By VICKI URBANIK

After officially resigning as 10th district state representative last week, Duane Cheney will ask a Democrat caucus to rescind his resignation, which would block Jack Clem from being named his replacement in the Statehouse.

Democrat precinct committee members will meet at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday in Portage City Hall to decide what has become an unusual contest for the vacant 10th district House seat.

Cheney, who has been state representative since 1998, recently announced that he is moving out of Porter County. On June 27, he officially resigned his 10th District House seat. He endorsed Portage City Planner A.J. Monroe, who filed with the Indiana State Party as a candidate.

But earlier this week, Clem filed as a candidate. Clem, who previously served as the LaPorte district manager with the Indiana Department of Transportation and who now works as a Porter County code enforcement officer, previously ran for state representative as well as for county commissioner.

Clem has won the endorsement of Porter County Democrat Party Chair Leon West.

Monroe withdrew his candidacy on Thursday, according to Jennifer Wagner, communication specialist for the Indiana State Democrat Party.

Monroe, in turn, has endorsed Cheney in his request to rescind his resignation.

Wagner said that if the Democrat caucus votes to rescind Cheney’s resignation, Cheney will remain as state representative. But if the caucus does not grant Cheney’s request, Clem will be the new state representative, since he is the only candidate to file with the state party by Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. deadline.

Cheney cannot file as a candidate to keep his state office. According to state law, a candidate who causes a vacancy cannot file as a candidate for the seat, Wagner said. So the only option for Cheney to stay in office at this point is to ask that his resignation is rescinded.

Cheney said he has nothing against Clem, but changed his mind because he feels it would be in the best interests of the 10th district if he were to continue to serve the remainder of his term.

“Upon further reflection, I feel I can best serve the district given my experience,” he said.

West, on the other hand, said Cheney is only seeking to keep his seat “because he didn’t get his way” with his endorsement of Monroe.

West said that when Cheney first talked about moving away and possibly resigning, Monroe was the only person who came forward expressing an interest. West said he got calls from precinct committee members who said they didn’t know Monroe and didn’t know what they should do. Then Clem threw in his name. West said he had nothing to do with Clem’s candidacy.

“When Jack put his name in, the circumstances changed. And when the circumstances changed, I changed (my position),” West said.

West said Clem is a long-time, hard-working dedicated Democrat. “There is no doubt where Jack Clem is coming from at any time,” he said.

Cheney said although his house in Portage is up for sale, it could be November or December or even later before the house is sold. By then, he said, he would spend most of his time in Indianapolis at the Statehouse as usual.

“There’s a real possibility I’m going to be here for a long time,” he said.

He also noted that many state legislators don’t publish their home phone numbers. (Cheney’s home phone, by contrast, is in the phone book). He said that through the phone and emails, he would stay in contact with his constituents, even if he’s not in the district.

“I don’t see it as a problem,” he said of his continued representation.

West said that 35 precinct committee members will be eligible to vote in Sunday’s caucus.

When asked how the district vacancy and caucus was advertised, Wagner said the Indiana State Party followed the proper procedure in setting the caucus. After receiving Cheney’s official resignation last week, she said the state party had 30 days to call a caucus and 10 days before the caucus to notify the precinct members, which it did. The deadline for candidates to file with the state was 72 hours before the caucus.

Wagner said Indiana State Party Chair Dan Parker is expected to run Sunday’s caucus. She said the state party is staying neutral in the matter and will only run the caucus and count the votes.