County

County Council Member, Tippecanoe County

District 1

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The county council is Tippecanoe County's fiscal body: it adopts the budget, sets tax rates and approves spending.

Candidates Compare by issue

Trent W. Richter

Republican

Lafayette firefighter; president, Lafayette Professional Firefighters Local 472

The gist

Pledges to hold departments accountable for funds collected
Opposes county projects without a funding source attached
Supports holding landlords accountable for quality affordable housing

More about Trent

View sources (1)

Pledges to hold departments accountable for funds collected
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I would make my top budget priority to hold those departments accountable for the funds collected”
Opposes county projects without a funding source attached
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“Eliminate projects that don't have a funding mechanism attached to them.”
Supports holding landlords accountable for quality affordable housing
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“It is crucial to hold landlords accountable for providing quality, affordable housing.”

Benjamin R. Murray

DemocraticIncumbent

Tippecanoe County Council member (District 1)

The gist

Supports building a juvenile detention center or new jail
Supports adding public safety positions as the county grows
Pledges to keep lowering county expenses with department heads
Proposes extra county allocations for township housing assistance

More about Benjamin

View sources (1)

Supports building a juvenile detention center or new jail
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I will continue to look for ways to build a juvenile detention facility and/or plan a replacement for our jail.”
Supports adding public safety positions as the county grows
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“as our population continues to grow, we must continue to invest in public safety positions to keep up with the growth.”
Pledges to keep lowering county expenses with department heads
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“My budget priorities are to continue to lower our expenses through collaborative work with the department heads and other elected officials.”
Proposes extra county allocations for township housing assistance
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tippecanoe County Council District 1
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“work with our townships who provide housing and/or utility assistance for those individuals who qualify by providing an additional allocation”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 3 issues covered in this race.