Chesterton Tribune

 

 

GOP picks Jim Biggs over Trout and Cannon

Back To Front Page

 

By JEFF SCHULTZ

and KEVIN NEVERS

Porter County’s only contested County Commissioner race in Tuesday’s primary elections saw Jim Biggs the winner over fellow Republicans, Jeff Trout and John M. Cannon.

Biggs took 8,424 votes or 38 percent of all ballots cast in the primary race to Trout’s countywide total of 7,749 votes, about 35 percent.

Cannon garnered 6,105 for a respectable 27 percent, and how the results might have been different had Cannon not been running is hard to say.

Cannon is a current Portage City Councilman. Trout has served on various boards in Chesterton for the past 15 years including the Town Council.

26,402 voters requested Republican ballots Tuesday and were eligible to vote in the race.

In Duneland, --which is home to both Biggs and Trout--the story was somewhat different, with Trout winning both a plurality of the vote, 42 percent to Biggs’ 37 percent (and Cannon’s 21 percent); and a slight majority of its 30 precincts, 17 to Biggs’ 12 (Cannon won a single precinct outright and tied for first with Trout in another)

Trout’s precincts: Westchester 5 (the Porter Downtown); W6 (Dune Acres); W7 (Porter north of Oakhill Road); W8; W10 (south of West Porter Ave., west of 11th Street); W11 (Burns Harbor); W13 (Indian Trails in Porter); W14 (Estates of Sand Creek); W17 (Burns Harbor’s far west side, with Cannon); W18 (Western Acres); Jackson 4; Liberty 1 (Crocker, Abercrombie Woods, Westwood Manor): L4 (south of U.S. 6, west of Meridian Road, north of C.R. 700N); L5 (South of C.R. 1050N, east of Meridian Road); L6 (north of U.S. 6, west of Meridian Road, and south of C.R. 900N); Pine 1; and P1.

Biggs’ precincts: W1 (Morgan Park); W3 (Biggs’ home precinct, including South Second Street); W4 (between Broadway and West Porter Ave. west of 12th Street); W9 (Olde Town, Duneland Cove); W12 (South Park Acres, Dunewood Drive, Shannon Drive, Oakwood Drive, and parts of Chestnut Hills); J1; J2; J3; J5; L2 (north of U.S. 6, east of C.R. 200W, south of CSX); L3 (south of C.R. 900N, east of Ind. 49); L7 (south of C.R. 700N and west of Meridian Road).

Cannon’s precincts: W16 (Porter’s far west side); and--with Trout--W17 (Burns Harbor’s far west side).

Biggs told the Chesterton Tribune this morning he “tips his hat to both Jeff and John” for having run “very strong campaigns.” He said he “is humbled by the support” voters gave to him in the election.

Biggs said he thought he and Trout had much in common in their campaign messages, both wanting to see a plan developed for the County.

“We wanted a lot of the same things. We just said it differently,” said Biggs. “I think that had (Cannon) not ran, the numbers between Jeff and myself would be drastically different,” Biggs said.

Being a current County Council member and previous County Commissioner is what Biggs thinks helped him gain a stronger recognition in the County. His forthright opposition to the banquet center proposed for Indiana Dunes State Park and the Great Lakes Basin Transportation rail line may have been another boost, he said

Trout was endorsed by the current North District County Commissioner seatholder, Republican John Evans, while Biggs had support from Center District County Commissioner Jeff Good.

Evans chose not to run this year for what would be his fifth term.

Biggs will face Democrat candidate Jeff Chidester in the November general election.

 

Posted 5/4/2016

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

Search This Site:

Custom Search