St. Joseph County candidates discuss data centers, mental health funding at voter forum

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- With voter turnout in the 2026 Indiana primary election at 14% in St. Joseph County, local organizers are working to encourage more residents to become informed about the candidates and issues on the ballot.

We Make Indiana held its first candidate forum Tuesday, bringing together candidates for St. Joseph County Council and County Commission to discuss issues affecting local residents.

The forum featured three County Council candidates and two County Commission candidates.

Each candidate was asked three questions on topics including data centers, environmental concerns and mental health funding.

Keith Witherspoon, pastor of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, said local elected officials can have a direct impact on residents' everyday lives, even if their work receives less attention than national politics.

“County council or county commissioner may never make the national headlines, but these seats decide the roads that we drive on, the budget that fund our services, and the dollars that either reach our neighborhoods or skip our neighborhoods,” Witherspoon said.

Data centers emerged as one of the main topics of discussion.

Democratic County Council candidates Mark Hamann, Ranjan Rohatgi and Jan Cervelli expressed interest in slowing or stopping further data center development in St. Joseph County.

Rohatgi, a District B candidate, said more information is needed about the environmental effects of existing data centers.

“We need to collect the data when it comes to the environmental impact of these data centers,” Rohatgi said. “There is not an easily searchable repository of the issues that have been caused out New Carlisle or here in Granger.”

Carl Baxmeyer, the Republican incumbent for County Commission District 1, said he continues to support data center development while emphasizing standards for the industry. He said data centers should not use excessive amounts of water and pointed to high-paying jobs as a potential benefit for the county.

His Democratic opponent, Bill Redman, also called for higher standards, saying he would not participate in nondisclosure agreements related to the industry.

“I certainly don’t agree with nondisclosure agreements, and I will not participate in any of those,” Redman said.

Candidates also discussed expanding funding for mental health care.

Hamann said the way people experiencing mental health challenges are treated reflects on the community's leadership.

“If you lack compassion for these people, these situations, something’s off, right?” Hamann said.

We Make Indiana said the forum was intended to give voters an opportunity to hear directly from candidates across party lines and learn more about local issues before the election.

Witherspoon said voters should look beyond party affiliation when making decisions at the ballot box.

“An educated voter is an empowered voter, an informed voter is an inspired voter,” Witherspoon said. “You have to know what you’re voting for and not just checking a box because of a party affiliation.”

We Make Indiana plans to host a second candidate forum Oct. 8 at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.