The Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Board approved a challenge Friday against a write-in candidate for Lake County Surveyor because it was his second write-in candidate application of the day.
Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser filed the challenge against James Johnson because hours before Johnson filed as a write-in candidate for the Lake County Surveyor he was in Indianapolis filing to run as a write-in candidate for U.S. President.
Johnson filed as a write-in candidate for U.S. President in Indianapolis at 3:09 p.m. July 2, while he filed as a write-in candidate for surveyor in Lake County at 3:13 p.m. July 2, according to file-stamped state and county records.
State law allows for candidate filings to be made by mail or hand-delivery, said Angela Nussmeyer, co-director of the Indiana Election Division. But Indiana code also states people can file to be write-in candidates for one office and “he filed for president first,” Wieser wrote in his challenge.
“Once he’s filed there, that’s his candidacy. The statute is clear that he can’t run for two offices. The one filed first is the one he’s going to be on the ballot for. He’s going to have to be removed for this particular position, for surveyor,” Wieser said.
Johnson did not attend Friday’s board meeting to address the challenge. He couldn’t be reached for comment.
The board approved the challenge in a 4-0 vote, with Republican board member Michael Mellon absent.
In a separate 4-0 vote, the board approved a Lake Station Community Schools operating referendum to be placed on the November ballot. The district decided to put the $1.3 million referendum question on the ballot for a second time since it lost in last year’s election by a mere 14 votes.
The question states that for 7 years immediately following the holding of the referendum the Lake Station Community Schools impose a property tax rate that does not exceed $0.54 on each $100 of assessed valuation.
Since last year’s referendum failed, the district has been forced to shed personnel including four teachers and all 19 paraprofessionals, who assist teachers in the classroom. Because of the uncertainty, 10 teachers have resigned.
In 2017, voters approved a $1.3 million property tax referendum and last year the district asked voters to renew it, not increase it.
Lake Station Superintendent Tom Cripliver said Friday he was pleased that the referendum was approved for the November ballot. The effort to get the referendum on the ballot came from residents who signed the petition in support of it, he said.
The referendum in November will ask for the same amount in funding that voters approved in 2017, Cripliver said,
“We are simply asking to roll over or extend the referendum,” Cripliver said. “These funds are not extra dollars. The funds replace money we are no longer getting from the state and from the tax caps.”