Repay, Poland leading in primaries for Lake County Commissioner seat
Incumbent Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay, D-Hammond, will face off against Republican challenger Kimberly Poland in November after each appeared to secure their party’s nomination.
With all precincts reporting, Repay led the pack of four Democrats with 64% of the vote, with former Lake County Councilman Alfredo Menchaca as his closest challenger with 24% of the vote, Matthew J. Celestin carried about 6.4% of the vote, and Richard A. DeLeon rounded out the primary with about 5.3%, according to unofficial election results.
On the Republican side, Hammond Republican Kimberly Poland led competitor Humberto Prado, 74% to 25%.
“I’m excited to win, but there’s some reasons to be cautious,” Repay said. “We, as Democrats, need to do a better job turning people out.”
Repay said he is not afraid of working hard in the fall to secure his reelection.
“I’m ready to do that,” he said. One thing he learned while speaking to voters this primary season was some fervent Democrats he encountered were somewhat concerned, disappointed and unaware of what the party has going on.
“We, as Democrats, need to do a better job communicating our candidates, We have to get the message to the people and encourage them to turn out, explain to them how important things like personal civil rights are to people,” Repay said.
He said he is up for the task in November.
“We need to make it clear to our base just how important it is. Oftentimes, we take our Democratic base for granted. We can’t do that,” Repay said.
Poland said she was humbled by the apparent win and looks forward to the opportunity to serve the community.
“I’m thankful for the support of the Republican Party,” Poland said.
“I want to have the support of the whole community. That, I would hope to gain in November,” Poland said, adding she is looking forward to the challenge.
“That’s my message. I want us to come together for a better Lake County,” Poland said.
