Two Valparaiso residents who have never held public office are facing off in the race to replace Councilman Greg Simms, a Democrat, for the District 3 seat on the Porter County Council.
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Democrat Jack Tipold defeated Simms in the primary and now faces Republican Dawn Miller.
She has been consistently attending a variety of county meetings for years and wants to serve because she “wants to see the county council be better stewards of the taxpayers’ concerns.”
Regarding a possible increase to the local income tax, she said, “we have not been educated enough to know what are the actual needs as opposed to wants.”
Miller ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat in 2024 and is Precinct 3 captain as well as a delegate. “We’re the people who try to encourage you to get out and vote,” she said of her precinct position. “That’s what our role is.”
Miller, a caregiver for the elderly and disabled veterans, is keeping up with the meetings of the Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce, or MUST, comprised of County Councilwoman Michelle Harris, R-At-Large, and the clerk-treasurers of Porter County cities and towns. “I am willing to go that extra mile to find answers,” she said.
At its second meeting, the committee focused on a prospective Porter County Local Income Tax of 0.6509%.
“I did enquire as to where that number came from, and I have not gotten an answer yet,” Miller said. As a Valparaiso resident, she’s concerned about the possibility of double-taxation should the city, when eligible in 2028, choose to raise its own LIT.
While she witnessed the group’s interest in adopting a single, county-wide LIT, “I just don’t foresee in two years when they have the ability to raise their own LIT” that they won’t do so.
She suggests the municipalities adopt a memorandum of understanding to commit to such a plan. “Unless it’s locked in, yes, I think that would be too tempting for them,” she said.
She also worries about townships that won’t be able to raise their own LIT. “We need to have a better understanding of what we’re supposedly having a shortfall on. I’m sure the public would like to know,” she said.
Regarding stewardship of funds, Miller mentioned a recent county council budget hearing, when the Family and Youth Services Bureau’s budget came into question and lengthy discussion ensued. “I’m sure they’re being paid for programs that aren’t being utilized and I’m sure there’s more of that going on,” she said.
Miller doesn’t believe the money from the sale of Porter Memorial Hospital managed by the Porter County Foundation should be depleted, but does like the idea of possibly using some of the interest earned to pay off a bond. “That could potentially save us money,” she said.
She hasn’t seen the Bears moving to Indiana as something that’s wanted. She said the idea, and the attendant 1% food and beverage tax that has been proposed to help finance their arrival, seems like a proposal for Porter County to foot the bill for Lake County’s benefit.
“If we’re going to fund something for another county, what are we getting in return?” she asked.
Tipold, an Air Force veteran, works as a rapid response coordinator for the United Steelworkers. He’s been a union organizer for 33 years.
He’s not in favor of raising the LIT. “It’s a nutshell game with our state money, and they’ve decided to keep it downstate,” he said.
As far as Senate Enrolled Act 1, which is putting the squeeze on schools and municipalities across the state, Tipold said, “It’s going to impact us from picking up garbage to schools.”
He said the county needs to make sure big businesses are paying their fair share. To that end, Tipold said he’d have to sit down and really weigh the pros and cons that would come out of a food and beverage tax tied to the Bears coming to Indiana.
“I think a lot of that hype has died down,” he said of the proposal. “It would be more tuned on the benefits that would come to us.”
Regarding the Foundation money, Tipold is a fan of the unanimous vote required of the 10-member board to draw on the principal. “I like the way it’s protected,” he said. “I think right now they’re sitting on $204 million, the principal of the account.”
He would be willing to draw on the principal for major projects such as an expansion of the Porter County Regional Airport, parks, road paving, or other infrastructure, but “I wouldn’t dip into it for increased budget,” he said.
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Tipold said he hasn’t been following the MUST meetings, but has been focused on knocking on doors, “getting the insight on what’s important to our neighborhoods. Naturally, down the road I’ll be looking into that.”
Tipold has sat on the Board of Directors of Allegius Credit Union for 20 years. He serves as treasurer and was accepted into the two-year leadership program at Harvard University. He’s also been an officer with Steelworkers Local 6787 for 15 years and heads both Veterans of Steel and Steelworkers for Kids.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.