(La Porte County, IN) - The son of an Indiana state lawmaker will serve the two years remaining on an open seat on the La Porte County Council in what could represent a shift in power within the La Porte County Republican Party.
Jim Pressel, III, of Rolling Prairie defeated outgoing La Porte County Auditor Tim Stabosz by two votes Saturday in a Republican Party Caucus held to fill the seat of Mike Rosenbaum. He is the son of Jim Pressel, Jr., who has been the District 20 state representative since 2016. There were 24 precinct committee persons voting for the District 4 seat.
Pressel, 38, said his top priorities include helping to get local government working together again, eliminate deficit spending and restore the county’s A+ credit rating.
“Above all, I believe we need to learn how to find common ground, set aside our differences and put our community first,” Pressell said.
Several years ago, he succeeded his father as head of Pressel Enterprises, a housing construction and remodeling firm.
Rosenbaum, who was on the council for six-years, is vacating the seat to become the next La Porte County Auditor following his victory in the November 8th general election.
Stabosz, who lost in the May primary for a
seat on the three member Board of La Porte County Commissioners, has been a central figure in the extreme political fighting over the past four-years.
Before the voting, each of the six candidates gave a speech after introduced by their supporters. In his introduction of Stabosz, La Porte County Councilman Justin Kiel described him as sometimes “brash” and “stubborn,” but also unwavering from his “principles and his dedication to doing what he believes is right for this county.”
Stabosz firmly told the audience he doesn’t regret shining the public spotlight light over the past four years on “wasteful spending” and what he has alleged are political figures lining their pockets at the public trough.
“I don’t apologize for calling out self-dealing or pay to play which, unfortunately, have been the order of the day in LaPorte County government,” he said.
From the beginning, his Republican and Democrat opponents have strongly disputed what they have repeatedly described as unproven claims. They also labeled him as unstable and called him out publicly for mistakes in the auditor’s office including one that nearly cost taxpayers $2.5 million in a scam.
In asking for support, Stabosz also told the audience he will never do what some local Republicans have done, including working secretly with Democrats, to “undermine our unity” within the party.
La Porte County Commission President Connie Gramarossa, who has frequently clashed with Stabosz during public meetings, said she felt the outcome of the caucus was a reflection of the desire to move forward in a more peaceful manner.
Stabosz also lost in the May primary in Republican races for Precinct Committeeman and State Delegate. Pressel was declared the winner after he became the first to receive majority support after three rounds of voting.
Stabosz had a 10 to 8 lead over Pressel after the first round of voting but he received just one of the remaining six votes that went to Heather Oake before and after she was eliminated. Oake was soundly defeated in her bid for the Republican nomination against Pressel’s father in the race for state representative in May of 2022.
La Porte County Republican Party Chairman Allen Stevens believes Stabosz still has a future role to play in the party. He said Stabosz was a factor in La Porte County going from being slightly Democratic to strongly Republican over the past several years from his ability to recruit candidates and help finance their campaigns.
“He’s been a good partner. That’s been a big part of our success countywide, his recruiting candidates. You can’t win if you don’t run somebody and you can’t run somebody if you’re not recruiting,” Stevens said.
