District races could shift balance of St. Joseph County Council

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind.-- The St. Joseph County Council currently has a Republican majority, with five Republicans and four Democrats. Three council races are contested this year but two have no incumbents, Districts I and D, and will have two new council members.

These races have the ability to change the balance in the council.

County Council District D has two women vying for the seat, whose current occupant, Democrat Rafael Morton, is moving into the now-vacant district 2 County Commission seat.

One of those women is Democrat Jennifer Shabazz, an educator and long-time political activist, who is unhappy with the direction council has taken and wants to get involved.

"After the past couple years when our republicans took over county council, pretty quickly closed down portage manor, dismantled a lot of our healthcare systems, went after grants just because they had the word equity in it," Shabazz said. "And I decided it was time to run for office."

The other woman running is Maria Fleming, who is passionate about issues affecting seniors as the owner of Senior Resource Network in South Bend.

She is the candidate for the Indiana Redemption Party.

A few IRP candidates won their races in November 2023 in Roseland.

Its core values, she said, are financial responsibility, limited government, and Christ-centered leadership.

"We're not democratic, we're not Republican, we're a new choice," Fleming said. "And our stance is our seniors, our community, and Christ-driven leadership."

Council President, Republican Mark Root, is retiring this year, leaving his District I seat open, and two neighbors are battling it out to replace him.

And this race between neighbors will likely determine which party holds the majority on the St. Joseph County Council.

On the Republican side is Andy Rutten, who says Root personally asked him to run.

"In retiring, he asked me if I would consider running in his place," Rutten said. "He knows I've been involved in the community, engaging different government agencies, he knows I have a technical background."

On the Democratic side is Tami Springer, who wants to see a Democratic majority restored on the council.

Her harrowing experience of being widowed as a mother of seven drives her desire to turn to public service.

"It was just a really hard time for me, because I needed a lot of help from the community, and I did get a lot of help from a lot of organizations," Springer said. "Now, I'm in the position that I want to give back to the county, and I want to help other families in crisis."