Whitley County Commissioner, District 2

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]

Whitley 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: $-1,020,800 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): named reps
• 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

• Whitley County has three commissioners, each of whom must live in a district: District 1 (Cleveland, Etna-Troy and Richland townships), District 2 (Columbia, Thorncreek and Washington townships) and District 3 (Jefferson, Smith and Union townships) ^[23]. In the May 5, 2026 primary, 2,718 Republican votes were cast for District 2 commissioner, compared with 848 for the District 2 council seat, which indicates commissioners are elected countywide ^[37].
• Rob Schuman (R) was unopposed in the Republican primary with 2,718 votes; Tena Woenker was unopposed in the Democratic primary with 540 votes ^[37]. The other two commissioners are Theresa Baysinger (term ends 2028) and Stacey Petrovas (seated Oct. 14, 2025; term ends 2028) ^[23].
• County finances: at the Jan. 6, 2026 council meeting, the auditor reported about $1.4 million (9.3%) of the 2025 general fund went unspent, a general-fund balance just under $9 million, and a state-approved 2026 general-fund budget of $16.4 million against estimated revenue of $16.5 million ^[38]. In March 2026 the council voted 7-0 to move $3,128,000 from the general fund to the rainy-day fund, after moving $3,114,400 in 2025 ^[28].
• SEA 1 and local income tax: in February 2026 the council put off a deputy prosecutor pay request to the budget process, citing the unknowns of SB1 ^[39]. In May 2026 the auditor said the way local income tax is distributed is changing; the council created a seat for its chair on a Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) with the towns and city, with a report due to the state in December, and hired Baker Tilly to assist (6-0) ^[30]. At a June 15 public-input session on the 2027 budget, department heads spoke about financial uncertainty from the SB1 changes ^[40].
• Data centers: in February 2026 the county attorney told commissioners that Commissioner Schuman had asked about a moratorium covering data centers and battery projects, among other uses, noting that there was no current interest in such projects in the county ^[27]. After a Plan Commission listening session, the commissioners approved a one-year data-center moratorium on July 6, 2026 (3-0) and adopted Ordinance 2026-10 on Sept. 8 (3-0) ^{[31, 32, 33]}.
• Jail and public safety: by February 2026 the county had moved fully out of the old jail, and commissioners were seeking a second opinion on HVAC units at the new jail ^[39]. In 2026 the council approved a fourth sheriff's sergeant (from existing staff), two part-time security officers for the Government Center, and conversion of a part-time transport officer to full time ^{[30, 41]}. In September the council voted to direct $113,000 in Community Foundation health funds to the EMS contract payment ^[42].
• Roads and drainage: the council and commissioners shifted 0.0443 per $100 of assessed value from the Cumulative Bridge levy to a new Cumulative Drain fund for 2027, which the county engineer said would not raise taxes ^{[43, 34]}. In September 2026 commissioners said the county had not received Community Crossings matching-grant funding for 2026 because of incomplete applications and hired a consultant to review the 2027 application ^[33].
• 2027 budget and pay: the council held its budget hearing on Sept. 9, 2026 with no public comment ^[42]. It voted 4-3 in August to advertise raises of up to 5% and later approved a 2027 wage scale 7-0 ^{[44, 45]}. In August it left 2027 levies unchanged from 2026 ^[44].
• Key differences in their own words: both candidates say they oppose a data center in Whitley County. Schuman says agriculture is his top priority and that newcomers to rural areas should expect farm activity; Woenker emphasizes transparency, keeping the comprehensive plan and zoning designations up to date, protecting farmland and water while allowing housing, and support for local businesses ^[25]. No forums or debates between them were found.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Whitley County has three commissioners, each of whom must live in a district: District 1 (Cleveland, Etna-Troy and Richland townships), District 2 (Columbia, Thorncreek and Washington townships) and District 3 (Jefferson, Smith and Union townships). (Whitley County, Indiana)
• Sept 2026 minutes report the missed grant and a consultant hired for 2027. CCMG: $1,322,663 (2024), $1,299,703 (2025), $0 (2026). (whitleycounty.in.gov)
• Whitley County government adopted a $42.4 million budget for 2026, about $1,210 per resident; that is +15.0% compared with 2023. (Indiana Gateway for Government Units)

Sources