St. Joseph County Republicans already have someone to challenge County Council Republican Dan Schaetzle in next year’s primary elections, and the challenger is a familiar face.
Republican Jamie O’Brien on Thursday filed to run for Schaetzle’s seat. That’s the council’s District C, which covers the Harris Township part of Granger up in the county’s northeast corner. The party has been furious with Schaetzle over an agreement he struck with the 9-member council’s four Democrats to share power with them.
O'Brien says people in Granger aren’t happy with Schaetzle, who they elected in 2022. But Schaetzle disagrees. He has said he’s still a Republican and always will be, but he sees Republicans in the current political climate as being too far to the right and out-of-touch with most of his constituents who he says care more about things like roads and parks.
When Schaetzle refused to endorse Republican Loris Zappia for probate court judge in the November elections, the party censured him. They say he’s now banned from attending party functions and can’t run for office again as a Republican, but Schaetzle has vowed to run again if he wants to.
O’Brien had been serving as council attorney since January 2023 but the new leadership coalition in January replaced him with attorney Clint Zalas.
O’Brien is also a certified public accountant and a teaching professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He served on the council from 2012 to 2018 when he quit to spend more time caring for his elderly parents.
