Howard County Commissioner, District 1

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]

Howard 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: $-3,334,120 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
• wheel tax: none found
• fiscal consultant named in records: other/in-house

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

• The Howard County (Kokomo) Board of Commissioners has three members: Jack Dodd (president), Brad Bray (vice president) and Jeff Lipinski; it meets on the first and third Mondays of each month ^[26].
• Countywide vote: in the May 2026 primary the Republican and Democratic District 1 commissioner contests together drew 10,561 ballots, matching the 10,562 ballots cast countywide, which indicates the seat is voted on countywide ^[25].
• Jail: the county is building a new jail; commissioners approved the jail lease in June 2026 and a $132 million guaranteed maximum price in August 2026, and in August approved an agreement with Kokomo on collecting and distributing local income tax revenue raised in 2025 ^{[30, 31, 32]}.
• Data centers and energy: in 2026 the commissioners adopted a one-year moratorium on data centers outside city limits, and residents repeatedly raised concerns about oversight of solar projects in eastern Howard County ^{[28, 32, 27]}.
• Primaries: Lipinski won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over Joseph (Joe) M. Russeau, 3,995 to 2,748; Lisa Washington was unopposed for the Democratic nomination with 2,972 votes ^[25].
• 2022 race: Lipinski was the Republican nominee for this seat in 2022, and the Democratic nominee then was also named Lisa Washington; at a 2022 forum and in a Kokomo Tribune voter guide, Lipinski cited the jail and overcrowding as the county's biggest problem, and Washington cited food deserts, transportation and mental health ^{[34, 35]}.
• No 2026 general-election candidate forum or debate for this race was found.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Jail: the county is building a new jail; commissioners approved the jail lease in June 2026 and a $132 million guaranteed maximum price in August 2026, and in August approved an agreement with Kokomo on collecting and distributing local income tax revenue raised in 2025. (Howard County, Indiana)
• Commissioners adopted a one-year permit moratorium for unincorporated areas, 3-0 (Aug 18, 2026), after a near-unanimous Plan Commission recommendation; a study committee is drafting rules. Kokomo annexed and rezoned a 600+ acre industrial park. (kokomolantern.substack.com)
• Howard County government adopted a $71.3 million budget for 2026, about $850 per resident; that is +2.3% compared with 2023. (Indiana Gateway for Government Units)

Sources