Former Hobart Councilman John Brezik is set to take back his former 5th District seat.
Brezik is the lone candidate in a Lake County Democratic Party caucus scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Cressmoor Country Club in Hobart, Lake County Democratic Party chair Michael Repay said.
The deadline for filing was on or before 11 a.m. on Wednesday and Brezik was the only candidate seeking the position.
Repay said the caucus will still be held even though there is no question about who the winner is.
“We still have to have it (the caucus). It will be quick,” Repay said.
Brezik will replace William Perryman who stepped down last month from his 5th District seat.
Perryman, 51, was charged in January with Class A misdemeanor theft after, according to charging documents, he got caught stealing food from a Valparaiso Walmart.
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddleston last month announced Perryman’s resignation shortly after Perryman said he would resign “his position on the City Council” on social media.
In a letter Perryman provided to the Post-Tribune on Feb. 24, he said the decision to resign “reflects both a personal and professional transition that I believe is necessary for my personal reasons and family issues.”
Perryman resigned from the seat Feb. 21, Huddlestun confirmed.
The vacancy on the Hobart City Council resulted in the calling of a caucus of the Lake County Democratic Party which allows political parties to replace members who die or leave office.
Brezik called the circumstances surrounding the council vacancy “an unfortunate situation” and declined further comment.
A longtime Hobart resident, Brezik was ousted from his 5th District seat in the 2019 General Election when he was defeated by Hobart math teacher Chris Wells.
Wells, a Republican, defeated Brezik, who was hoping to be elected to his third term. Brezik initially filed to run for the seat again in 2023 against Perryman, but left the race by the deadline to remove his name from the ballot.
Even though Brezik hasn’t served on the City Council since 2019, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been involved with the city.
He served on the Board of Zoning Appeals and has continued to lend support to the city while basically staying involved in the background.
Brezik, who works for the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, said he is excited to be involved with the new mayor.
“I think the mayor and his new staff have done very well with what they have initiated and I’m glad to become part of that,” Brezik said.
He is also excited about serving his constituents once again in his 5th District, located on the city’s west side.
His ideas for his district include upgrading the appearance of the west side as well as adding more diversified businesses.
Brezik said he also will continue to support a project which he has been part of when it was known as Silverstone Crossings, which is the establishment of Patriot Park, off of U.S. 30 and Mississippi Street.
Brezik said he is glad to be back as a councilman.
“It’s like things are coming full circle,” Brezik said.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
