2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Porter County Commissioner, District 2

Voted on across Porter County, in district 2. Open seat: Barb Regnitz is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballot All Porter County races

Who votes on this seat: Commissioners must live in their district, but every voter in the county votes for this seat. Indiana Code 36-2-2-5

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]

What the law puts in this job (13)

Acts as the county executive and transacts county business under the name of the board of commissioners ^[1].
Runs the day-to-day administration of county government affairs that the state has not given to a separately elected county officer ^[2].
Serves as the county's legislative body, passing ordinances and resolutions, in every county except Lake, Marion and St. Joseph, where that power belongs to the county council ^[2].
Controls, maintains and supervises county property such as the courthouse, the jail building and county offices ^[13].
Oversees county roads and bridges, highway records, speed limits and stop signs ^[13].
Audits and approves claims for payment, takes bids and authorizes county contracts ^[13].
Prepares the commissioners' part of the county budget and recommends salaries to the county council, which must consider the executive's recommendations before adopting the salary ordinance ^{[13, 11]}.
Handles zoning, planning, building regulation and economic development matters, and in many counties casts the final vote on rezoning requests such as proposed data centers ^{[13, 14]}.
Sets voting precincts and polling places and appoints members of many county boards ^[13].
Establishes and maintains the county health department and can declare a local disaster emergency ^[2].
Draws the three commissioner districts and the county council districts, outside the largest counties where a commission or the council draws them ^{[15, 16]}.
Does not set the county budget, property tax rate or salaries; those decisions belong to the county council, and no money leaves the county treasury without a council appropriation except as otherwise provided by law ^{[3, 4, 11]}.
Does not run the offices of other elected county officials such as the sheriff, auditor or treasurer, which are separately elected ^[2].

Porter 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.

Commissioners' department (code 0068), 2026 adopted budget

$66,416,419

47% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $45,064,7012026 $66,416,419

The year-by-year figures

Adopted budget, all funds, 2019-2026 (not adjusted for inflation)

2019: $45,064,701
2020: $30,490,100
2021: $22,590,349
2022: $21,229,165
2023: $21,939,057
2024: $23,584,575
2025: $25,942,300
2026: $66,416,419

Budget lines counted: 0068 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Adopted 2026 county budget (Form 1 line items, Form 4B) and earlier years' budgets

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: $-6,338,460 (LSA)
MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): convened
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.

General Fund cash, in days of spending · 2025

149 days

End-of-2025 General Fund cash divided by a year's disbursements, times 365.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council and commissioners jointly): spending and appropriation decisions

Position 7 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of the 2025 General Fund budget spent · 2025

103.9%

Actual General Fund spending divided by the certified budget.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council appropriates; commissioners and officers spend)

Position 2 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

County debt per resident · 2025

$467

Debt outstanding at the end of 2025 (annual financial report).

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council authorizes borrowing; commissioners initiate many projects)

Position 2 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Budget growth, 2023 to 2026 · 2023-2026

+53.3%

Adopted budget, all funds, not adjusted for inflation.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council adopts the budget)

Position 1 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

SEA 1 estimate for 2028 · 2028 (LSA estimate)

-10.0%

Legislative Services Agency estimate of the county government's revenue change under the 2025 property tax law, compared with prior law.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: set by state law (SEA 1-2025); local rate choices from 2028 change the outcome

Position 6 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Property tax cap credits · 2026

6.7%

Tax-cap (circuit breaker) credits as a share of the 2026 levy: revenue the county does not collect because of the caps.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: set mainly by the constitutional caps and the combined rates of all units in the county

Position 9 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

County bridges rated poor · 2025

6.0%

Share of county-owned bridges in poor condition (2025 inventory).

