County GOP to select new officers
NIKI KELLY | The Journal Gazette
Allen County Republicans will reorganize Saturday at Grand Wayne Center – choosing a slate of officers with two new faces.
Chairman Steve Shine will retain his post and said the new officers on the central committee are reflective of advancing the voices of women and minorities.
Shine begins his 29th year as chair and is senior partner at Shine & Hardin.
Lana Keesling will be the new vice chairwoman, taking over from Candice Fries. Keesling is the Fort Wayne city clerk.
Sofia Rosales-Scatena, public information officer for the Fort Wayne Police Department, will become secretary, replacing Ron Williams.
Henry schedules State of City address
NIKI KELLY | The Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry s annual State of the City address will have a much smaller audience than usual.
Henry s 2021 speech, “Fort Wayne – It s Our Time,” is scheduled for noon Feb. 10 at Grand Wayne Center downtown. However, it won t be open to the public.
The speech will be aired live on local news channels and livestreamed on the city s Facebook page.
The mayor is expected to discuss the ongoing effects of the coronavirus and the city s response, 2020 accomplishments, and a look ahead.
Didier recognized
The City Council recognizing its president at the end of a year might be tradition, but there was nothing traditional about 2020.
Keesling: I had several people very close to me pass away
DAVE GONG | The Journal Gazette
As the Fort Wayne City Council ended its final meeting of the year, City Clerk Lana Keesling wished Fort Wayne residents a happy holiday season and thanked everyone for their patience as her staff navigated pandemic-related challenges. It takes a lot of people behind the scenes to put this together and we have flown by the seat of our pants a lot with moving rooms and trying to accommodate people and the phone situation, she said following the Dec. 15 meeting.
Keesling, who rarely speaks at the end of City Council meetings except to share updates regarding meeting dates and procedures, urged residents to remain safe as COVID-19 continues to grip the nation.
Political notebook
NIKI KELLY | The Journal Gazette
The Indiana Republican Party recently announced the members of its inaugural class of its Diversity Leadership Series – and it includes some northeast Indiana representation.
The series is a seminar and leadership training program that will provide the preparation and resources needed to increase the engagement of minority Republican leaders in Indiana.
“I m thrilled to welcome this impressive group of Hoosiers to our inaugural class,” said Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. “With their depth and breadth of experience, I know they will dive right into the program, as they re guided to exciting opportunities to make a difference. I ve repeatedly said as a party we re committed to building long-term, authentic relationships with historically underrepresented communities – and I can t wait to see the deep relationships formed through this program and beyond.”