Blue-nami

As the last polls closed in Greater Lafayette, eight Republicans held their breath.
They, along with two Libertarians, had thrown their hats into the ring as potential government officials in the twin cities.
But a flurry of voting across the county Tuesday that saw a turnout of 11.04% left their hopes dashed– and a Democratic supermajority set to control all but one of Greater Lafayette’s municipal positions.
After the 7,391 votes had been counted, the local Democrats emerged as the uncontested rulers of both Lafayettes’ city councils and mayorships, paving the way for local Democrats to form what West Lafayette councilman David Sanders called a team that will guide the politics of Greater Lafayette for the next four years.
Jerry Reynolds, the councilman for Lafayette’s District One, is the only Republican who remains.
Two cities, two mayors
The mayors of both Lafayettes were on the ballot Tuesday. One was seeking a sixth term. The other was a newcomer.
But unlike in previous years, both were Democrats.
Erin Easter, West Lafayette’s director of development, will be the next mayor of West Lafayette, after running an unopposed campaign.
But despite a guaranteed victory, Easter said Tuesday she still campaigned like she had a challenger.
“I’m certainly staying busy,” she said, laughing. “In addition to my normal nine to five… which is more like an eight to eight.”
Last December, Easter announced her bid for the candidacy with the endorsement of outgoing Republican mayor John Dennis.
“John is always a friendly face, which I absolutely appreciate,” Easter said. “We worked together for many years outside of City Hall as well as inside, so it’s a little bittersweet.”
Easter said she hopes to encourage more walkability in West Lafayette, fight the city’s housing crisis and protect the environment.
In Lafayette, Mayor Tony Roswarski secured his sixth term in a race that was closer than what his opponent, Libertarian Benjamin Milanowski, said he expected. Roswarski won with 81.96% of the vote against Milanowski’s 18.04%.
If Roswarski completes his term, he will be tied with former mayor Jim Rhiele for longest-serving mayor. Rhiele held his position from 1971 to 1995.
But while Roswarski’s campaign consisted of developing Lafayette’s industry, inspiring commerce and fighting the controversial LEAP project, his opponent’s policies were a little more vague.
Milanowski said he would like to see property tax replaced with a land value tax, and hoped to fight the housing crisis like Roswarski. But his main goal was to get his name on the ballot.
“My main issue is to raise awareness of third parties,” Milanowski, a doctoral candidate in Purdue’s College of Nursing, told the Exponent on Nov. 2. “To be perfectly honest and clear about this, I do not anticipate winning.”
Throughout his campaign, Milanowski’s “unconventional” and “dark” humor formed the basis of his presence online, including a video of him juggling dildos and making fun of police statistics.
Roswarski, however, didn’t respond well to Milanowski’s strategy.
“If that’s what he meant and that’s what he means, that’s very disturbing. That’s not the way we campaign around here,” Roswarski said when asked about Milanowski’s post about the police, where the Libertarian called officers shooting statistics “troubleshooting.”
Roswarski said he hopes to see Lafayette invest 30 to 40 million dollars in 2024 to open 1,000 acres of land for development in housing, industrial and commercial sectors.
“I can’t disclose it because we’re under confidentiality, but you’re going to hear about a couple more, really good economic development wins for our community here and in 2024,” he said.
Roswarski said the “number one” issue of his sixth term will be the LEAP project, a proposed pipeline that would pump millions of gallons of water from Greater Lafayette a day.
As the count finished Tuesday evening, Roswarski said he expected Milanowski to net almost 20% of the votes, despite lacking a strong campaign.
“When you look at a third party, that would probably be about normal,” he said.
Dems sweep WL Council at Large
As a Democratic mayor ascended in West Lafayette, two incumbent Democrats and one newcomer on West Lafayette's Council At Large held on to their seats with an iron grip, beating out Republican challengers Patrick Flannelly and Brian Russell.
Collectively, the Democrats net 68.84% of the 5,694 votes cast.
Iris O’Donnell Bellisario took the highest percentage, with 24.25% of the vote.
The 2020 Purdue graduate ran on a campaign of environmental advocacy. She cited her experience as an intern with the Purdue Climate Change Research Center as proof of her commitment to green infrastructure in the city.
“I’ll be meeting with the new mayor to really figure out the operation and working with councilors,” she said.
Incumbent James Blanco, a full time mechanic, was the second-highest winner, taking 22.74% of the vote.
Blanco co-founded the Greater Lafayette Tenants Union in July, and has been vocal about combating what he said he believes is predatory behavior perpetrated by landlords in West Lafayette, which he said he aims to carry over into his next term.
“It’s all about getting people to push back against their landlords,” he said. “We can teach people to be their own advocates.”
And finally, David Sanders, a Purdue associate professor of biological sciences, secured his third consecutive term with 21.85% of the vote.
Sanders primarily ran on a platform of combatting the LEAP project. On this issue, Sanders said he hopes to join other local Democrats in a united front against the project.
“We were teamed up right after the primary, we said we’re gonna be campaigning together,” he said. “We are all really committed to sustainability issues.”
Sanders said he intends to fight against the “secrecy and harmful effects” of the LEAP project.
In the Republican corner, former Lafayette police chief Flannelly took home a solid defeat with 16.70% of the vote.
Flannelly primarily ran his campaign off his public service background, citing his experience managing over “200 employees” and complex operations in LPD as proof of his ability to lead.
“I’m the sole candidate with a public safety background, having effectively led one of Indiana’s largest police departments,” Flannelly said. “Public service is my calling.”
Former West Lafayette Chief of Police Jason Dombkowski publicly endorsed Flannelly, urging voters to embrace the candidate that “epitomizes what it means to be a public servant in West Lafayette.”
