Joe Haney

Deputy Samuelson is a fighter, please keep him and his family in your prayers for a full recovery. 💙

This morning, La Porte County Sheriff's Deputy Jon Samuelson was shot three times, in the line of duty, in Michigan City.

My heart goes out to Deputy Samuelson, his family, and the entire La Porte County Sheriff's Office . He is currently in critical condition.

There is no ongoing threat to the public, and a suspect is in custody. The Indiana State Police-Lowell Post is handling the investigation and all public information releases—please direct any questions to them.

Please pray for Deputy Samuelson, his family, and our community.

It was great catching up with Portage Mayor Austin Bonta today!

Our main conversation focused on data center ordinances, rules, and regulations. I really appreciated hearing his thoughts on creating a completely separate zoning classification for data centers. I was able to share updates on the recent ordinance we passed here in La Porte County. I also discussed why it’s so important to get strong rules in place quickly, along with a few areas where we can still tighten things up.

Collaboration between neighboring communities is key. Being able to compare notes, share what we’re hearing from residents, and brainstorm solutions leads to much better outcomes for everyone.

Mayor Bonta and I will be sitting down again soon to dig deeper into our concerns and develop more ideas to bring back to our respective Planning Commissions.

Thank you for your time today Mayor, as always, it was a pleasure! 👍

Shout out to the La Porte County Highway Department, still hard at work this afternoon clearing trees and debris from our roadways!

For those who don’t know the process: when high winds roll through (like a few days ago) and dozens of trees come down across multiple roads at once, the crews go out immediately to open the roads as fast as possible. They often leave the cut limbs and branches piled on the shoulder so they can move on to the next blocked roadway.

That means cleanup can take days, or even weeks, depending on the storm’s severity. I spotted this crew loaded up and heading back to drop off this afternoon.

THANK YOU, La Porte County Highway Department! 👍

I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Dook Man yet, but his out-of-the-box approach to La Porte County government is absolutely purrfect!

I’m definitely interested in hearing the rest of his paw-some platform.

French Fries for All? Now that’s something we could really sink our teeth into.

Happy everyone! 🐱😎

I was honored to attend the annual La Porte County Peace Officer’s Memorial Service today.

Every year we gather to remember the brave men and women who gave everything in service to our community. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

This service served as a meaningful and fitting close to National Law Enforcement Week, a time to honor those who are no longer with us and to thank the dedicated Deputies and Officers who continue to serve and protect us every single day. 💙

Happy Mother's Day to my amazing wife Juanita, of course my Mom, and all the great Mom's across La Porte County!

Today I'm happy to announce the La Porte County Board of Commissioners passed our county's first Data Center Ordinance.

When I made the motion to approve it, I pointed out that this is a good first step in the right direction.

It's important to understand that the BOC only had three options this morning-
1- to approve it
2- to deny it
3- return to the Plan Commission for additional consideration

Had we exercised the third option, the Plan Commission would have had to review it and have an additional hearing, meaning that it would likely be 6-8 weeks at the earliest the BOC would have the opportunity to vote on it again.

The risk with that would mean any company could file between now and then and wouldn't have been subject to any of the restrictions we put in place today. I wasn't willing to take that risk and have a company get in under the wire.

I asked for, and Commissioner Holifield indicated the Data Center Committee will, be taking this up again soon and the Plan Commission will hopefully develop another Data Center Ordinance with additional protections after hearing from public.

From what I understand, we are only the second County in the state to adopt a Data center ordinance. Also, thank you to Commissioner Holifield and the PC Committee for their hard work on this ordinance.

Again, it's very important to understand this is a first step with immediate protections until we can, hopefully, get an even better Ordinance to vote on from the Plan Commission.

Polls are open till 6pm this evening, don't forget to vote!

If you see Juanita, wish her a Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary, we hit the quarter century mark this month 😎

If you live in La Porte County you can vote at any of the vote centers throughout the county, Juanita Haney For State Representative and I hope to see you today!

Dear Friends of Jim Pressel,

Thanks for the ‘heartfelt’ letter from Becky Pressel praising her husband Randy Retter as ‘the father, leader, and steady presence my family and yours can rely on.’

Then it flips to: ‘vote for my husband Jim Pressel.’
Nothing says ‘authentic personal touch’ like a sloppy find-and-replace fail.

Pressel’s auto-pen is glitching harder than his campaign, even the robot doesn’t know who Jim really is.

Peak fraud from a consummate liar who pretends to value family and integrity.

Happy Friday, I wanted to share with you all some letters to the Editor that were in this week's papers, specifically one from myself and one from County Commissioner Bohannon.

As County Commissioners we see first hand the damage done by individuals like Jim Pressel and the costs to both local countries and citizens.

Here is the text of my letter, so it's easier to read-

As La Porte County Commissioner, I have seen firsthand how important local control and “Home Rule” are. Local citizens understand our issues better than politicians in Indianapolis.

That is why I am deeply concerned about the direction taken by current State Representative, Jim Pressel. He co-authored HB 1333, a bill that would limit local zoning authority and make it harder for La Porte County to regulate massive data centers and solar projects on agricultural land.

Our county relies heavily on state funding for roads and bridges, money collected from all Hoosiers through gas and excise taxes. Yet Rep. Pressel supported doubling the state gas tax while reducing county funding mechanisms. He has pushed for an extra $50 million for Indianapolis roads while our needs here are shortchanged. Why reward mismanagement in Marion County while punishing us?

From supporting tolling on our roads to backing driving privilege cards for illegal immigrants (co-sponsor HB1224), Rep. Pressel’s record shows he is no longer putting La Porte County first. According to his 2026 CFA filing, 99% of his donations come from corporate lobbyists and special interests, with over $300,000 in his campaign war chest as of April 10.

It is time to send a clear message on May 5th. La Porte County and House District 20 are not for sale. We deserve a representative who will fight for local control, our taxpayers, and our values. That’s why I’m supporting Juanita Haney for State Representative.

Sincerely,
Joe Haney
La Porte County Commissioner

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