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: commissioners set road and bridge priorities and local match; projects take years and depend on grants

Position 7 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Highway spending per lane-mile · 2025

$9,193

2025 county highway spending per lane-mile of county road.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (commissioners direct the highway department; council appropriates)

Position 6 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Meeting minutes online · 2026-10

Posted as text

Whether the council's or commissioners' minutes are posted online (the better of the two), checked Oct. 2026.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (commissioners and council decide what they post)

About this race

Porter County has a three-member Board of Commissioners. District 2 (Center) covers Center, Washington and Union townships ^[23]. Past results show countywide vote totals in commissioner races (57,720 votes in District 2 in 2022), which indicates voters countywide choose the District 2 commissioner ^[24]. The other commissioners are Republicans Ed Morales (District 1) and Jim Biggs (District 3) ^{[23, 35]}.
Open seat: incumbent Barb Regnitz is running for Congress instead ^[25].
May 5, 2026 primaries: Democrat Kyle S. Nelson won 5,593 to 4,057 over James Kocal; Republican Mike Brickner won 4,783 to 3,280 over Cyndi Dykes ^[26].
County issues in 2026 have included jail construction payments ^{[30, 31]}, bridge and road projects ^[34], recovery from the August 11, 2026 derecho ^{[32, 33]}, and a 2027 budget whose first reading listed a $57.96 million general fund and $175.6 million across all funds ^[36]. In March 2026 Commissioner Ed Morales said reports of a proposed data center in the county were "a rumor" ^[37].
Local income tax: the county held local income tax workshops with Baker Tilly in 2025, including a June 2025 presentation on the effects of Senate Enrolled Act 1 property-tax changes ^[38].
No candidate forum or debate for this race was found.

Candidates on the ballot

Mike Brickner

Republican

Republican nominee, a sitting at-large Porter County Council member and former Valparaiso police chief ^{[43, 44]}.

Brickner's background

Porter County Council member (at large) since 2021; elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024 ^{[43, 45, 35]}.
Served as Valparaiso police chief for the whole 14-year tenure of Mayor Jon Costas, then left in 2017 to become executive director of Porter County's new Emergency Communications and Public Safety Department ^[44].
BallotReady lists him as director of school safety and transportation for East Porter County School Corporation since 2019 ^[43].
Appointed by the council in January 2026 to the Community Corrections Advisory Board and the Emergency Management Agency board ^[46].

Brickner's positions

Budget & taxes

On February 24, 2026, before voting for a $46,000 General Fund appropriation for courtroom audio maintenance, said "there has to be better communication" and that taking money from the General Fund in February would not be "a common practice" ^[47].
On January 27, 2026, moved to approve $14,000 in added council salaries for 2026 elected-official raises; it passed 4-3 ^[48]. He also voted for the other elected-officials' raise appropriations that night ^[48].

Public safety & jail

Serves on the Community Corrections Advisory Board and the EMA board as the council's appointee ^[46].

Brickner on the current officeholder

Open seat. No statements by him about Commissioner Regnitz or the board's direction were found.

How Brickner got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary over Cyndi Dykes, 4,783 to 3,280 ^[26].
Previously ran for this seat in 2022, losing the Republican primary to Barb Regnitz ^[27].

What we could not find about Brickner

No campaign website, platform or candidate questionnaire answers were found.
Chicago Tribune coverage of his career could not be reviewed for this profile.
Times of Northwest Indiana coverage of the race could not be reviewed for this profile.
Porter County Council minutes from 2025, including any local income tax votes, were not reviewed.
No campaign platform or website was found.
No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Brickner

Mike Brickner (BallotReady)

Kyle S Nelson

Democratic

Democratic nominee and brewery manager who says he would focus on communication with residents, explaining county government and responsible spending ^{[39, 40]}.

Nelson's background

Manager at Burn 'Em Brewing; previously worked in marketing and communications ^{[39, 41]}.
Lifelong Northwest Indiana resident who has lived in Valparaiso about 12 years; volunteers at the Porter County Museum and has worked with the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, according to his campaign ^[41].

Nelson's positions

Transparency

Says "The general public deserves to know what their government is doing" and plans to use social media to announce meetings and pending decisions ^[40].
Wants to work with the county to upgrade recording equipment so full meetings can be watched online at any time ^[40].
Would produce short videos explaining what commissioners do, and work with residents to tell commissioners what the public wants ^{[40, 39]}.

