NEW BOSS IN TOWN
As mayor, Spebar vows to continue moving city forward
Whiting Mayor Steve Spebar took the oath of office Sept. 19, and he promises to continue to make progress and move the city forward.
Spebar, who has held various positions with the city of Whiting since 1997, will finish out former mayor Joseph Stahura’s term, which ends in December 2023, he said.
Stahura resigned Sept. 2 after being charged with misusing campaign finances. On Sept. 9, Stahura entered a guilty plea in federal court on charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return stemming from the misuse of approximately $255,000 in campaign finds on gambling and personal bills.
“I have been a friend of Joe’s for almost 40 years, and I consider him a good man and a good mayor. Working with him on the council … I’ve know him to be fair and very progressive in his thinking,” Spebar said. “This is a strong community. It bonds together, it always has. This community will continue to move forward.”
Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Weiser said that Spebar, who was the only person to file for the office, will help the city move forward. Spebar has served as the Whiting Democratic Party Chairman for about seven years.
“I think he’ll do a really good job, an effective job. He’s extremely dedicated,” Weiser said. “He will continue to make Whiting an excellent place to live.”
Spebar, 58, said he filed a declaration of candidacy because as a longtime Whiting resident and his experience working for the city he was “the best equipped to assume the office of mayor.”
From 1997 to 2015, Spebar was a member of the plan commission, 17 years of which he was the commission president, he said.
From 2000 to 2015, Spebar was a Whiting City Councilman, 12 years of which he served as finance committee chairman, he said.
Spebar served as street commissioner from 2004 to 2017, and most recently Spebar said he has served as the city’s planning and zoning administrator.
During his time serving the city, Spebar
“I love this city. We want the city to continue to move forward and continue to progress. I think my experience will help in those matters.” — Steve Spebar, Whiting mayor
said he is most proud of having a hand in establishing a quiet zone near the railroad and passing legislation that helped the city and the downtown business district.
Spebar said he “played a significant” in working with the plan commission and the city council to ensure the completion of the Center Street development, which built homes on land the city bought from the railroad.
“That was a strip of land close to our football field, and we were able to develop that land with new homes,” Spebar said. “It was a magnificent addition to our city.”
As mayor, Spebar said he will work to maintain the city’s “excellent” services and to continue to improve the quality of life for all residents.
City officials will also review commercial and residential development plans and “figure out what’s the best fit for our community, but we will have development,” Spebar said.
Specifically, the city will review a couple areas on Indianapolis Boulevard for commercial developments, as well as residential developments in the city’s stadium district, Spebar said.
“I love this city. We want the city to continue to move forward and continue to progress. I think my experience will help in those matters,” Spebar said.
Spebar said that when the term ends, he plans to run for mayor.