Clinton County Commissioner, District 3

What this office does

In 91 of Indiana's 92 counties, a three-member board of commissioners is the county executive and conducts the county's business in the board's name ^{[1, 2]}. Commissioners administer county government affairs that state law does not assign to a separately elected officer, while the county council, a separate elected body, controls budgets, tax rates and salaries ^{[2, 3, 4]}. Marion County is the exception: under the consolidated Indianapolis–Marion County government (Unigov), the mayor holds most executive power, and the elected county assessor, auditor and treasurer serve as the county commissioners, with duties that mostly concern county finances ^{[5, 2, 6]}.

The job in full — the duties the Indiana Code puts in it, the term, what it pays and who sets that, and what to ask a candidate.

Term

4 years, starting January 1 after the election; seats are staggered, so one or two of the three seats are filled at each general election ^[7]

Elected

On the partisan general-election ballot; each commissioner represents a district and must live in it, but in every county except Lake and St. Joseph the whole county votes on every commissioner seat; in Lake and St. Joseph counties only the district's voters choose ^{[8, 9]}

Term limit

None stated; the statute that sets the four-year term does not limit how many terms a commissioner may serve ^[7]

Qualifications

Must have lived in the county at least one year and in the commissioner district at least six months before the election, and be registered to vote in the election district; a county employee who is elected must leave that county job on taking office ^{[10, 9]}

Pay

Set locally: the county council fixes the compensation of county officers in its annual salary ordinance ^{[4, 11]}

On the 2026 ballot

94 races; 41 contested ^[12]

Clinton County's numbers for this office

Legal Insights county office research (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Gateway budgets 2019-2026 and the indicator sources linked on each line.

• In most counties this department also holds countywide costs such as group and liability insurance, contracts and some capital projects. It is the department total, not the cost of the board of commissioners.

Also on the record for this office

• SEA 1 estimated county-unit revenue change in 2028 vs prior law: $-1,195,680 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
• wheel tax: none found
• fiscal consultant named in records: Baker Tilly

Measured, for this county

A position compares this county with counties of similar size. It is not a grade: for most measures a higher or lower number is neither good nor bad on its own.

About this race

• Clinton County has three commissioners serving four-year terms, with district seats on the ballot in different years ^[24]. District 3 covers Warren, Forest, Michigan, Johnson, Sugar Creek, Kirklin, Jackson and Perry townships and the towns of Colfax, Kirklin, Michigantown and Forest ^[23]. Whether all county voters or only district voters elect this seat could not be confirmed.
• Incumbent Jordan Brewer (R) is seeking re-election ^[25].
• May 5, 2026 Republican primary (unofficial, as reported): Brewer 85.1%, Richard (Rich) Kelly 14.9%. No Democratic candidate was on the primary ballot ^{[25, 29]}.
• November ballot: Brewer and independents Kimberly Duff and Richelle M Lutz ^[12].
• Budget context: at the council's September 2025 budget hearings, consultant Baker Tilly reported that SEA 1 capped 2026 levy growth at 4% (versus about 5.6% under the usual formula), will shrink the tax base through 2031, ends the county's 0.50% property-tax-relief income tax after 2027, and lets the council adopt up to a 1.2% local income tax for county services from 2028 (illustratively about $10.6 million a year) ^[30].
• Data center: after months of debate the commissioners denied a 714.55-acre data center rezoning in January 2026 ^[27]; in October 2026 Brewer said the City of Frankfort's later approval of a data center agreement was a city decision with no county involvement ^[28].
• Coverage of a spring 2026 primary forum including this race could not be reviewed for this profile. No general-election forums were found.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Clinton County has three commissioners serving four-year terms, with district seats on the ballot in different years. (Clinton County, Indiana)
• The plan commission recommended approval with commitments (Jan 6, 2026); commissioners denied the Logix Realty/DataOne rezoning 3-0 on Jan 20, 2026. Reported concerns included developer transparency on fiscal numbers, the end user and road costs. (insideindianabusiness.com)
• Clinton County government adopted a $42.7 million budget for 2026, about $1,280 per resident; that is +33.3% compared with 2023. (Indiana Gateway for Government Units)

Sources