacity.”
“He and I could argue, debate, reason and reconcile. These are things that happen very rarely in government anymore,” Repay said.
He went on to thank Dull’s family for letting him continue to serve the people of Lake County and assured them that his life continues in the many people he touched in our area and throughout the world.
“Each of us should take the lessons we have learned from him and share them with others throughout our own lives,” Repay said.
Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville, said Dull went out of his way to ensure his transition into the commissioners’ office when he was first elected was seamless.
“He was a valuable asset to the count with his abundance of institutional knowledge, and at times quite the comedian,” Tippy said. “He will be missed.”
Attorney Jim Wieser, chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, said Dull was a dear friend, colleague and outstanding lawyer as well as a die-hard Democrat. Wieser said he first started working with Dull when he was the attorney for the sheriff’s department and Wieser was the attorney for the county council.
He described Dull as an “incredibly interesting guy.”
“John was just a fascinating guy. He had a bit of a rough edge in terms of how he talked, but he was brilliant,” Wieser said. Dull could recite statute from memory and always was reasonable in his approach in dealing with the county officials for whom he worked.
“He understood municipal government. He understood how challenging that could be and how you needed to approach it,” Wieser said. Throughout his career Dull would always try and advise officials what was best for the government entity and the taxpayers. “He was a master at it.”
Dull was instrumental in getting officials to consider former U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky’s Good Government Initiative, a study conducted that provided advice on streamlining government and improving transparency.
“A lot of things the study recommended were kind of radical at the time and not met with open arms by elected officials. John was the leader in the county that helped us navigate through it and get some of these initiatives in front of county government and adopted,” Wieser, who chaired the committee at the time, said.
“He was a delightful guy, a funny guy, a smart guy and just a pleasure to work with. You couldn’t have a better county attorney,” Wieser said.
County Attorney Joe Irak said he has worked with Dull since around 1983 when Dull lead the legal department and he would assist.
“John is one of the most intelligent human beings I know. Not only is he intelligent, he is pragmatic. He always had time for people,” Irak said.
“We work hand-in-hand together. He was a friend, a partner and a leader,” Irak said.
While Dull was a respected attorney, he also was known for his basketball skills in his younger days, playing in high school in East Chicago and then in college.
“He will be missed. I’ve been thinking about him all day. We’ll try to keep it going but it will be tough without that leadership,” Irak said.
Fech, who took over at the county when Dull semiretired in 2018, described him as an incredible mentor, colleague and friend.
“The contributions he made to Lake County through policies and procedures or through drafting of legislation for the betterment of the citizens of Lake County is too much to list,” Fech said.
“He was so gracious in the transition when I took over as county attorney. I’m not sure anyone else would have handled it so well. John will be missed,” Fech said.
