Fatum, sole Democrat on County Council, not running for reelection

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

Feb. 18—Leslie Fatum, the sole Democrat and first female ever on the Howard County Council, is not seeking reelection after one term.

Fatum did not file to run again in District 3, according to the Howard County Clerk's Office. Fatum confirmed to the Tribune this week that she won't be running again because she and her husband will be moving out of town.

"We never intended to retire in Kokomo," Fatum said. "We've been here seven years, and it's just getting to a point where we just want to be some place and just be there ...

"I enjoyed it, but it's not necessarily my strong suit — the financial side," Fatum said about her time on the County Council. "I don't even know if I was going to stay here if I'd still want to keep on the council."

Fatum's decision puts in jeopardy the Howard County Democratic Party's chances to have a party member on the council.

No Democrat filed for the upcoming District 3 primary race, though the party has until July 5 to select a candidate to fill the vacancy for the November election. Republican Timothy Cuthbert has filed his candidacy for the GOP nomination in the District 3 primary. Cuthbert is unopposed in his primary race.

District 3 is historically the Democrat's best opportunity at winning a seat; Before Fatum, District 3 was represented by Democrat Leslie "Les" Ellison for four terms. Ellison lost to Fatum in the 2018 primary after a local Democratic Party precinct committee vote broke a 578-578 Election Day tie. In her victory, Fatum became the first female ever elected to the County Council.

Looking at the district's boundaries, it's clear to see why the Democrats have been successful.

While all of the County Council districts have at least some part of the city of Kokomo in them, District 3, which includes the city's northwest, central and south central sides, is the only one that doesn't include large swaths of rural Howard County, which tends to lean Republican.

Two years ago, Republicans swept the three County Council at-large races. This election year, Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 seats are up for grabs.

Currently, the incumbent Republicans for Districts 1, 2 and 4 — John Roberts, Jamie Bolser and Bryan Alexander, respectively — have all filed for reelection. They are all running unopposed in their respective primary races.

Democrat Cidnee Ward has filed her candidacy in the District 4 primary where she's running unopposed, setting up a likely General Election race against Alexander. No Democrats filed in the District 1 and 2 primaries.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.