Chesterton
Clerk-Treasurer Stephanie Kuziela and Town Council Member Emerson DeLaney,
R-5th, both lost in the only contested races on the ballot in Tuesday’s
municipal election--and they lost decisively--to challengers both heavily
supported by International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4600.
Beating the
Republican Kuziela was Democrat Courtney Udvare, who took 954 votes (57
percent) to Kuziela’s 712 votes (43 percent).
Udvare, currently
director of the Westville Public Library, based much of her campaign on the
mistake made by Kuziela’s office in connection with the 2017 budget, which
caused a shortfall of an estimated $800,000.
Beating DeLaney was
Independent Jennifer Fisher, who took 876 votes (54 percent) to DeLaney’s
732 votes (46 percent).
Fisher is an
attorney and spoke often in her campaign of the lawsuit filed by Local 4600
against the town, alleging various improprieties.
In uncontested
races incumbent Jim Ton, R-1st, took 1,221 votes; incumbent Lloyd “Buck”
Kittredge, R-2nd, 1,204 votes; incoming Democrat member, 3rd District,
Robert Allison, 1,214 votes; and incoming Democrat member, 4th District,
Sharon Darnell, 1,233 votes.
Allison defeated
fellow Democrat and incumbent Dane Lafata in the primary election.
Darnell--who previously served several terms on the council--filed for the
seat currently held by incumbent Nate Cobbs, who decided not to run for
re-election; no Republican filed for that seat.