Dems take oath of office to start year

VALPARAISO — Taking a break from swearing in Democrats elected to county and township offices in the November general election, Porter Superior Court Judge David Chidester made a wish Thursday for the ceremony in two years, that it include a double-digit number of officials being sworn in.

“I guess the theme of this Election Day is quality, not quantity,” he said.

Friends, family and supporters, including other elected officials, crowded in Chidester’s courtroom on the second floor of the Porter County Courthouse while he swore in Sheriff David Reynolds, Auditor Vicki Urbanik, County Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, and Portage Township Board members Edward Momola and Terry Whitten.

Reynolds previously served two terms as sheriff, from 1999 to 2006. He thanked his wife, Deb, for supporting him in another run for the office, and said he was humbled that the citizens of Porter County were giving him that opportunity another time.

“Being the sheriff is a very humbling experience, and we in law enforcement are facing some difficult times. We’re under a lot of unwarranted scrutiny,” he said. “We can’t confuse how we act and react.”

He replaces two-term Democrat David Lain, who could not seek a third consecutive term in office under state statute.

Urbanik served as the county’s budget and finance specialist for more than a year and a half. A former reporter for the Chesterton Tribune, Urbanik beat incumbent Bob Wichlinski in her second bid for the auditor’s office.

“I emphasize the facts and the truth,” she said, adding the workings of the auditor’s office are important. She also pledged integrity and accountability. “We’re protecting a very important asset. It’s your money.”

She said there will be challenges for her in the office, some of which she’s seen as she’s started to make the transition to her new job.

“I will probably make mistakes, but when I make mistakes, I will take responsibility,” she said.

Rivas is taking is starting his second term on the council, after a redistricting at the end of 2013 pushed him out of his district, forcing him and his family to move so he could retain his seat.

“They tried to gerrymander him out,” Chidester said, adding Rivas ran unopposed in the general election.

Rivas thanked the Democratic Party for their support as he fought the redistricting, and said the past year was a difficult one.

“I will try my best to represent my district and all of Porter County,” he said.