Gary could have up to three new faces serving on the Common Council by the start of next year. And city residents won’t vote for any of the candidates.
The Lake County Democratic Party will hold a caucus Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center, 1900 W. 41st Ave., to fill the 3rd District and at-large seats. Since both are held by Democrats, elected precinct committee members from the party will decide who takes the seats.
Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Repay says he expects the caucus for the 6th District seat to take place at a later date, if needed. The 3rd District seat became vacant at the death of longtime Councilwoman Mary Brown in early October. The other vacancies will depend on results of the Nov. 3 general election. Sixth District Councilman Dwight Williams and Councilman At-Large Darren Washington won their primaries for the Lake County Council in May and will vacate their seats should they win their respective races next month.
The winner of the 3rd District caucus will be seated immediately after the caucus vote, while the winners of the 6th District and at-large seats will be sworn in on Jan. 1.
How a caucus works
A caucus is a closed vote among a party’s precinct committee members, as opposed to the general voting public. State law requires a caucus within 30 days of a vacancy. For district seats, only committee members from that district can vote. Committee members from every Gary precinct can cast votes for at-large seats.
When more than one candidate is running, state law requires a secret ballot, and the winner needs a majority of the votes cast. If no one gets a majority, members vote again.
Candidates usually get about two minutes to make their case before the vote.
According to Lake County Democratic Party Chair Mike Repay, the caucus likely would have taken place in late November after the elections, but Councilwoman Brown’s death sped up the timeline.
Repay says there are 45 committee people eligible to vote for the at-large seat and 7 are eligible to vote for the 3rd District seat.
A forum before the vote
Washington will host a candidate forum on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Gary Public Library from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., when current council members will question candidates prior to the Nov. 6 caucus. The forum is open only to precinct committee members and guests. Oct. 29 is the deadline for candidates to file to participate in the forum. The caucus filing deadline is Oct. 30.
“Two- or three-minute speeches alone do not provide enough information to determine who is best prepared to serve on the Gary Common Council,” Washington said in an invitation to committee members.
The caucus is a familiar route in Gary. Since 2022, precinct committee members have filled seats on the nine-member council by caucus at least eight times. Most of those selections took place after council members moved on to other roles.
Marian Ivey, Kenneth Whisenton, and Myles Tollver are the current council members seated by caucus.
What to know:
- Who votes: Democratic precinct committee members, not the general public
- Filing deadline: Noon, Oct. 30. Forms are available at lakecountydemocrats.com
- Candidate forum: Oct. 29, Gary Public Library 5:30-7:30 p.m. (precinct members and invited guests only)
- Caucus: 6 p.m. Nov. 5, Calumet Township Multipurpose Center, 1900 W. 41st Ave.
- When winners start: 3rd District immediately; 6th District and at-large Jan.1, if seats are open
