Dan Schaetzle

St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge John Broden ruled Thursday that Indiana statutes don't require a political candidate to be in good standing with their party, and that overruling the county election board in Republican Dan Schaetzle's case would be an abuse of the court's discretion.

St. Joseph Circuit Judge John Broden has ruled that the county election board acts as a state, rather than a county, entity, so someone appealing its ruling in court can still receive a fair trial in a county court.

Republicans Griffin Nate and Jackie Horvath, the St. Joseph County party chair, petitioned the county Election Board to keep Republican County Council member Dan Schaetzle off the May primary election ballot because the district and state GOP have ruled he's not in good standing with the party.

Republican St. Joseph County Council member Dan Schaetzle has vowed to run for re-election in the May primary, despite Republicans saying he's not in good standing with the party.

The St. Joseph County Council voted to delay by at least a month a vote on creating a land bank program to more quickly redevelop long-vacant lots.

The St. Joseph County Council's four Democrats will maintain their governing coalition with Republican Dan Schaetzle but he'll no longer serve as president in 2026.

St. Joseph County Council Democratic President Pro Tem Bryan Tanner says Democrats' coalition with Republican Dan Schaetzle worked well, including tapping cash reserves to shore up police pensions and double road repair spending.

“Recently, the state party issued a letter in response to a complaint by former party members," said St. Joseph County Republican Party Chair Jackie Horvath. "The letter described the allegations as ‘frivolous,’ yet still imposed a reprimand. That contradiction is unfair, hypocritical and undermines the credibility of the decision itself.”

The Indiana Republican Party’s Rules Committee has issued a formal reprimand to St. Joseph County GOP Chair Jackie Horvath following complaints from two party members.

The St. Joseph County Council-passed zoning change would force solar developers to compensate property owners within a mile if their property values decline after a solar farm starts operating.