HAMMOND | Sen. Hillary Clinton's arrival for a speech in Hammond has been delayed an hour.

Officials at the Hammond Civic Center said Clinton was still in Mishawaka just before 12:30 p.m. Seats for the event were still available and campaign staffers were urging those interested in hearing the senator's speech to come down for the event.

Mayor Thomas McDermott arrived at the Civic Center around 11:30 and was immediately surrounded by the media. McDermott said Clinton's campaign is well aware of the perception of Lake County as backing Obama. The Hammond mayor said he attributes the perception to the Chicago media coverage of the campaign, which he believes to be pro-Obama.

"People said Lake County was for Obama," McDermott said. "She's putting people on notice that she's going to fight for every vote in Lake County."

Clinton's campaign goal, McDermott said, is to split the Democratic vote in Lake County 50/50.

If Clinton taps Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh as her running mate, McDermott said the state may vote Democratic in the general election, something that hasn't happened since Lyndon Johnson ran in 1964.

Among those in the crowd at the Civic Center were former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, who has rarely made public appearances since losing his mayoral seat to George Pabey in 2004 after 33 years in office.

Pastrick, who is a super delegate, stood in the Civic Center about 30 feet from Pabey late Friday morning. The former mayor said it was "unfortunate" that the primary fight is becoming so divisive in the Democratic Party but was confident any rift would be resolved come November.

"I really believe that she has the background and experience the day she walks into that office," Patrick said of Clinton, "but whoever it is, if it's Obama or Clinton, we'll support them in the fall."

Meanwhile, Pabey said he's supporting Clinton because he likes her stance on mortgage forgiveness and gun control in urban areas.

"A lot of people worked all their lives to get a house and now they will lose it to taxes," Pabey said.

Hammond's first lady, Marissa McDermott, was anxiously awaiting Clinton's arrival in the city.

"I think this is a historic day for Hammond," she said. "I know that it is a cliche, but it's true. This is a day that will go down in Hammond history."

Members of the public passed through metal detectors at the Civic Center run by the Secret Service as they entered the building. Media members were checked with a hand-held wand.

"It's been very smooth this morning," Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller said. "There hasn't even been a single protestor that I know of."

About 400 folding chairs were added to the floor of the gym to make up for the section of bleachers roped off by the Secret Service directly across from the stage where Clinton is scheduled to speak.

A giant American flag hung above the stage, flanked by banners with the word "Hoosiers" to the left and "Hillary" to the right.

With mariachi music playing in the background over the public address system, throngs of camera crews from various media outlets were busy setting up in front of the stage just before 10:30 a.m.

Members of the Secret Service inspected every nook and cranny of the building prior to its opening. City workers had trouble finding keys to some areas of the Civic Center, which caused a slight delay in opening the doors for the public and media.

Despite a chilly breeze, supporters lined up outside the building around 9 a.m. said they were fired up to see their candidate and happy to see Hammond under the national political spotlight.

Kristen De La Riva, 18, of Hammond said she was particularly excited about seeing Clinton in action.

"I'm a first-time voter. I couldn't be more excited," De La Riva said. "I can't wait to see what she says."

Janet Kottka of Hammond said she was pleased that her mayor was able to get the Clinton campaign to Hammond.

"I want to hear her say, 'I know what you're feeling and here's what I can do for you,'" Kottka said. "There is a battle going on but we're looking more for substance than being preached to."

Patricia Castle of Portage said she made the drive to Hammond Friday morning because she's hoping for a Clinton victory over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

"Under (Bill) Clinton, we had zero debt, now under the Republicans, we have trillions of dollars of debt," Castle said.

Hammond police blanketed the area throughout the morning, monitoring all corners of the building and directing traffic in the parking lot across the street.

While initial releases from the Clinton camp touted the event as a town hall-style meeting with questions from the audience, a Clinton staffer at the Civic Center Friday morning said the senator will not be taking questions from the crowd.