Andrea E. Burniske
Democratic
Democratic nominee; she is retired from a career in international development and won a four-way Democratic primary with 52.4% [34, 33, 26].
Burniske's background
- Retired international development professional who says she managed multimillion-dollar programs funded by USAID, the World Bank and the State Department; she has also worked as a special education teacher and with Extension educators [34].
- Her candidate biography lists a BA in Russian from UC Berkeley, an MA in journalism from the University of Oregon and an MS in education from Purdue [34].
Burniske's positions
Transparency
- Her first priority is fixing processes that create gaps in transparency, accountability and customer service; she pointed to the commissioners' website, saying "there is almost no information there," and proposed standard procedures for publishing information, a video explaining the commissioners' role and explanations of agenda items [34].
Budget & taxes
- Wants public budget forums laying out trade-offs; would protect public safety (sheriff, jail, 911, emergency management, courts), roads, bridges, drainage and mandated services first, and cut internal inefficiencies, non-essential consulting, discretionary travel and training and non-urgent building projects [34].
- Would re-evaluate pilot programs that cannot show results, citing the Buck Creek/Colburn sewer project [34].
Property taxes & SEA 1
- Said: "If state policy reduces county revenue, we owe residents an honest, line-by-line discussion of what that means" [34].
Data centers & energy projects
- Said "the stopgap was the right move, but a pause is not a plan"; proposes studying other places, mapping suitable zones based on power, water, transmission, road access and distance from homes and schools, negotiating agreements on roads, emergency services and utilities, tying abatements to measurable public benefits, and finishing an ordinance before the stopgap ends [34].
- Listed solar farms among land-use issues an updated strategic plan should address [34].
Zoning & land use
- Gave the county a C+ on growth, saying it has strong planning tools and staff but "lacks a coherent growth strategy" and that growth is happening "in a piecemeal way"; wants land-use decisions tied to road and drainage capacity, emergency response times, school impacts and maintenance costs, and an updated Area Plan Commission strategic plan, which she says dates from the 1980s [34].
Public health
- Supports reauthorizing the Gateway to Hope syringe services program, with stronger oversight, data reporting and partnerships with law enforcement and treatment providers [34].
How Burniske would run the office
Burniske on the current officeholder
How Burniske got on the ballot
- Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary with 3,763 votes (52.43%) over Justin Kendall, Travis L. Dowell and A R Lane [26].
What we could not find about Burniske
- No campaign website was found.
- No general-election forum, debate or interview with her had been found as of Oct. 11, 2026.
- Her remarks at the March 2026 Democratic candidate forum could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
- She did not address housing in detail beyond listing affordability as an issue, and gave no position on tax rates.
- Lafayette Journal & Courier coverage of the general-election race could not be reviewed for this profile.
- No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.
Sources for Burniske
- Primary 2026 candidate Q&A: Tippecanoe County commissioner, District 1 (Based in Lafayette (Dave Bangert))