Budget & taxes

Says the county should spend funds responsibly in ways that help people in their everyday lives ^{[40, 39]}.

Economic development

His campaign names "accountability and responsible development" as keys to building Porter County ^[41].

How Nelson would run the office

Hold regular outreach to hear residents on local projects and county spending ^[42].
Expand online access to full commissioners' meetings ^[40].
Work on voter registration and education on local issues ^[40].

Nelson on the current officeholder

Open seat. No statements about the current board or the incumbent were found; his campaign stresses more open communication from county government ^{[42, 40]}.

How Nelson got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary over James Kocal, 5,593 to 4,057 ^[26].

What we could not find about Nelson

His website does not state positions on roads, the jail, data centers, tax abatements or the county budget.
Whether he has held or sought public office before was not found. No news interview, forum appearance or candidate questionnaire answers were reviewed; a VOTE411 entry is cited by other guides but could not be reviewed for this profile.
Times of Northwest Indiana coverage of the race could not be reviewed for this profile.
No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Nelson's campaign website

Sources for Nelson

Kyle S. Nelson (BallotReady)

Key points

Porter County has a three-member Board of Commissioners. District 2 (Center) covers Center, Washington and Union townships. (Porter County, Indiana)
INDOT awarded the county $1.5 million in 2024 and in 2025 and $0 in FY2026. Porter was not on the BMV wheel tax list behind the June 2026 lane-mile distribution. FHWA rates 13 of 279 bridges in the county poor. (in.gov)
Porter County government adopted a $166.9 million budget for 2026, about $948 per resident; that is +53.3% compared with 2023. (Indiana Gateway for Government Units)

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

Indiana Code 36-2-2-2: Board of commissioners as county executive (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
County Government Overview: Indiana (National Association of Counties (NACo))
Indiana Code 36-2-5-2: Tax rates and appropriations (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-5-3: Compensation of officers and employees (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-2-1: Application of chapter (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Marion County Commissioners (Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (Thomas C. Kennedy))
Indiana Code 36-2-2-3: Election and term of executive (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-2-5: Qualifications and residency of members; district or countywide election (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 3-8-1-21: Candidates for county commissioner (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-5-11: Annual budget, tax rate and salary ordinances (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
Commissioners Responsibilities (Boone County, Indiana)
Indiana state officials want to attract data centers. Local communities are beginning to push back (Indianapolis Business Journal via Inside INdiana Business (Marek Mazurek))
Indiana Code 36-2-2-4: Commissioner districts (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-3-4: Council districts and at-large members (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Your Commissioners (Porter County, Indiana)
2022General Election Results: County Commissioner (Indiana Election Division)
2026 Voter Guide: Indiana's 1st Congressional District (WFYI Public Media)
2026Primary Election Results: County Commissioner (Indiana Election Division)
2022Primary Election Results: County Commissioner (Indiana Election Division)
Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-07-14 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-08-25 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-08-31 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-09-04 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-09-15 (Porter County, Indiana)
2024General Election Results: County Commissioner (Indiana Election Division)
Porter County Council 2027 budget hearing and first reading minutes, 2026-08-25 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-03-31 (Porter County, Indiana)
County Income Tax (Porter County Auditor)
Kyle S. Nelson (BallotReady)
The Issues (Kyle4PoCo Committee (campaign))
About (Kyle4PoCo Committee (campaign))
Kyle for Porter County Commissioner (Kyle4PoCo Committee (campaign))
Mike Brickner (BallotReady)
A Big Promotion For Veteran Valpo Police Officer (Lakeshore Public Media)
2020General Election Results: County Commissioner (Indiana Election Division)
Porter County Council reorganization meeting minutes, 2026-01-27 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Council regular meeting minutes, 2026-02-24 (Porter County, Indiana)
Porter County Council regular meeting minutes, 2026-01-27 (Porter County, Indiana)

What's included: the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else: Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists: As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls: Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.