St. Joseph County Democratic Party

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen has gone to court to stop the Republican-run election board and clerk's office from keeping four Democratic candidates off the ballot over a candidate paperwork dispute.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party chair Don Westerhausen says Republicans are ignoring his lawsuit to get four Democratic candidates back on the Nov. 3 ballot, so on Thursday he filed an emergency motion asking Judge Jenny Pitts-Manier to hear the case.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen filed suit Tuesday to force the county election board and clerk to place Democrats Autumn Kaylor, Dan Caruso, Marcy Kauffman and Christy Donlon on the Nov. 3 election ballot.

Indiana statute requires city common council members to have lived in the city for a year and in their council district for six months, but property records show Heidi Beidinger bought her South Bend home only nine months ago.

A caucus has been scheduled to replace Troy Warner on the South Bend Common Council. Warner is stepping down from the council next Friday, to become Mayor James Mueller’s chief of staff.

South Bend Mayor James Mueller Thursday announced that Common Council member Troy Warner will become his chief of staff. St. Joseph County Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen is taking applications from people interested in the council seat and will soon set a party caucus to pic Warner's replacement.

Republican St. Joseph County Commissioners President Carl Baxmeyer would only say that commissioners have made no decisions on what to do with the Portage Manor property.

St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter's chief deputy, Amy Cressy, plans to run next November to succeed him. Cotter was elected in 2015 after serving as Prosecutor Michael Dvorak's chief deputy.

St. Joseph County Democratic Party Vice-Chair Don Westerhausen is the first to declare his candidacy for party chair.

After seeking legal advice, the St. Joseph County Democratic party says that Sharon McBride's intent to return to her home, despite staying elsewhere temporarily, means she hasn't officially moved.