State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton
CHESTERTON — A Chesterton resident who serves as city attorney for Gary has been selected to replace state Sen. Karen Tallian, who is retiring her District 4 seat in November.
Rodney Pol Jr. was selected on the second ballot during a caucus of district Democratic precinct committeemen on Thursday evening to fill the remainder of Tallian’s term.
He was supported by Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, to take the seat when her resignation is effective Nov. 1.
“Congratulations to Rodney Pol Jr. for being selected by the precinct committee leaders last night to serve Senate District 4,” the senator said in a statement Friday.
“I believe Rodney’s experiences will be an asset to our community and the state Senate. He will serve Northwest Indiana well.”
Pol defeated four other candidates seeking the position, including Deborah Chubb of Michiana Shores, Todd Connor of Michigan City, Becky Mateja Lombardini of Chesterton, and the Rev. Michael Cooper of Portage.
Pol is Gary’s city attorney and was a legislative aide to former state Reps. Charlie Brown of Gary and John Aguilera of East Chicago.
He said that as senator, he’s pledging to advance policies that support labor union members, teachers and nurses; protect the environment; and legalize marijuana – one of Tallian’s longtime legislative goals.
“Senator Tallian’s fight for the Region has been legendary. As senator for District 4, I promise to keep that fight alive,” Pol said.
The Indiana Democratic Party issued a statement from Chairman Mike Schmuhl: “First and foremost, the Indiana Democratic Party wants to thank Karen Tallian for her service to District 4 and Indiana with the kind of honor, passion, and commitment that exemplifies the definition of what a public servant should be in our politics.
“Sen. Tallian has been a perennial champion for Hoosier families, and her advocacy for issues like women’s health care, criminal justice reform, and future cannabis legalization have made a major impact on our state. We wish Karen the best, and know that she won’t be too far away from the ongoing debates facing Indiana.”
Schmuhl said state Democrats are “proud to welcome” Pol as her replacement.
“Rodney is a proven leader in the Chesterton community,” he said. “He will join Democrats in advocating for livable wage jobs for workers, affordable and accessible broadband internet, and fully-funding Indiana’s public schools. ... I know Rodney is ready to get to work.”
Pol won the seat on the second round of voting by a caucus of more than 50 Democratic precinct committeemen.
In the first round, which had 56 voters and 29 votes needed to win, Pol got 23 votes, Chubb and Connor 12 each, Lombardini 9 and Cooper none.
In the second round, which had 54 voters, with 28 needed to win, Pol received 29 votes, Chubb 14 and Connor 11.
Chubb is executive director of the Indiana Women’s Action Movement, which recruits and trains Democratic women to run for the General Assembly, and a school board member for Michigan City Area Schools.
Connor is CEO of Veterans for Political Innovation, an organization focused on addressing political dysfunction and polarization. He is also founder and former CEO of The Collective Academy, a leadership training program; and Bunker Labs, a nonprofit supporting entrepreneurship among veterans.
Senate District 4 includes the northern third of Porter County and the northeast corner of La Porte County, including Michigan City and Westville. There is one year left in the term that Pol will complete.
Tallian announced last month she was quitting after 16 years “to use my remaining energy to produce more immediate results.”
She said she was frustrated at continually butting heads with ultraconservative members of the Republican supermajority in the Senate, where Democrats hold only 11 of 50 seats.
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