The race to fill the Porter County Board of Commissioners District 2 seat held by Republican Barb Regnitz is contested on both sides of the aisle, with two experienced county officeholders competing for the Republican ticket and two political newcomers vying for the Democratic ticket.
Regnitz is not seeking reelection, but instead running for Democrat Frank Mrvan’s Congressional seat in House District 1. Porter County Councilman Mike Brickner, R-At-Large, and Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes are each hoping to represent Republicans in the general election, while Union Township resident James (Jim) Kocal and Valparaiso resident Kyle Nelson are seeking the Democratic slot.
Brickner is in his sixth year as a county councilman. He retired from Lake County Community Corrections in January of last year after five years on the job, but spent 31 years with the Valparaiso Police Department, the last 13 as chief. He also served as director of Porter County Public Safety for three years.
Brickner lost to Regnitz in 2022 and said he would not run against her if she were seeking reelection. “I feel I’m even more prepared now than I was previously,” he said. “I think I would compare my resume for this position against any other candidate.”
He feels the E911 consolidation of the county, Chesterton, and Porter is a positive move that will enhance safety. It was his job to oversee 911 dispatching when he served as public safety director. “I have confidence in our 911 director. They’ve been ready for quite a while. It was just a matter of when.”
He finds the topic of data centers to be a done deal. “Our residents were dead-set against data centers, especially in the location where it was proposed in Union Township,” Brickner said.
A unanimous vote was made by all county commissioners and council members, Brickner included, to withdraw $14 million over the next two years from the county’s foundation, founded with funds from the sale of the county hospital, with the intent to repay. Brickner didn’t say yes or no to further withdrawals, but said the money must be handled very carefully. “Being the oversight of other people’s money is taken very seriously,” he said.
Brickner is particularly concerned about the proper management of the county’s economic development. “I think growth should happen from the core of the cities and move outward,” he said. “Aesthetics of the county is unique to Porter County and something that should be preserved,” he added of the county’s wide open spaces. “If something doesn’t make the quality of life of our residents better, I have a hard time supporting it.”
Dykes, one of the managers of her family’s business, Dykes Funeral Home in Valparaiso, is in her eighth year as coroner and, under state statute, cannot seek another consecutive term. “I’ve learned a lot. Coroner doesn’t have a board, so a lot of this I have had to do on my own,” she said.
She considers her work with Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann to start a Child Fatality Review Team in 2020 a highlight of her tenure.
“Right now, I would just like to make sure I’m part of the decisions that are being made to maintain the quality of life.” For her, that means keeping the county safe to work, live, and play in, and working with county agencies to keep the roads and bridges safe.
She also stresses the importance of approaching change carefully. Dykes said she’s seen a lot of growth and change in the 50-plus years she’s lived in Porter County. “We would want to bring people into this county, not push them out,” she said.
Regarding the 911 consolidation, she said it’s not a bad thing. “From what I understand, it’s required to do that. I hope it works out for everybody involved,” she said, adding more information on the level of success will be available as time passes.
She is also reserving an opinion on further withdrawals from the foundation, saying she would have a lot to learn as a new commissioner, and remaining neutral for now on the subject of data centers. “I don’t think it would be a bad decision to have one, but we have to make sure it’s in the right place. That comes back to the quality of life.”
Dykes would like to ensure “county residents aren’t in the dark” if elected. “It’s not fair for them to not know what’s going on or why it’s going on,” she said. “The election isn’t about me. It’s about serving Porter County.”
Kocal, a retired pharmaceutical territory manager, is running out of concern for the future of his children and grandchildren. “I’m not happy about the direction we’re headed as a county and a country. There’s a lot of rubber-stamping going on.”
The Union Township resident said the all-Republican makeup of the board is leaving a voice unheard and aims to challenge the status quo.
Kocal feels the commissioners’ office impacts zoning and believes data centers are a double-edged sword. “I think it’s inevitable. We’re going to need them.” So the focus should become locating them and ensuring data centers and the large amounts of electricity they need don’t take precedence.
He’s also concerned about their noise and light pollution, “maddening” delivery fees on NIPSCO bills, and state legislators proposing laws allowing their placement wherever developers see fit. On high-paying jobs advertised to go with them, he said, “Once the building is built, there won’t be that much of a workforce needed to operate it.”
Kocal thinks 911 consolidation was a great idea. “I think it’s going to help the emergency crews,” he said, “without having to go through a separate dispatch.”
He’s open to exploring further foundation withdrawals if spending prioritizes what’s important to the people. He said the county will have shortfalls with reduced income and state taxes. “I think we’re going to have to find creative ways” to utilize resources, as people are already dealing with high costs. “The list goes on, everything that people are dealing with,” he said.
Bar manager and bartender Kyle Nelson, of Valparaiso, believes working-class citizens should be able to see themselves in government. While county council members, not commissioners, would need to pass any new tax, Nelson said he could possibly get behind a food and beverage tax if it’s used to fund the likes of public works, not “to fund five billionaire children of a football owner.” The 1% tax is being proposed if the Chicago Bears build a stadium in Hammond.
He’s strongly opposed to data centers and doesn’t feel the region should welcome them until they’re self-sufficient. Environmental damage, noise and light pollution, and energy rate hikes also concern him regarding data centers.
Nelson was disappointed in the initial implementation of the 911 consolidation and found it “slapdash and haphazard.” “I think the commissioners should have probably gone and spoken to the communities and gotten their input,” he said.
Nelson feels the county also needs more dynamic representation and should be doing a much better job of communicating what the county is doing, how and why. “I’m all about education,” he said, adding the top question he gets on the campaign trail is “What does the commissioner do?”
Nelson said further tapping the foundation principal would depend on the need. “I would judge it on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “It’s a rainy day fund and it should be used for either emergency purposes or a way to bypass a costly tax on the general public. I really don’t think the government needs to pass on any sort of burden to the general public.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
