Q&A: Candidates in contested St. Joseph County primary races share their views
The Tribune is once again partnering with the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area and the American Democracy Project of Indiana University South Bend to provide vital information about the 2022 elections, including Tuesday's primary.
The League and ADP operate a one-stop website, vote411.org, that gives you information on the candidates and the tools to navigate the voting process.
You can see the responses from candidates at the local, state and national levels to key issue questions. The responses can be viewed side-by-side for a quick comparison of each person’s stance on the issues. You can also find personalized voting information, such as races and candidates for your area.
Here is just a sampling of answers from candidates in some of the contested races. These responses were collected verbatim from the Vote411.org website; any spelling or grammatical errors are the candidates' and not The Tribune's. To read candidate responses to additional questions or in additional races, visit Vote411.org.
More: Community outcry prompts St. Joseph County Election Board to restore Sunday early voting
St. Joseph County Commissioner District 1
Carl Baxmeyer (R)
Occupation: Planning Department Manager
Education: B.S. Environmental Science/Planning, Grand Valley State University; M.S. Natural Resource Management, Colorado State University
Email: cbaxmeyer@gmail.com
Campaign Phone: 269-235-2170
Robert "Butch" Wood (R)
Occupation: Firefighter battalion chief
Education: B.S. Fire and Emergency Management, Purdue University Global
Email: woodrobert1981@gmail.com
Campaign phone: 574-315-3020
Mike McManus (D)
Occupation: Retired
Education: JD Tulane University, BA Notre Dame
Email: michael.j.mcmanus@aol.com
Campaign Phone: 574-404-6789
Facebook: facebook.com/MMcforCommissioner
Don Westerhausen Jr. (D)
Occupation: Cardiologist
Education: BS Education, Northwestern University; Medical Doctor, University of Minnesota Medical School
Email: DWester001@aol.com
Campaign Phone: 574-276-6465
Website: VoteWesterhausen.com
Facebook: facebook.com/VoteWesterhausen
Twitter: @www.twitter.com/VoteDoctorDon
Q. There have been complaints that elected county officials conduct too much of the public's business in secret, even that officials have at times violated Indiana's Access to Public Records Act. How will you ensure that the public knows how business is conducted on its behalf?
Baxmeyer: The most significant change in ensuring public access and transparency in how business is conducted would be to shift the time of the Commissioner meetings from morning to evening. People work during the day. Morning meetings make it difficult for many to participate. I would support changing the meeting time.Second, an unintended result of the pandemic has been a dramatic rise in the use of online meetings. While I feel strongly that all meetings should be attended in person by our elected officials, increasing public participation online should be encouraged. For some, limited Internet access is a problem. Plans to provide better service throughout the County are already underway. As access improves, more people will have the ability to see how business is being conducted.
Wood: Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-1 (The Open Door Law) states that government agencies must hold official meetings of a majority of their governing body, such as council or board meetings, publicly. As a citizen, you have the right to attend and record theses meetings. Indiana Code 5-14-1.5.5 (Notice of Public Meetings) states that a public notice of the date, time, and place of any meetings, executive sessions or any rescheduled meeting be given 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays) before the meeting. If elected, I will ensure that all St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners follow the Indiana Codes for Public meetings.
McManus: There is a saying: “Democracy dies in darkness”. As a Commissioner I will act to ensure that all county business is conducted with full transparency and that every meeting between 2 or more Commissioners is in public and on the record. People have a right to know both the “how” and “why” their tax dollars are being spent, and that includes having the right to ask questions and make comments before votes are taken. I also believe that the public has a right to access to documents reflecting public business, and that if inquiry is made pursuant to the Indian Access to Public Records Act I will comply fully, providing documents or communications from both County and personal devices. We all saw what happened earlier this year with redistricting. A lawsuit and $300k later and we still haven’t seen all the documents detailing the attempted reduction of the strength and sanctity of our votes.