But some West Lafayette locals expressed concern about Flannelly’s history throughout the campaign, which undoubtedly brought the challenger down in the vote count.
“LPD under Flannelly’s leadership showed evidence of abuse of power and overt racism among its officers,” a West Lafayette local wrote to the Exponent Nov. 2. “Patrick Flannelly is a cause for concern.”
Performing even worse than Flannelly, local realtor Russell netted 14.46% of the vote.
Russell ran on a platform of fighting the West Lafayette housing crisis, vowing to ensure every citizen had a home to purchase or rent.
“Without a safe, affordable home, people can’t focus on their work,” he said. “We need to be working with other state and local officials to create the proper zoning and to provide incentives to get homes built at all levels of affordability.”
A Democratic hold on the districts
As Blanco, Bellisario and Sanders took their seats on West Lafayette’s Council at Large, they were joined by three opposed Democrats in West Lafayette’s first, fifth and sixth districts, and three unopposed Democrats in the second, third and fourth.
In District One, Purdue junior Laila Veidemanis delivered a firm loss to Ivy Tech student Aaron Abbell, picking up 71.11% of that district’s votes.
“It’s amazing, I’m so excited,” the public health major said Tuesday. “The first thing I’m going to strive for is housing.”
On election night, Veidemanis was joined by former councilman Ted Hardesty, who showed support for his friend.
Despite a landslide victory, Veidemanis and her opponent, Abbell, had similar platforms throughout their campaigns, focusing on the environment, opposing the LEAP project and repairing the housing crisis.
While Veidemanis has no professional experience in civil service, she said she’s enthusiastic about jumping into her role on the council.
“We have to approve as many housing projects as we can because it creates competition,” she said.
Abbell was not available for comment on election night.
The closest race was for District Six, where challenger Democrat Stacey Burr managed to grab 65.66% of the vote and unseat Republican incumbent Jeff Brown.
Throughout her campaign, the newcomer Burr flaunted her experience in the corporate world, citing experience at DuPont, Adidas, Google and FitBit.
Her top issues covered a wide range, stretching from mental health, housing and sustainability to industry growth and the environment.
“I will bring fresh, relevant capabilities to the city council to help navigate growth and maintain a livability for all residents,” Burr told the Exponent. “I’ve greatly enjoyed this campaign seeking an opportunity to serve my hometown.”
Brown, on the other hand, focused on the LEAP project and further collaboration with Purdue as his top issues, but couldn’t appeal to voters with his more narrow platform.
Coming up as the second closest race, Democrat incumbent Kathy Parker managed to soundly defeat Republican challenger James Waters in District Five.
Parker took home 67.16% of the vote against Waters’ 32.84%
Parker said she, like her colleague Sanders, hopes to build a united front against the LEAP project.
“I’m just excited that I will be able to continue to work with people I’ve built relationships with to do good things for the community,” she said.
Waters was not available for comment following his defeat.
In District Two, Michelle Dennis, the daughter of outgoing mayor John Dennis, secured her seat in an unopposed campaign. She was joined by fellow Democrats Larry Leverenz in District Four and Colin Lee, the Purdue student representative of District Five.
Lafayette keeps incumbents
Not a single incumbent lost a seat on the Lafayette City Council Tuesday, maintaining an 8-1 Democratic majority that leaves District One’s Jerry Reynolds as the odd Republican out.
After gliding through an unopposed election, incumbents Kevin Klinker, Nancy Nargi and Steve Snyder kept their Council At Large seats.
The three candidates found themselves with an almost even divide of the 6,996 votes: Klinker secured 34.29%, Nargi followed with 33.72% and Snyder ended with 31.99%.
In District Six, Democrat Bob Downing deflected the challenge of Republican newcomer Perry Barbee, nabbing 70.97% of the district’s votes and guaranteeing a fifth term.
“I appreciate everybody in Lafayette who came out to vote,” Downing said. “I will work very hard to try to keep up with everything we are doing.”
Downing, who cited his connections to Mayor Roswarski and other city officials as evidence of experience, said he wants to join other local Democrats in fighting off the LEAP project and develop affordable housing in Greater Lafayette.
Barbee, on the other hand, said his number one goal is clear: to create more jobs in the county.
“I’m proud of everybody who has helped me throughout the campaign, whether it was putting up signs, knocking on doors, making phone calls, just spreading the word,” he said.
Barbee was not available for comment after the votes were tallied Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Democrat incumbent Eileen Weiss defeated Republican Mary Fisher with 62.50% of the vote in District Two.
Weiss said she’s ready to continue working on various issues, ranging from affordable housing to rezoning projects.
A big emphasis, though, was outreach and awareness of local government.
“My big thing was getting people involved, particularly young people, in their government because this is where it happens,” she said. “Too many people are too focused on the federal government. Local government affects your everyday life.”
Fisher, who only picked up 37.50% of the vote, was not available for comment before or after the votes were tallied.
In District Four, Lauren Alhersmeyer, a local Lafayette teacher and president of the city council, defeated Libertarian challenger Josiah Eller with 80.46%
Alhersmeyer said she hopes to focus on expanding recreational spaces in Lafayette, but her most important goal is improving education.
“The future of the world is dependent upon education,” she said. “I will continue to advocate for policies prioritizing inclusive opportunities for all residents, ensuring a brighter future for our city.”
Eller, in opposition, managed to take 19.54% of the vote, slightly more than Lafayette’s mayoral Libertarian challenger Benjamin Milanowski.
Downing, Alhersmeyers and Weiss will return to office for another term alongside unopposed Democratic incumbents Perry Brown of District Three and Melissa Weast-Williamson of District Five.
- Additional reporting by Vicky Lin, Max Bury and Wil Courtney, staff reporters, and Katie Walling, digital editor
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