West Lafayette’s Director of Development Erin Easter announced she will be running for mayor Wednesday night.
The news comes after current Mayor John Dennis announced earlier this year he would not be running for reelection, citing an early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis.
Easter said that if she is elected, a big part of her role will be maintaining and managing the city’s growth.
“We have to make sure that we’re planning for what that looks like, and we have to work with our partners in Tippecanoe County, Purdue University, and PRF [Purdue Research Foundation] to understand what all of those things that we’re going to have to plan for are,” she said.
Easter, who is running as a Democrat, launched her campaign alongside Mayor John Dennis, a Republican. She said that in local politics, the party alignments matter less.
“What matters is that your trash gets picked up and your leaves get collected,” she said. “That when you turn on the faucet to get water, or you send water the other direction, that everything is functioning in your community the way that it should.”
Dennis said he hopes to campaign for Easter, who has served as his right hand in the wake of his diagnosis.
“I hope to be involved as much as I can, but that’s obviously going to be up to Erin. She and I have been side by side now for several years, and I’ve offered her anything I can do to assist her – because I truly believe she will be an amazing mayor,” he said
Dennis says he’s not a strong believer in party politics, which is why he has no problem campaigning for Easter.
“Erin Easter is an amazing human being,” he said. “I could go on and on about her positive qualifications. Her party affiliation doesn’t mean anything to me. She is the best person to succeed me as mayor, and that’s no compliment to me but just to her. She’s ready, she has a great deal of experience, she’s brilliant, and she’ll do well.”
The election will be held on Nov. 7, 2023.
