The Gary Common Council is one step closer to being whole again as a caucus for its open at-large position has been scheduled.
Lake County Commissioner Mike Repay, chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, said Friday that the caucus is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 21 at the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center, 1900 W. 41st Ave. in Gary.
Repay became chairman of the party March 1, taking over for former chairman Jim Wieser. The Gary caucus will be his first as the party’s leader.
A caucus was called after Councilwoman Marian Ivey resigned from the at-large position. Ivey took the council’s Fourth District seat in a Feb. 19 caucus.
“This is where I live, this is where I serve,” Ivey said following her win. “Why wouldn’t I want to step up and continue effective leadership in the Fourth District?”
The Fourth District seat opened up after former council President Tai Adkins won in the Jan. 16 Calumet Township trustee caucus. Adkins resigned from the council after the body’s Jan. 21 meeting.
Notices for the March 21 caucus were sent out Wednesday, Repay said. Forty-nine committee people are eligible to vote in the at-large caucus.
The deadline for interested candidates to file is March 16 — 72 hours before the caucus, Repay said. If another elected official is chosen, another caucus must be held to fill that vacancy.
As of Friday morning, Repay said no one had expressed interest in the at-large position.
Following her February caucus win, Ivey said she didn’t have anyone “specific in mind” that she wants in her former position. She did want whoever files for the candidacy to know the commitment and responsibility of being on council.
“It’s a lot of your time,” Ivey said after her win. “It’s a lot of sacrifice, it’s a lot of work. … That person would definitely have to have tough skin and be strong enough to have the time and to still carry themselves in a civilized manner to handle what the council does.”
Gary’s latest caucus domino effect started after Adkins was elected Calumet Township trustee Jan. 16 after ex-Trustee Kim Robinson resigned from the position, which was part of a deal when she pleaded guilty on Dec. 23 to one count of wire fraud in Hammond’s U.S. District Court.
Robinson is the third consecutive township trustee to face federal charges. If the plea deal is accepted, she will serve one year of probation and have to repay $11,200, plus an $8,700 fine, according to Post-Tribune archives.
