Leadership changes in the Calumet Township office have started and will continue into the new year after former Trustee Kim Robinson pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges and resigned from office.

Gary council member Darren Washington, D-at large, said Thursday he plans to run for Calumet Township trustee, but declined to comment further.

“I am definitely interested in putting my name in for trustee,” Washington said.

Gary Council President Tai Adkins, D-4th, said the role of trustee “is indeed vital to our community.” While many have asked her to consider running, Adkins said she has not yet decided if she’d like to run.

“Should I decide to explore this opportunity, I will discuss it further with my family and colleagues and make an official statement at the appropriate time,” Adkins said.

Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser said no one has called him to express interest in the position, though the official notice for the caucus to elect the new trustee won’t be posted until early next week.

The caucus to replace Robinson is tentatively set for 6 p.m. Jan. 16, though a location still has to be confirmed, Wieser said. People interested in running should apply no later than 6 p.m. Jan. 13, he said.

If an elected official were voted in as the next trustee, Wieser said another caucus would be held to fill the vacancy. Wieser said he’d like the next Calumet Township trustee to be someone committed to public service with a financial background.

“First and foremost, you want someone who wants to serve the community,” Wieser said.

Calumet Township Chief Dayna Bennett was sworn in Monday — the day Robinson entered her guilty plea — to serve as trustee until the caucus, said administrative assistant Sandi Cogan.

Robinson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hammond to one count of wire fraud, which can carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, where federal prosecutors alleged she used $11,200 in township funds to pay her Gary rent.

As part of the deal, she resigned on Dec. 20. If a judge accepts the plea deal, Robinson will serve one year of probation, have to repay $11,200, plus an $8,700 fine. She posted a $20,000 unsecured bond.

In a statement she provided to the Post-Tribune on Sunday, Robinson expressed her “deepest gratitude to each and every one” of her constituents for “the trust and support” they’d extended to her while she was in office. She didn’t give a reason for her resignation but said it was important to issue a statement as people “may begin to hear information related” to it.

“As I step away from this role, I remain hopeful for our township’s future. I am leaving the Township’s operating fund in the black with cash reserves of over $2 million in a rainy-day fund. Additionally, I have every confidence in the leadership that will follow me, and I wholeheartedly support the process of selecting a new trustee who will continue our mission of progress and community service,” Robinson said in the statement.

Robinson becomes the third consecutive Calumet Township Trustee to face federal charges.

Robinson was elected in 2014 after defeating incumbent Trustee Mary Elgin in the primary amid the shadow of an FBI and IRS probe of the office. She previously served as a former Gary City Probation officer, Gary Councilwoman for the city’s 5th District from 2008 to 2014, and the Lake County treasurer’s office.

In December 2014, Elgin along with her son, Steven Hunter, and former Calumet Township employees Ethel Shelton and Alex Wheeler were indicted, alleging the four committed conspiracy to defraud; wire fraud; conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud; honest service wire fraud; and conspiracy to commit extortion. Prosecutors said they used township employees and offices to run political campaigns and raise money for Elgin’s fundraisers.

Elgin was sentenced in 2018 to a year and a day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the trustee’s office and $6,311 to the IRS.

In 2007, Dozier Allen, who served as trustee for 32 years, was indicted – five years after he lost to Elgin – on charges that he and three employees steered $120,000 of grant money meant for the township to themselves. A jury found him guilty in April 2009, and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

akukulka@post-trib.com