First and Last Name
Dan L. Whitten
Campaign Phone
219-671-1373
Campaign Address and Email
115 S 570 W, Hebron IN 46341
I served four terms (16 years) on the Porter County Council. During which time, I was the President of the Board for most of those years. In addition, I was the incorporator member and president of the Porter County Charitable Foundation. As a Veteran of the United States Army, years as police officer and four terms on the Porter County Council, I have spent nearly my entire adult life in the service of others. I am a graduate of Portage High School, Purdue University and Valparaiso Law School. My wife Stacey and I have a law firm, with offices in Portage and Merrillville. As an attorney, I have represented Cities, Towns and Schools and various municipal boards throughout the region
Our roads in the County are in serious need of help. I will make it a priority to up our attention to the improvement and upgrading of our road system. We have funds to allocate if we simply prioritize.
Communication between elected officials. We are all in this together. Less politics and more transparency. Its time to leave the political nonsense at the door and get back to open transparent business.
Staffing is a clear issue. There has been a big turnover of staff in county government. Whatever the excuses of the day may be, those leaving have indicated a huge morale problem. We need to address that problem and improve morale amongst the employees. With unnecessary turnover comes unnecessary loss of knowledge and experience
Not only will the meetings continue to be videoed, I will continue to make myself available to my constituents through direct contact. During my yeas in public office, I had a reputation of being very accessible. Not only were constituents able to reach me through phone, social media and email, they often stopped into my law office to chat. That practice will continue. I do not participate in “back door meetings” and I simply do not play games with public dollars. They belong to the residents, and therefore they deserve my watchful eye and open discussion as to how those dollars are being spent.
As stated above, I pride myself on being accessible. I offer many different ways to reach me with questions, concerns and issues for discussion. Often, this allows us to head off and prevent a problem, rather than having to fix one hat has occurred. I approach elected office as a “partnership” with the folks that put me in that office. Together we can move Porter County onto the right track and heading in the right direction.
As an attorney helping thousands of families struggling through hard times, I fully understand that many families in our County are working through difficulties in fulfilling the “American Dream” of home ownership. I am compassionate, understanding and willing to help them through these difficulties. Controlled organized growth is the key. As with all planning, it’s a big picture approach. Maintaining the integrity of our county and its quality of life, while also working toward available and affordable housing opportunities for our residents and families looking to relocate and remain here.
I have always enjoyed spending time out in the world. Growing and into my adult life, I have I have appreciated the gift of nature and the importance of protecting it. Unfortunately, I have also seen that in our world, many people do not share my passion and commitment for protecting the environment. As leaders, we must stand up and be stalworth on our fight to protect what is left of our natural world. I have taken on many fights in that endeavor. I was actively involved in the fight against a mega landfill in South Porter County. This project would have destroyed the wildlife, aquifir and natural environment of all of South Porter County. On a more personal note, I currently own wetlands in Porter County that I acquired for the sole
During my time n office, I established a reputation for being a watchdog of the public’s interest. Our County Commission needs a watchdog now. “Self serving” has no place in county government and all decisions should be made with “public serving” driving the train. I do not mince words, and I do not make promises I don’t intend to keep. AS I stated above, I have worn many hats in public service, not only as an elected official. Through my service in the US Army and my many years as police officer, I understand the fundamental mandate to treat one other with dignity honesty, and respect. If given the opportunity to serve in this office, I will continue with that commitment.
