Just when the civil racketeering lawsuit against former East Chicago mayor Robert Pastrick was to reach a crescendo, it suddenly collapsed last week. What a shame.

Pastrick's attorney, Mike Bosch, is asking Senior Judge James Moody in Hammond federal court to enter a default judgment against Pastrick and his remaining co-defendant, former aide James Fife III.

Moody, apparently in a good mood Tuesday, didn't formally agree to the request but cheerfully noted the absence of defendants at their table in the courtroom.

The trial, which now is being scuttled, would have gone into the nuts and bolts of the concrete-for-votes scandal from which this civil lawsuit arose.

Former Pastrick aide Dr. Timothy Raykovich settled out of court by agreeing to pay $160,000 to the state and submitting an affidavit spelling out his role in the controversial program.

Raykovich's attorney said the affidavit avoids implicating Pastrick, although Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said Tuesday the affidavit was instrumental in the decision by Pastrick and Fife to concede defeat.

The question is whether the 33-year mayor was well aware it was illegal to put concrete paving and tree-trimming efforts in overdrive in hopes of getting votes in the 1999 mayoral primary.

As a result of the massive public works program, the city was driven to the verge of bankruptcy. After spending about $24 million on this work, a state bailout was needed to keep East Chicago operating.

We hope the resolution of this case will send a strong signal to others throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond that working for the government -- and especially leading it -- is a sacred trust. Waste and corruption must continue to be rooted out.

Zoeller wants the judge not only to determine damages but also to agree to remedies to ensure East Chicago is rehabilitated so the public's confidence can be restored.

Restoring confidence might have been easier if more details about the Pastrick administration were revealed in the trial.

Pastrick has influence far beyond East Chicago. He was a kingmaker who served on the Democratic National Committee for 32 years, finally stepping down as a superdelegate after last August's convention.

While it is good that tax dollars to conduct a trial were saved, it is too bad the Pastrick apparatus wasn't put on trial.