Gary Residents To Select New Mayor
GARY, Ind. (CBS) -- Municipal elections are being held Tuesday in several Indiana towns and cities, including Gary, which could see its first woman mayor.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports, in Gary, Democrat Karen Freeman-Wilson, Republican Charles S. Smith Jr., independent candidate LaVetta Sparks-Wade, and Unicratic Party candidate Eddie Tarver.
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No matter who wins, political science professor Dr. Maurice Eisenstein of Purdue University says the new mayor will have very tough financial choices to make, since Gary has lost population, property values and more.
"They're going to have to say no – which nobody has really said no yet in Gary. With that, she's going to have to say yes that some things that have never been done before in Gary," Eisenstein said.
If Freeman-Wilson wins, she would become the first woman mayor in Gary. If Smith wins, he would become the first Republican mayor in Gary in more than 70 years.
Elections are also being held Tuesday in Hammond, East Chicago, Crown Point, Valparaiso and other municipalities.
