FORT WAYNE – The National Weather Service in northern Indiana says northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio are likely to see more record-breaking heat on Monday.Republicans and Democrats will see contested races in the May primary for Allen County Council.
Friday was the deadline for filing a petition of candidacy, and six Republicans and five Democrats are vying for the three at-large council seats.
Democrats are Dennis Sprunger, Sharon Tucker, Kenneth Saylor, Leroy Jackson Jr. and Gina Burgess,
Republican candidates are Robert Armstrong and Roy Buskirk, both incumbents and newcomers Bill Brown, Sarah Gnagy, Mike Mills and Tom Rotoring.
County Councilman Paul Moss will not seek re-election to the council and has instead filed for the open Indiana House District 52 seat.
That office is held by Rep. David Yarde, R-Garrett, who has decided to seek a Senate seat.
Buskirk wants a second term so he can continue the work he started, he said. That includes job creation and continuing his work as chairman of the Joint Permitting board, a city-county committee that investigates and implements improvements into the permitting system.
At least two other Republican council candidates have local government experience, including Bill Brown and Sarah Gnagy.
Brown was District 2 county commissioner from 2006 to 2010 and chose not to run for re-election. Gnagy is on the St. Joseph Township Trustee Board and is the daughter of the St. Joseph trustee and clerk, Richard and Jean Uhrick.
In the race for District 1 county commissioner, incumbent Nelson Peters will run for re-election against John McGauley and William Phillips in the Republican primary.
Peters said Thursday he will seek a third term and hopes to continue his work with local economic development efforts, moving local wages 10 percent closer to national wage averages, continuing to expedite the permitting process for developers and finishing the integration of city and county departments.
McGauley, currently county recorder, and said his experience and record in that office will speak for itself. He cited a 73 percent drop in consumption of tax dollars in his office as well as a number of new technologies that better serve the public.
Running on the Democratic ticket for the District 1 commissioner seat are D.C. Roach and Gordon Anthony.
County coroner is another contested race on the Republican primary ballot. Craig Nelson and Gary Washington have filed their candidacy.
Running on the Democratic ticket for coroner is Norman Knuth, funeral director for Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes, who also was a deputy coroner for Clay County.