Westerhausen: Transparency has become a buzzword that politicians throw around because it sounds good, but it’s essential for elected officials to put into practice. There are very few instances that justify government business being conducted away from the public eye. Unfortunately, these instances have become the norm for the current County Commissioners. I believe in the importance of public input and engagement on issues, large and small. When we work together and utilize the brainpower of the many over the few, we increase the quality of the product. Forcing the public to submit a request for information and then making them wait 30 days or more for requested documents is outrageous in the modern computer age. This has become a game that the current Commissioners play to their advantage. When elected Commissioner, I will work to create an easy-to-use public portal that provides access to documents on a real-time basis.
Q. Please discuss one or two things the county should do to save taxpayer money or to better utilize the existing budget.
Baxmeyer: First, “TTWWHADI” – “That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It” needs to be removed from our thinking. There should be a full evaluation of all county assets and the policies and procedures used to acquire, distribute, and utilize them.There should be cooperation between government units on procurement, especially “big ticket” items. Soliciting one bid for vehicles to be used by the County, South Bend, and Mishawaka will result in more competitive prices.With South Bend moving its offices out of the County-City Building, this is an opportunity for St. Joe County to re-evaluate its space needs. Is the building being used efficiently to provide the best service for the people? Should the lobby be used to provide “one-stop” services rather than people moving throughout the building? Can functions currently housed in off-site locations be consolidated?The point is to be good stewards of our taxpayer dollars, we can’t let “the way we’ve always done it” stand in the way of improvements.
Wood: I believe that St. Joseph County can save tax payers money by working with other government agencies in the County on the purchasing of any and all supplies needed to run and maintain St. Joseph County facilities and properties, including the purchases of police vehicles, County highway vehicles, office supplies. The list of savings can be huge with group purchases in bulk. It is time to work together with all of our County neighbors and other agencies to save the tax payers of St. Joseph County money. Every little bit helps.
McManus: The existing County budget is largely funded by us, the taxpayers. As a Commissioner I would make sure that the budget provides the necessary funds for the following: 1) the resources necessary for our sheriff, his deputies, our firemen, our EMTs, our 911 call center and our Health department to keep us safe:; 2) attract good paying jobs and skilled workers to increase the standard of living and allow families to prosper economically; 3) be proactive on green technology, from land management to infrastructure improvements; and 4) promote justice, dignity, respect and equality for all our citizens. These aren’t ranked in any particular order because all are required to be focused on simultaneously to build a strong, safe and prosperous community. Last year the County had over $273M in disbursements. Every little bit of extra money helps. I will not turn down a $3M grant from the CDC, as the Commission tried to do for partisan political “reasons” just 6 months ago.
Westerhausen: If the current County Commissioners have priorities that they have been working towards, they have not been made clear to the public. The current economic strategy seems to be throwing taxpayer dollars at holes in the ground and hoping that it magically grows into a business someday. Instead, our economic strategy needs to be methodical, strategic, and intentional. As Commissioner, I will work to support the growth of existing businesses and will support enterprises that benefit present and future generations. Secondly, our priority needs to shift to increasing the health of our community and safety of our neighborhoods. We will continue to struggle to grow until we have made the quality of life improvements that families and businesses are looking for in the community they choose to call home.
St. Joseph County Council, District C
Richard Pfeil (R)
Education: BS Engineering, Michigan State; MBA, Indiana University
Occupation: County Council member, President of Pfeil Inc.
Email: rich45@pfeilinc.com
Website: electrichardpfeil.com
Campaign phone: 574-273-1776
Dan Schaetzle (R)
Education: Masters in Health Administration, University of Missouri (Columbia)
Occupation: High school teacher, businessman
Email: dschaetzle@danforgranger.com
Website: danforgranger.com
Campaign phone: 574-298-6240
Q. There have been complaints that elected county officials conduct too much of the public's business in secret, even that officials have at times violated Indiana's Access to Public Records Act. How will you ensure that the public knows how business is conducted on its behalf?
Pfeil: I believe assurances are in place.
