Familiar county faces as well as aids for state and federal candidates trickled into the Porter County Elections & Registration Office’s new digs Wednesday morning for the start of candidate filing, which runs until noon on Feb. 9.
Jim Albarran, Porter County’s chief deputy treasurer for the past eight years, was the first to file as a Republican for Treasurer Michelle Clancy’s seat since she cannot run again due to term limits. “She’s a Democrat,” Albarran said. “She hired me. She never asked my affiliation because she wanted competence.
“The treasurer collects it, doesn’t distribute it,” he added. “It’s more of a functional office. That’s why it didn’t really matter if she hired me.”
Sundae Schoon, director of elections & registration for Porter County, had Albarran sign documents and went over a small pile of information he needed to know such as the political sign disclaimer, which states what’s allowed on political signs, and a reminder that candidates must file campaign finance reports.
“My signature’s terrible because I’m nervous,” Albarran said.
Justin Segars waited in line behind Albarran to deliver the 500 signatures of registered Porter County voters required for Republican Suzanne Crouch to get on the ballot for governor here. Another aid came in not long after to submit the petition for Republican Brad Chambers to run against her.
“I’m visiting I think 20,” Segars said of the counties he was delivering petitions to. “We have four or five others dropping off.”
Porter County Surveyor Kevin Breitzke isn’t bound by term limits so he came in next to file his candidacy for what will be his eighth term if reelected. “I’m about the fourth generation (in Porter County) on both sides of my family,” said the Democrat. “That’s why I’m a little more committed.”
Besides treasurer and surveyor this year’s election is also for Porter County commissioners in the North and South districts held by Jim Biggs, R-North, and Laura Blaney, D-South, respectively. Biggs has said he’s running for one final term, while Blaney announced Tuesday that she will not seek a fourth term.
The Porter County Council’s three at-large seats, held by Republicans Andy Bozak and Mike Brickner and Democrat Sylvia Graham are also up for reelection. Nate Uldricks, a Republican from Beverly Shores currently serving his first term as Pine Township board chair, was the final candidate in the first hour the elections office was open.
He filed for one of the at-large seats. “I was born and raised here. I love this area,” Uldricks said. “I have a young family and want to build a community that’s passed down for generations.”
Bozak has said he will seek reelection, which would be his second consecutive term. He was also caucused in for the First District seat on the council held by Jim Biggs in 2017. Brickner is understood to be planning to run again, but could not be reached for confirmation.
Graham confirmed Wednesday that she will not seek reelection after this, her fourth term. “I’m so grateful and honored to have had the privilege,” she said, adding that the voting equipment the county purchased during her tenure is a point of pride. “It has worked out very well,” she said. “We’ve put ourselves into the future with good voting equipment.”
Porter County Superior Court Judges Jeffrey Clymer and Jeffrey Thode, both Republicans, are up for reelection, but are required to file their candidacies in Indianapolis, according to Schoon. She said her office had received a lot of calls from folks planning to drop off petitions to have state and federal candidates on the ballot.
Presidential candidates have until Jan. 30 to get their petitions in and gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates have until Feb. 6. “We go through the people who signed the petition and make sure that they’re a registered voter,” said Deputy Clerk Melissa Hartig. “We have to go through the signature cards and make sure they match up.”
After the names on the petition are cleared the candidate liaisons are called to come and pick up their petition, which then has to be filed with the state. Orron Coleman Sr. stopped in Wednesday morning to drop off the petition for his friend Democrat Valerie McCray. The Indianapolis clinical psychologist is running for U.S. Senate.
“I just dropped off Lake County. Our team is running all around today because we have our signatures!” he said with a huge smile.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
