The Times from Munster, Indiana • 3

The Times A3 WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1998 III 8 0 0 0 re a 8dfch4iacked candidates wood The incumbent he sought to punish also was victorious 1 -A I down. Long-time Stiglich supporter County Surveyor George Van Til said Monday most of Stiglich's attention has been focused on East Chicago. "Since this campaign began," Van Til said, "the chairman has asked me to do two things give him some precinct maps and make a tally board for election day" for the East Chicago races. East Chicago Sanitary Board President Joel Markovich, a long-time ally of Mayor Robert Pastrick, said Tuesday afternoon that Stiglich had been supporting several committeemen candidates, including his opponent Diane Briones, Emiliano Perez, John Honeycut, and Dorothy Trojnar. Shortly after 10 p.m., Markovich said he had won his committeeman race with 156 votes while Briones stood second with 43 votes in the race.

He said Honeycut won, while Trojnar lost. Perez also lost. Anton won handily. Peter Benjamin said Monday that Stiglich had lent him substantial support. He said Stiglich also had supported John Aguilera's race for County Council and John Matonovich's bid for re-election as North Township assessor.

Other observers offered the same assessment. Benjamin, Matonovich, and Aguilera all won their bid for the Democratic nomination victories tantamount to winning the offices in Lake County. Stiglich had made a particularly strong push to back Aguilera's bid for the party's nomination, particularly in East Chicago where many expect Stiglich to run for mayor in 1999. Stiglich has been mum to the press on the matter, but shortly before Easter he appeared at a meeting at the home of Colleen Aguirre to support Aguilera. Aguirre said she asked Stiglich if he would run for mayor, and "he smiled and nodded his head" up and BY WILLIAM LAZARUS Times Staff Writer Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Stiglich did well Tuesday with the county candidates he backed, but wound up with egg on his face after the candidate he tried to punish won easily.

Informal reports indicated Stiglich met with mixed success in some East Chicago precinct committeeman races, which he was watching closely. To punish her for supporting a Republican as election board chairman, Stiglich cut off Democratic Central Committee money to any precinct organization that slated Anna Anton for re-election as county clerk. A number of precinct organizations supported Anton anyway, and Stiglich appeared to lose interest in the race. "He doesn't have a candidate for clerk," said one observer Monday. "He sent Anton a message, and he walked away." ZBIGNIEW BZDAK THE TIMES County Democratic Chairman Stephen Stiglich looks over totals provided by supporters of John Aguilera from left, David Kusiak, Lisa Kusiak and Jessie Arredondo Tuesday night at the former Croatian Hall in East Chicago.

Anton, Karras, Holinga Katona claim victory fen? VET 4 I y- 3t ALDINO GALLO THE TIMES Sheriff John Buncich congratulates Anna Anton for her lopsided victory over four others in the county clerk's race. Buncich too was a winner, running unopposed in the Democratic primary for sheriff. GEOFFREY BLACK THE TIMES BY ROBIN BIESEN Times Staff Writer A pair of incumbents and a newcomer with a high-profile name led the list of victors Tuesday in the race for the Democratic nomination for Lake County assessor, clerk and treasurer. Clerk Anna Anton, Assessor Paul Karras and Peggy Holinga Katona, the top vote getter in the treasurer's race, all claimed victory. The biggest surprise may have been in the assessor's race.

Political insiders said it was a protest against Karras that led more than 10,000 voters countywide to cast their ballots for Armando "Mandy" Gomez. Gomez, of East Chicago, was a no-show throughout the campaign. Anton, whose biggest challenge came early on from Lake County Democratic Chairman Stephen Stiglich, bested her closest opponent, Gary Democrat Carolyn Jordan, by a 2-to-l margin. Stiglich tried to strong arm the Democratic precinct organization early in the campaign. The move riled many in the organization and in the end may have helped Anton.

When that didn't work, insiders say, Stiglich looked to Jordan to take votes away from Anton. In the race for treasurer, Holinga Katona will apparently succeed her mother in the office that is responsible for handling more than $700 million annual- ly. Katona worked her way up in the treasurer's office over the last seven years, serving as chief deputy under Irene Holinga. Holinga Katona was criticized loudly and often by her opponent, Michael Washington, for her family ties. Supporters such as Lake County Commissioners President Frances Dupey say even though she came to the office by virtue of her name, Holinga Katona has made a name for herself.

