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A caucus will be held on Jan. 16 to fill the Calumet Township trustee seat which became vacant after the former trustee pleaded guilty to wire fraud last month. (Photo/Javonte Anderson of Capital B)

This story was originally published by Capital B Gary.

By Calvin Davis
Capital B Gary
January 7, 2025

A week after Kimberly Robinson stepped down as Calumet Township trustee following her guilty plea to wire fraud, the race to fill her seat is already drawing a growing pool of candidates. The contest for the position, which oversees township assistance funds, could spark further political upheaval in Gary as two sitting Common Council members consider leaving their posts to vie for the role.

Robinson vacated the office after pleading guilty last month in U.S. District Court in Hammond to a single count of wire fraud. Court documents revealed Robinson admitted to completing fraudulent applications and purchase orders totaling $11,200 in township funds for her personal rent. In 2023, Robinson received a salary of $102,969, according to state records on government salaries in Indiana. Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, though such a sentence is unexpected in Robinson’s case. Should Robinson’s plea deal be accepted, she will be required to serve one year of probation and in addition to repaying the aforementioned $11,200, pay an additional fine of $8,700.

The process to fill Robinson’s seat is already underway, led by Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser. Under Indiana law, the trustee’s replacement will not be decided by voters but through a caucus of Gary precinct committee persons. Wieser said candidates must submit their declaration of candidacy and a statement of economic interest by Monday, Jan. 13.

“We start signing committee men in at 5:30; at 6 o’clock, the doors will close, and anyone after that wouldn’t be permitted to vote,” Weisner said. “You have to be there by 6, and then we begin to conduct the caucus. We do that until there’s an individual who wins by a majority of votes of those present.”

Gary’s Common Council could possibly lose a member, as both council President Tai Adkins and at-large member Darren Washington have expressed their interest in the seat.

Adkins joined the council as the 4th District representative after winning the 2019 election and served as vice president until the 2023 departure of then-President William Godwin, who resigned prior to taking a position at the White House. Adkins has held the position of council president since. Washington, a former township board member, ran unsuccessfully against Robinson in the 2022 primary.

The council begins this year’s session with a different cast than began last year, as Mark Spencer and Rob Brewer have moved on to the Indiana Senate and the Lake County Council, respectively.

Calvin Davis is Capital B Gary’s government and politics reporter. You can reach Calvin at calvin.davis@capitalbnews.org.