CDC Board Member Calls for Pulaski Commissioner to Resign

Pulaski County CourthouseAn At-Large member of the Pulaski County Community Development Commission is pushing for the resignation of a Pulaski County commissioner.

Dave Zeltwanger, a Francesville small business owner, said via social media on Monday that he believes Bud Krohn, Jr. “…does not have the cognitive ability to execute the responsibilities of this office…”

Krohn, Jr. is in the process of serving his first elected term as a Pulaski County Commissioner, and has been party to numerous heated exchanges with CDC Executive Director Nathan Origer during public meetings throughout the past year: the most recent of which occurred during Monday’s Pulaski County Commissioner’s meeting after Origer asked for clarification on one of Krohn’s recent votes regarding employee training.

“But you keep coming here wanting money and you don’t run your own money,” Krohn, Jr. said during the nearly 15 minute discussion.

Origer responded, saying “It was money in my budget. All I did was transfer it. I did not ask for  more money. I can’t remember the last time I requested an additional appropriation and  almost every year, except for trying to get [Project Coordinator] Krysten [Hinkle] full-time, I cut from my budget every year because I watch what I spend and I return  significant amounts every year. I will show you every report.”

“I’d like to see some of that and I’d like to see it in the paper,” Krohn said. “People  have millions of questions: what does Nathan ever do besides spend money?”

Krohn requested additional respect be shown to him by Origer in the future.

Zeltwanger attributed his call for resignation to some of Krohn, Jr.’s comments and actions over recent months, going so far as to say it’s an “embarrassment.” Commissioner Krohn will be the only returning member of the Pulaski County Commissioners in January as Larry Brady and Terry Young were defeated during May’s primary election.

Arguments have largely come to a head between Krohn, Jr. and the CDC following repeated votes against requests for funding, project decisions, or employee training recommended by the CDC board and taken to the commissioners through Origer.

Krohn allegedly seemed to imply Monday night that Origer was not fit to make decisions for not being a Pulaski County property owner, or a property owner at all.

“You go to Starke County and you don’t pay your property taxes in Starke County,” says Krohn.

“What?” Origer asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Yes. You sit here and tell people how to spend their money and manage their money and you don’t even manage your own. You don’t have anything to manage,” says Krohn, Jr.

Origer again asked “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It has to do with you taking our money,” Krohn said.

Pulaski County does not have a residency requirement for its CDC director. Krohn, Jr. also challenged Origer to try to get him impeached during the back-and-forth Monday night concluding he was not going anywhere.

One member of the audience requested more civil discussion in the future with Krohn responding it’s easy to suggest such things when not holding elected office. Krohn did apologize at one point in the meeting for the nature of the discussion.

Absent any voluntary resignation, removing an elected official from their seat is considered quite difficult. A petition must first be filed with a miscellaneous case being heard in the courts. That case would have to prove the officeholder is incapable of performing the duties of the seat.