Former Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas easily secured the Republican nomination to get his old job back. He defeated Art Elwood by a margin of 83-to-17 percent.
Costas says he'd complete the projects begun by current Mayor Matt Murphy and add new homes for future growth. "I'm bullish on the city, and I think it's going to be awesome," Costas told Lakeshore Public Media. "I hope to have the opportunity to lead it here in November, and I just think there's going to be some great days ahead."
Costas will face Democrat Hannah Trueblood, who defeated Pamela Schroeder for her party's nomination. Mayor Murphy is not seeking a second term. Instead, he's running for an at-large city council seat.
In Portage, Republican Austin Bonta defeated former Mayor John Cannon, to face incumbent Democrat Sue Lynch in November. Bonta says he wants to build a stronger business base, bringing jobs and boosting tax revenues in the process.
"Portage's biggest issue right now is that our population growth is currently outpacing the city's ability to keep up resource-wise to provide for the population," Bonta said.
Bonta defeated Cannon by a margin of 62-to-37 percent.