Retired Republican State Rep. Dave Wolkins is looking to return to public service.
Over the weekend, Wolkins said if Jon Garber definitely was not seeking re-election as District 4 county councilman, he will be running. At the Oct. 14 Kosciusko County Council meeting, Garber, a Republican, read a prepared statement announcing he was not going to seek another term. Garber’s term ends Dec. 31, 2022.
“I’m definitely leaning that way,” Wolkins said in a telephone call about running for the Council position. “… I’m still pretty healthy and I miss being involved. I can still do a lot for the community. I have a lot of time on my hands and it’s an opportunity to serve.”
Wolkins plans to make a more formal announcement in the future.
He represented District 18 in the Indiana House of Representatives for 32 years. He did not seek re-election in 2020, and Craig Snow eventually won that House seat. After state redistricting, Districts 18 and 22 overlap so Snow, a Republican, will have to go against incumbent District 22 State Rep. Curt Nisly, also a Republican, for the seat.
As of Sunday, no one else has announced they will be seeking Garber’s Council seat in the 2022 election.
Garber isn’t the only councilman not seeking re-election next year. At the October GOP fish fry, Councilman Ernie Wiggins, District 3, said he did not plan to run again. Since then, County Coroner Tony Ciriello, 61, kicked off his campaign for District 4 and Scott Clay, 24, has a campaign kick-off scheduled for Wednesday. Clay and Ciriello are both Republicans.
The remaining two County Council district seats are held by Mike Long, District 2, and Kimberly Cates, District 1. While Long has reportedly said he will seek re-election, Cates has not announced a decision.
The Kosciusko County Council has seven members – three at-large and four district members. The current at-large members won election in 2020 and include Sue Ann Mitchell, Joni Truex and Kathleen Groninger.
