Vicki Urbanik, a long-time Porter County government reporter for the Chesterton Tribune, has announced that she will be a candidate for the Porter County Auditor on the Democrat ticket in 2010.

Urbanik has worked in the field of journalism for approximately 25 years, for most of that time covering Porter County government for the Tribune but before joining that paper in 1986 she worked for other media outlets, including the former Hammond Times.

Urbanik specializes in the reporting of tax and budget matters and is known for her knowledge of issues involving local government finance. She has authored several taxpayer publications, including her “Understanding Your Property Tax Bill” brochure, which she first wrote in 2005 and has since updated annually.

Urbanik has also obtained her Level II certification as an Indiana assessor-appraiser from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).

In a statement released on Monday, Urbanik said that her top priority as Porter County Auditor will be to ensure on-time and accurate tax billing, and working in a cooperative, non-partisan manner with other agencies and officials involved in the assessment-to-tax-billing system. “With the DLGF making on-time billing a top priority for all counties in 2010, I believe Porter County stands a very good chance of getting back on track with its tax bills next year. My job as county auditor in 2011 and beyond will be to make sure we stay on track. If glitches or problems arise with our tax work, we need to work together proactively and aggressively, so that any problems do not snowball into something larger.”

Urbanik also “pledges to work as an advocate for taxpayers and as a friend to local government,” the statement said.

“In addition to serving as a watchdog over public funds, Vicki will continue her public outreach efforts by providing taxpayer-friendly resources through tax publications, workshops, and a greatly enhanced county auditor webpage. As a friend of local government, she will keep open the lines of communication with Porter County’s cities and towns, schools, libraries, and townships, making sure that they have the most up-to-date information regarding their tax revenues.”

“For more than 15 years, Vicki has volunteered with several Porter County non-profit organizations, including service as a tutor for homeless and at-risk families,” the statement said.

“She is currently on the board of directors for Mental Health America of Porter County and the Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehab Center and has served as board president for both.”

Urbanik, 46, lives in Morgan Township with her husband and two children.

Urbanik’s campaign website—

www.vickiurbanikforauditor.com

—is expected to go live within a few days.

Posted 10/27/2009