Dupey credits Holinga Katona with helping to rid the treasurer's office of problems and championing the cause of Lake County taxpayers. Morris Carter, who Tuesday lost his bid to replace Rudolph Clay as 1st District Lake County commissioner, dances nonetheless with supporters and family members at his post-election party at a restaurant In Gary. Clay wins commissioner's race COUNTY CLERK Democratic Primary Anna Anton 23,402 votes Theresa Wilson 3,410 Rick Thomas Olson 1,960 Carolyn Jordan 12,938 Paula J. Bartock 4,975 98 percent of precincts reporting' Freeland and Carter split anti-Clay vote BY JOE CARROLL Times Staff Writer GARY Lake County Commissioner Rudolph Clay defeated a crowded field of chal COUNTY TREASURER Democratic Primary Peggy Holinga Katona 28,087 votes commissioner's race in February. Tuesday night, Freeland said he knew he would lose after seeing results from six precincts.

He blamed his loss on the overwhelming financial and organizational support Clay had at his disposal by virtue of his post as chairman of the Gary Democratic Precinct Organization. "Rudy had unlimited financial resources from the power structure so that he could buy all kinds of things," Freeland said, referring to the gospel music cassettes and fans he distributed to church-goers all over Gary in the weeks before the election. Clay did not return phone messages seeking comment. He has no Republican opposition in the November general election. Center, who got 827 votes; and Jasinto Carter, a grand-nephew of Clay's who received 484 votes.

"By and large, Bob Freeland was taking just enough votes away for Rudy to win," Carter said from the Chez Criton restaurant in Gary, where he and his supporters gathered to await vote totals. "My job is to preach liberty to the captives, and anytime you do that it's going to be difficult." Freeland has been under FBI investigation for his alleged involvement in an unwritten title company deal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars when he was recorder. Because of that, Democratic Party leaders who had assumed he was permanently out of politics were shocked when he entered the COUNTY TREASURER Democratic Primary Rudolph Clay 10,695 Morris Carter 5,082 Robert Freeland 4,005 Lyndeli Vanzant 850 Jasinto Carter 498 98 percent of precincts reporting feated his two strongest rivals Recorder Morris Carter and former Recorder Robert Free-land in Tuesday's vote. With nearly 98 percent of the precincts counted, Clay had 10,144 votes; Carter had and Freeland had 3,887. The remaining two candidates were Lyndeli Vanzant, a brother-in-law of Morris Carter's who works for Clay in the Lake County Government lengers Tuesday, including a grand-nephew, the of a rival, and two prominent Democrats who split the anti-Clay vote between Michael F.

Washington 11960 98 percent of precincts reporting COUNTY ASSESSOR 1 'Va. Rudolph Clay Wins primary them. Clay, the Gary Democratic boss who has been a commissioner since 1987, handily de- Paul Karras 26,923 votes Armando Mandy Gomez 12,834 98 percent of precincts reporting Buncich, Carter wait to see if they gain opponents for general election UNOPPOSED Democratic Primary John Buncich Sheriff 35,088 votes the evening celebrating their successes. Buncich thanked his supporters who gathered at the Operating Engineers Credit Union office in Merrillville. Carter addressed his supporters at the former Croatian Hall in East Chicago.

Both Buncich and Carter are seeking second terms. Buncich's office has been under scrutiny in recent months by federal authorities for alleged mismanagement and misappropriation of resources related to the Lake County Drug Task Force. But for his backers, it was a moot point. "I'm just glad John's around for another four years," said Richard Domazet, Lake County Sheriff's Department commander of staff services. "He runs a professional department, and it's a place everyone's proud to work at irregard-less of what you see in the papers at times." "He's running a professional operation," Domazet added.

"There are no politics in the department. I think he's done a fine job." people supported me. "I look forward to the next four years and representing the interests of the people of Lake; County." Lake County Democratic Chairman Stephen Stiglich said the uncontested Democratic! contests were the result of; tremendous backing for the can-; didates. i "For (Democrats) to have the ability to get major candidates', and not have opposition is very meaningful," he said. "I'm very; pleased and looking to bring the; party together." BY RADA INDJICH Times Staff Writer The competition wasn't stiff in Tuesday's primary election for two Democratic Lake County incumbents it was nonexistent.

Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and Prosecutor Bernard Carter faced no opposition on the ballot. But it doesn't mean the two will run unopposed in the general election. There is still a chance for candidates to file and run against them in November. Nevertheless, the two spent Hank Wronka and William Woynaroski, also county officers, agreed. "I'm here to support a guy who's done a great job," Woynaroski said.

Added Wronka: "I'm in my 22nd year with the department, and the sheriff cares about the men. We've got a lot more training." In East Chicago, Carter was upbeat about his impending victory. "I'm pleased," he said. "It was fortunate to have no opposition. That carje about because a lot of if Bernard Carter Prosecutor 37,344 votes 98 percent of precincts reporting.