WARSAW — Don Wiesehan won his Republican primary race against five-term incumbent Bob Conley for the Kosciusko County Commissioner's Southern District seat in what turned out to be the most anticipated contest in the county. 

Wiesehan claimed nearly 3,000 votes and a 56-percent margin against Conley, who was first elected 19 years ago.

Wiesehan campaigned against the proposed city-county parking garage, which faces a possible vote later this year.

He also pledged to serve no more than two terms in office and has proposed that one of the commissioner's monthly meetings be held at night to make it more accessible to the public. 

“I think the voice of the people really did speak tonight,” Wiesehann said at a Republican gathering at Matt Anthony's in downtown Warsaw after results were finalized.

He said he thinks the parking garage became a defining factor.

"A lot of the people out in the community don't want it,” he said. “I think some of it was how it may have been presented or not presented. I think that has to be educated across the people," he said.

"I still say it's not something that we need to venture out into because there's a lot of stress on our community people now," he said.

Warsaw leaders and the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce have been strong proponents of constructing a parking garage, which would be funded in part with $5 million from the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative.

The county has already acquired land for the project north of the Z Hotel.

This year's contest for commissioner marked the second time Wiesehan challenged Conley for the seat.

Four years ago, Wiesehan collected 26% of the vote in a four-way contest in which Conley won 50.5 percent of the vote.

Wiesehan worked for 25 years with the sheriff’s office and now works with Parkview Health, providing security.

Conley owns a barber shop on South Buffalo in Warsaw and has been a reserve officer with the sheriff’s office for some 50 years.

Meanwhile, in another contested county race, incumbent Kimberly Cates won 56% of the vote against challenger Thaddeus Du Bois for the county council District 1 seat.

Du Bois' campaign was complicated a few weeks ago after he announced he plans to soon move out of the district from his home in North Webster to a residence south of Warsaw.

His decision to move was prompted by opposition to a sewer district.

Two Congressional races also came into focus Tuesday.

Jamee Decio will be the Democratic nominee in the general election for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District by capturing 72 percent of the vote against North Manchester resident Shaun Maeyens.

Kelly Thompson is the primary winner for the Democratic Party in the 3rd District Congressional race. She was unopposed and will face incumbent Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman in the general election

Stutzman won 72 percent of the vote against Jon Kenworthy.

Voter turnout in Kosciusko County for the election was just 12 percent.

Comparatively, the 2022 primary saw a 21 percent turnout.

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