In the upcoming election for Lake County Circuit Court Clerk, the current officeholder, Democrat Mike Brown, is seeking re-election. His opponent, Republican Leslie Dallner, aims to secure her first county office. The role involves overseeing a variety of legal documentation and procedures, as well as participation in the county election board.
Mike Brown, who hails from Gary, has served 22 years in elected positions. This includes his 13-year tenure as the Lake County Clerk. An Ivy Tech graduate in marketing and accounting, Brown has past experience with the Hoosier Lottery, as chief deputy administrator for the Lake County Coroner’s Office, on the Gary City Council, and as Lake County Recorder.
Brown claims numerous achievements during his time in office, such as developing community programs, adopting new technologies, and enhancing departmental efficiency. He emphasized his commitment to progress, “In the next four years as technology advances, we will advance with it,” he said.
Brown was first appointed as Lake County Clerk in 2009 to fill an uncompleted term, staying until 2018, before returning in August 2022. His re-election campaign emphasizes his office’s proactive measures, like the introduction of a multilingual translation machine serving up to 130 languages at clerk’s offices.
Leslie Dallner, residing in Hobart, brings over 25 years of experience as a financial analyst in the corporate sector. Her educational background includes a business degree from Indiana University Northwest. Dallner’s platform centers on “transparency, technology, and transformation.” She advocates for reducing waste, budgeting efficiently, and updating technology. If elected, she plans to implement electronic forms for documentation requests and increase election security through voter roll audits.
Dallner first engaged in politics with the Highland GOP’s legislative committee and has previously run for state representative. She highlighted issues such as the county’s exclusion from the unauditable list by the State Board of Accounts and discrepancies in public financial management, impacting property taxes.
Brown countered these concerns, stating that his office has maintained fiscal responsibility and received clean audits from the State Board of Accounts for 2024 and 2025. He praised his staff’s efforts in achieving these outcomes.