New, familiar faces begin filing for May primaries in Porter County; council, commissioner seats on ballot
Familiar county faces as well as aids for state and federal candidates trickled into the Porter County Elections & Registration Office’s new digs Wednesday morning for the start of candidate filing, which runs until noon on Feb. 9.
Jim Albarran, Porter County’s chief deputy treasurer for the past eight years, was the first to file as a Republican for Treasurer Michelle Clancy’s seat since she cannot run again due to term limits. “She’s a Democrat,” Albarran said. “She hired me. She never asked my affiliation because she wanted competence.
“The treasurer collects it, doesn’t distribute it,” he added. “It’s more of a functional office. That’s why it didn’t really matter if she hired me.”
Sundae Schoon, director of elections & registration for Porter County, had Albarran sign documents and went over a small pile of information he needed to know such as the political sign disclaimer, which states what’s allowed on political signs, and a reminder that candidates must file campaign finance reports.