Russ Jehl
Russ Jehl (Republican Party) is a member of the Fort Wayne City Council in Indiana, representing District 2. He assumed office in 2012. His current term ends on January 1, 2028.
Jehl (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Fort Wayne City Council to represent District 2 in Indiana. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Council members elected Jehl council president in January 2016.[1]
Biography
Jehl grew up in Fort Wayne and graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School. He went on to receive a B.A. in financial management from Michigan's Hillsdale College, and he has since worked as a retail and commercial real estate broker with the Bradley Company.[2]
Elections
2023
See also: City elections in Fort Wayne, Indiana (2023)
General election
General election for Fort Wayne City Council District 2
Incumbent Russ Jehl defeated Melissa Rinehart in the general election for Fort Wayne City Council District 2 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Russ Jehl (R) | 53.5 | 4,556 | |
| Melissa Rinehart (D) | 46.5 | 3,962 | ||
| Total votes: 8,518 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Fort Wayne City Council District 2
Melissa Rinehart advanced from the Democratic primary for Fort Wayne City Council District 2 on May 2, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Melissa Rinehart | 100.0 | 1,223 | |
| Total votes: 1,223 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Fort Wayne City Council District 2
Incumbent Russ Jehl advanced from the Republican primary for Fort Wayne City Council District 2 on May 2, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Russ Jehl | 100.0 | 1,893 | |
| Total votes: 1,893 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Richard Lyons (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Jehl in this election.
2019
See also: City elections in Fort Wayne, Indiana (2019)
General election
General election for Fort Wayne City Council District 2
Incumbent Russ Jehl won election in the general election for Fort Wayne City Council District 2 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Russ Jehl (R) | 100.0 | 6,576 | |
| Total votes: 6,576 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Fort Wayne City Council District 2
Incumbent Russ Jehl advanced from the Republican primary for Fort Wayne City Council District 2 on May 7, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Russ Jehl | 100.0 | 2,716 | |
| Total votes: 2,716 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2015
The city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election took place on May 5, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 6, 2015. All nine city council seats were up for election.[3]
In the Republican primary election for District 2, incumbent Russ Jehl ran unopposed. In the Democratic primary, Michelle Merritt advanced past Michelle Hill. Jehl defeated Merritt in the general election.[4][5]
| Fort Wayne City Council District 2, General election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Russ Jehl Incumbent |
60.3% | 4,461 | |
| Democratic | Michelle Merritt | 39.7% | 2,938 | |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 | ||
| Total Votes | 7,399 | |||
| Source: Allen County, Indiana, "Election Results", accessed November 16, 2015 | ||||
| Fort Wayne City Council, District 2 Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Michelle Merritt |
53.5% | 565 | ||
| Michelle Hill | 46.5% | 491 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,056 | |||
| Source: Allen County, Indiana, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Russ Jehl did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Russ Jehl did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Jehl's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
Fiscal responsibility
- Excerpt: "I have been a consistent fiscal conservative. Put simply, I have pushed to fund our neglected core responsibilities, and I have steadfastly opposed discretionary spending. I have supported hiring new police and firefighters, increasing the funding for Parks maintenance, and increasing road/neighborhood repairs. However, I fought against wasteful spending. I have been successful in leading passage of $1.5 million in spending cuts, most with bipartisan support. I fought income tax increases. More than simply saying 'no' to the proposed tax increases, I offered common sense alternatives. Although I could not stop all the tax increases, many of the alternatives I presented proved to be persuasive, as the tax increases were pared back. These efforts have kept millions of dollars in taxpayers’ pockets."[6]
Economy
- Excerpt: "Government functions at its best when it establishes an ordered, business-friendly environment. It operates outside of its capabilities when it tries to be a direct job creator. Therefore, I don’t support every economic development scheme asking for taxpayer money. We need leaders who know how the economy really works, not who are generous with tax dollars. To this end, I served on the City/County Joint Tax Abatement Committee, which reformed our tax abatement system to balance the need for fostering economic development while limiting the generosity of abatements for businesses that weren’t creating new jobs. The result has been a system which maximizes Taxpayer’s investments and provides more 'bang for the buck.'"[7]
Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "One of the basic elements of responsible government is tending to infrastructure. We’ve heard a lot of lip service on this issue over years, but we’ve finally started walking the talk. I campaigned extensively on this issue four years ago, as the City was woefully underfunding road repairs. Our roads and neighborhoods were crumbling into disrepair. In fact, the City had over $60 million in deferred street repairs, and was spending virtually zero dollars for curb or sidewalk repairs. I am pleased to note that the road and neighborhood improvements budget has been tripled—yes, tripled– and we are two years into a five year plan to clear the backlog of poor streets. A lot still has to be done, and a major reason I am running for reelection is to see this plan through."[8]
Legacy
- Excerpt: "I have been a strong advocate for guarding the Legacy Trust from frivolous spending. I supported Legacy projects that were transformative for the public good, but opposed giving away these dollars to private businesses. Riverfront development has been the objective most supported by taxpayers. Until I am given a set aside placeholder for Riverfront, I will continue to assume that the Legacy fund is under duress and will be very conservative in approving other proposals. I will not spend Legacy, our inheritance, without a plan. I want to leave a lasting legacy to my children and yours, not regrets. Insofar I am entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the City’s fiscal health, I will pass on a City in better fiscal shape than I inherited it."[9]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Jehl and his wife Monica have two children, Will and Anna. Jehl is an active member of Fellowship Missionary Church and has volunteered for several years as a soccer coach for Concordia.[10]
See also
2023 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Fort Wayne City Council District 2 |
Officeholder Fort Wayne City Council District 2 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Journal Gazette, "City Council picks Jehl for president," January 6, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "2015 Indiana Election Calendar," accessed January 6, 2015
- ↑ Allen County Board of Elections, "2015 Primary Candidate Filings," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ Allen County, "2015 Primary Election Results," accessed May 5, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Russ Jehl, "Fiscal Responsibility," accessed August 26, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Russ Jehl, "Economy," accessed August 26, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Russ Jehl, "Legacy," accessed August 26, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Russ Jehl, "Legacy," accessed August 26, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of Russ Jehl, "About Russ," accessed August 26, 2015
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
Fort Wayne City Council District 2 2012-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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