At the Indiana Democratic State Convention Saturday in Indianapolis, Jessica Bailey was officially chosen as the party’s nominee for state comptroller. She ran unopposed, and her nomination was presented by Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., (D-Chesterton).
Bailey is serving her second term as Porter County clerk and has won several state and national awards for her work there. She was born and raised in Northwest Indiana.
“As clerk, I fought to leave our county a better place and show the state what Northern Indiana is capable of. As comptroller I will fight for all Hoosiers the way I fought for Porter County,” Bailey said in her speech.
Judy Fisher, a Marshall County delegate, said Bailey’s drive, ambition and background are what set her apart.
“I truly believe she has the ability,” said Fisher.
The race for comptroller is not getting nearly as much attention as the race for secretary of state. Several people asked about the role had no idea what a comptroller is. Despite this, it is an important position in government. The state comptroller is in charge of tracking state spending, overseeing state accounting, paying all state employees and ensuring rules are properly followed.
As county clerk, Bailey handles payroll for poll workers and court-related funding details.
“I would just be doing all of these tasks on a broader scale,” she told TheStatehouseFile.com.
Bailey said that, if elected, the main points she would focus on are transparency and doing work for the people.
“I think it is important that if an individual is accepting a salary that they also put the work in to do the position and complete it to the fullest of their ability,” said Bailey. “I don’t necessarily think that that's being done.”
She said she will do this by updating the transparency portal and being upfront with the public about the work her office is doing.
“Every elected official should care about transparency,” said Bailey.
Bailey is likely to face incumbent Elise Nieshalla at the polls this November.
Avery Tays is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.