St. Joseph County Commissioners President Carl Baxmeyer is neither confirming nor denying a claim from county Democrats that commissioners plan to give the former Portage Manor property to a Catholic group.
The county Democratic Party earlier this week made the claim in a Facebook post. It said Baxmeyer “is reportedly working behind closed doors to give away the taxpayer-owned Portage Manor site to a private Catholic institution for just one dollar. Instead of protecting public land and serving the people of St. Joseph County, Baxmeyer and his allies want to hand it over to a non-taxpaying entity tied to wealthy Republican donors… This shady backroom deal must be stopped.”
Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen declined WVPE’s interview request. Baxmeyer also declined to answer questions about their claim or address its details.
“I am not going to respond to Facebook posts," Baxmeyer said. "I will just say that as far as Portage Manor goes, the county commissioners are considering and evaluating options, and no decisions have been made.”
The Portage Manor site has sat vacant since June 2023 when the then-all-Republican commissioners, against opposition from Democrats, closed it as a county home.
