By David Denson, Gary Crusader
The low voter turnout did not appear to put a damper on the aspirations of several candidates in Tuesday’s primary election.
Lake County Commissioner Kyle Allen Sr. coasted to victory in Tuesday’s primary. Allen, who was seeking his first full-term as Lake County Commissioner, handily dispatched his opponent, Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington, receiving 12,478 votes to Washington’s 4,361. Despite Washington’s use of social media to get his message out, Allen appeared to be better organized and better financed.
Calumet Township Trustee Kimberly Robinson in her bid for a second term defeated Gary City Councilwoman LaVetta Sparks-Wade. Sparks-Wade, like Washington, relied on social media for her campaign. Robinson received 6,484 votes with Sparks-Wade getting 3,196.
Incumbent Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez was able to best a field of seven other candidates to claim victory with a vote total of 15,176.
Among those seeking the office were two Gary candidates, Richard Ligon and Lake County Clerk Mike Brown.
Indiana House of Representatives, District 3Martinez, who was elected to fill out the unexpired term of former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich was aided in his victory with the support of Hammond mayor Tom McDermott and a strong backing from the Gary Precinct Organization.
Former Lake Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Arredondo was successful in his bid to become the Lake County Clerk. The unofficial results show Arredondo capturing over 60 percent of the votes cast, with 22,380 votes.
Lake County Auditor John Petalas was the winner in his race, capturing 61.79 percent of the vote with a total of 22,798.
In the race for Lake County Treasurer incumbent Peggy Katona was the winner with 21,934 votes.
In the race for Lake County Council District 2, incumbent Elsie Franklin was leading the field of three challengers to claim victory. Unofficial totals show Franklin with 2,074 votes.
County Council
District 2
In the contest for Lake County District 3, State Rep. Charlie Brown who retired from the Indiana House of Representatives to seek the council seat defeated four challengers, receiving 3,130 votes. Following the election Brown said that while he was pleased with the outcome of the election, he was disappointed by the lack of participation by the voters.
Calumet Township Assessor Jacquelyn Collins easily fended off a challenge from political gadfly Jim Nowacki. The vote was 8,573 for Collins and 2,531 for Nowacki.
Indiana House of Representatives, District 2
In the race for Calumet Township Board, incumbent Darren Washington was able to hold on to his seat on the board, garnering 3,130 votes. He will be joined by political newcomer Jackie Holmes, who was the top vote getter in the race with 4,032, and James Piggee, with 2,569 votes.
In the race for Indiana House District 2, Earl Harris Jr. was the winner with 4,419 votes.
In the contest for House District 3, Gary City Councilwoman Ragen Hatcher claimed victory, defeating Jessica Renslow. Hatcher received 4,157 votes to Renslow’s 2,874. Hatcher is currently unopposed in the race and will replace Rep. Charlie Brown.
