Two Lake County Council races have a deep pool of Democratic challengers, while three council members finish out their last terms on the dais.
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Councilman Dave Hamm, D-1st, and Ted Bilski, D-6th, have served on the council since 2015 and 2010, respectively, while Charlie Brown, D-3rd, has been a councilman since 2019. Christina Signorelli, 29 and of Hammond, will face off against City of Hammond Chief of Staff Scott Miller for Hamm’s Council spot.
Signorelli, a realtor who serves as vice president for the Lake County Democrats, said on her campaign website that she’s running “to bring compassionate, practical, and accountable leadership to the Lake County Council, ensuring that government works for residents and that every community member has the support they need to thrive.” She counts public safety, access to public services, infrastructure repair and “modern, efficient county government” among the items she wants to tackle.
Miller, who served as the Superintendent for the School City of Hammond before becoming the Hammond Mayor’s Chief of Staff in 2024, said on his website that he wants to ensure taxpayer dollars “are spent wisely, transparently, and with long-term stability in mind; that he supports “efficient county operations that deliver real services”; and that he wants to prepare the county for “upcming fiscal and policy changes while protecting essential services.”
Four candidates, meanwhile, are challenging District 2 incumbent Ron Brewer Sr.: Gary Councilman Darren Washington, former Highland councilwoman Toya Smith, former County Councilman Al Menchaca, and Gary resident Norman Hairston.
Smith, who serves on the Town of Highland’s Board of Zoning Appeals and Plan Commission, said the biggest issue for her in both the 2nd District and county is the loomng affects of Senate Enrolled Act 1. She said there’s a lot of “wasteful spending” currently and wants to dedicate herself to getting infrastructure improvements for the district.
“Most people (working at the county) are just seeing their paychecks get to $40,000. Those are the people who’re serving you, but then we have all these consultants, and for what?” Smith said. “Nepotism is also a big issue — that’s something people have gone to jail over.
“I want to be the champion for the employees here, and I’m going to make sure I serve the people.”
Hairston, 68, a Gary native and retired engineer and businessman, said in an email that he wants to bring the grounded, problem-solving energy that he used during his career to the council. The communities comprising District 2 — Gary, Griffith and parts of Highland — have been economically stagnant, and he would like to focus on making the 2nd more of a transportation hub.
Hairston also counts SEA1 as a threat that the council must take on.
“Lake County is staring down a serious fiscal cliff. Senate Enrolled Act 1 will take roughly $235 million out of our county over the next several years, and the county council is the body that decides how that pain lands. The choice in front of us is binary. We can let austerity make those decisions for us, blunt and across the board, or we can make hard, careful, public choices that protect core services and the people who deliver them,” Hairston said.
“I will say this plainly: Lake County built Gary. It is time Lake County invested in Gary. That is why I am running.”
The Third District has six candidates vying for Brown’s spot: Gary Councilman Dwight “Twin” Williams, Ericka Castillo, Marlinda Tyson Haymon, Gary School Board member Glenn Johnson, David Gearman, and former Hobart City Councilman William Perryman. Perryman resigned from the Hobart council in 2025 after being charged with a Class A misdemeanor theft for stealing food, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
Gearman, who owns a transportation company and serves on the Gary Port Authority after running for a spot on the Gary Common Council, counts infrastructure as the Third District’s biggest issue, and it’s not just about living conditions for its residents.
“It affects our economy; investors and new residents avoid places where roads show neglect,” Gearman said in an email. “I will work hard to get money to fix and maintain streets and sidewalks across the Third District: Gary, Hobart, Lake Station and New Chicago. When our infrastructure is in good condition, we attract businesses, keep residents and create a steady tax base.”
Gearman also sees the dangers of SEA 1 and said he’ll push state lawmakers to delay the income tax changes.
“SEA 1 moved the local tax system from a countywide rate to rates that can vary by municipality. This change starts in 2028, the same year the property tax cuts have the biggest impact. This double financial pressure threatens funding for roads, public safety, parks and libraries across the county,” he said. “If elected, I’ll pursue grants and other revenue sources, eliminate duplicate contracts and protect essential services. The residents of the Third District did not create this problem, but they will feel it if we do not act now.”
The Third District spot is Haymon’s first crack at running for office after getting elected as a Gary precinct committeewoman and State Delegate, she said. For her, communication seems to be the biggest issue.
“As I’ve been talking to residents, they don’t know what’s going on with SEA 1 and how it’s going to affect them. There has to be something in place to get the word out,” Haymon, 39, said.
As a former teacher, Haymon said she worries about SEA 1’s effects on the library system as well as its giving municipalities a mechanism for creating another tax for residents.
“We have all these things going on — the Iran War and gas prices, NIPSCO — so what are we going to do if municipalities are allowed to impose another tax?” she said. “If we lose these funds, I don’t know what people are going to do.”
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In the Fourth and Fifth Districts, Jen Wilson and incumbent Lake County Council President Christine Cid are running unopposed, while Steven Minchuk and former Merrillville Councilman Richard Hardaway compete for the District 6 seat currently held by Bilski.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.