Schaetzle: Having attended council meetings where no explanation was offered for decisions made, I agree that the county should conduct business in a less secretive fashion. As a councilman, I would push for the council to better explain in meetings that are open to the public the reasoning behind its decisions. Meetings would be longer; however, the public would gain a clearer understanding of the logic behind the council’s choices. As a teacher and small business owner, I can’t help but also see the opportunity to educate. Our electorate is not versed on how local government works. The council could invite key members of outside organizations to observe a council function and then join that organization for a follow-up meeting in which the inviting council member and the organization’s observing member would report on the relevant council function. We would slowly increase the public’s awareness of business conducted by the county and understanding of how local government works.
Q. What county services would be better accomplished, and be more reasonably priced, through private contractors? Would you support such a change, or argue for those services to remain within the county’s realm/budget?
Pfeil: I have no current proposal for the expansion of private contractor work. The matter needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis going forward. When private contractors provided substantial costs savings, they should get the work.
Schaetzle: Instead of suggesting the privatization of a current county service, I strongly believe that we need to take a serious look at the condition of a program that is already done through private contracting : the leaf pick-up program. As I talk to my fellow residents in the northeast corner of our county, the leaf pick-up program is often mentioned. They are not pleased with the cost or the efficiency of the program. They roll their eyes and shake their heads as they lament leaves never picked up that are now sitting in recently unfrozen piles or blowing across the landscape. Many also consider the cost to be unreasonable as it continues to increase. Before we do the work to privatize any other county services, let’s get the leaf pick up program done right.
St. Joseph County Clerk
Winner faces Amy Rolfes (R) in general election.
Lana Cleary (D)
Education: Riley High School graduate, attended IUSB
Occupation: CFO, County Clerk's Office
Email: LanaCleary4countyclerk@gmail.com
Campaign Phone: 574-274-9271
Ann Dylewski (D)
Education: Mishawaka General
Occupation: Deputy Clerk Superior Court
Email: annd64@comcast.net
Website: anndylewski.org
Campaign Phone: 574-220-1093
Facebook: facebook.com/AnnDylewskiForCountyClerk
Q. The Clerk of the Circuit Court serves as the Secretary to the County Election Board, which is responsible for conducting elections in St. Joseph County. What are two changes you will make to improve election administration in the county?
Cleary: There is always room for improvement and that includes election administration. The Clerk’s office started a few years ago posting Election Board meetings, agendas, and minutes online. This makes it easier for the public to know when meetings are, and items discussed during these meetings. This feature I believe assists with better information and transparency with the workings of the Election Board and its administering of elections in St. Joseph County. St. Joseph County has gone through many changes in the last several years including upgrading election equipment, the implementation of Vote Centers and processing absentee ballots through Central Count. I believe working in a bi-partisan manner to administer elections is paramount.
Dylewski: I think the first step to improve Election Administration is increasing the transparency and public input of Election Board Meetings. This could be accomplished by setting up live streams of the meetings using an interactive application like Microsoft Teams, that would allow for greater public input and then publish the videos on the Election Board web page and YouTube so people can review them at their convenience. The second step would be more equitable distribution of voting centers. The current vote center map has zero locations in South Bend’s Sixth Council District and largely ignores anything but the North East portion of the counties unincorporated areas.
Q. What is the biggest challenge facing the clerk’s office, and how will you address it?
Cleary: The biggest challenge the Clerk’s office is technology. While the office has made great strides in the past 20+ years, we must keep this office moving in the direction of improving our technology as it pertains to the clerk’s office. I will continue the digitization of old files, updating the clerk’s website so that information is readily available to the public as it pertains to the judicial side and elections and continue to upgrade equipment for the office as needed.
Dylewski: The biggest challenge certainly facing the Clerk’s Office is a lack of cross-training. It results in work accumulating when a person is out for any reason. It also means that when one department is overwhelmed, and another is slow we are unable to shift workers to maximize efficiency. So I would have each deputy train in every department so they learn all aspects of the clerks office. I would also have regular meetings to make sure everyone is aware of changes in all areas of the Clerks Office and to improve cross department communication.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Q&A: Candidates in contested St. Joseph County primaries share views
