Niemeyer tops Republican incumbent in council race
Will face off against Jacobi, a Democrat, in November’s election for county seat
Cedar Lake Town Council President Randy Niemeyer said he was feeling optimistic about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. With a few precincts remaining, including Crown Point and St. John in his bid to win the GOP nomination to replace incumbent Lake County Councilman Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John, he held a substantial lead.
“As long as I hold my own in the other precincts, I should win,” Niemeyer said.
Shortly before 9 p.m., Niemeyer checked the totals, with the unofficial tally showing all precincts were accounted for and that he had 64.27% of the vote.
“I’m humbled by it. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to run in the General Election and serve the district I grew up in,” Niemeyer said.
Addressing about a dozen supporters who gathered at his election night party at Bugaboo’s Restaurant in Cedar Lake, Niemeyer thanked everyone who supported his campaign.
Jorgensen was a “hell of an opponent,” but Niemeyer said he had many people calling and texting voters to encourage them to vote for him.
“It’s time to bring some real public service and integrity to South County,” Niemeyer said. “My goal now is we need to prepare for the General Election.”
Jorgensen could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Niemeyer said he decided to run for the council seat after he learned about the lawsuits between the council and the Lake County Board of Commissioners. The lawsuit, which Jorgensen initiated, focuses on shifting purchasing and data processing authority from the commissioners to the council.
“The loser in the whole (lawsuit) will be the residents,”
Niemeyer said.
If he’s elected in November, Niemeyer said as councilman he would like to reestablish a good relationship with the commissioners, focus on zero-base budgeting and improve transparency.
“I’m not there to play games. I’m there to work,” Niemeyer said.
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he was proud his cousin won the primary because he has been in local government a long time.
“I think it’s a great win for South County,” Sen. Niemeyer said.
State Rep. Michael Aylesworth, R-Hebron, who won his own primary race Tuesday, said he is happy that Niemeyer won because he has a “wealth of experience.”
“Randy will do a fine job,” Aylesworth said.
After the dust settled Wednesday, Niemeyer said he was ready to start campaigning for the fall.
“I don’t take that election lightly at all,” he said. “I don’t know my opponent. I am going to run this like I’m 20 points behind.”
Niemeyer will face Democrat Michael Jacobi. Jacobi, of Crown Point, was unopposed in the primary.
Niemeyer said he felt he could be successful in the primary bid but expected to race to be close. He thought the low voter turnout would work against him.
“My message and my reputation in South County, I think, won the day,” Niemeyer said.
Dan Dernulc, chairman of the Lake County Republican Central Committee, said there were several contentious primary races for the party including that for the 7th District council seat.
Now that the primaries are over, he would like the county’s Republicans to unite.
“We are going to unify. Me as chairman I will be behind every Republican on the ballot,” Dernulc said, adding he would also support Republican candidates tapped to fill vacancies created by the election.
“Our Republican brand is about law and order, the economy and the other hot ticket items out there right now. Those are the things I see are huge concerns for people, regular people, like my family. We are going to show we are the right choice, and our brand is the best,” Dernulc said.