U.S. Senate Candidate and Hammond Mayor to Appear at Spencer County Democratic Party Fish Fry July 24
The Spencer County Democratic Party is excited to announce Tom McDermott, candidate for U.S. Senate and longtime mayor of Hammond as the keynote speaker at their annual Fish Fry to be held on Sunday, July 24th. Other special guests will include Ray McCormick, candidate for U.S. Representative in Indiana’s 8th District, Jessica McClellan, candidate for State Treasurer, and Jeff Hill, candidate for State Senator from District 48. Local candidates and office holders will also be in attendance including Sheriff Kelli Reinke, Dan Wilkinson for Prosecutor, Assessor Jane McGinnis, County Councilmen Todd Grundhoefer and Todd Ruxer, Kathy Griepenstroh for County Council District 1, and town and township candidates.
Sponsored by the Spencer County Democratic Central Committee, the menu will feature catfish fillets, sliced ham, baked beans, potato salad, tomatoes, corn, desserts and homemade ice cream. Doors will open at 11:30 AM CDT with meal service starting at 12:30 PM CDT and carry-out service available from 12-12:30. There will also be music by local musician Seth Thomas, a silent auction, and attendance door prizes. Tickets are $15 (free for students and children) and can be purchased in advance online or by calling Chairman Dan Wilkinson at (812) 660-9130. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.
“We are excited to welcome Mayor McDermott to Spencer County to give the keynote address for this annual event. Tom McDermott is an exciting and enthusiastic candidate for U.S. Senate who is running to represent and fight for ALL Hoosiers and not just the extreme minority. All Democratic Party supporters are invited to join us for an afternoon of great music, food and fun as we give our candidates a great send off for the fall campaign. We have a lot of great people running for office and the Fish Fry is a great chance for local party supporters to meet and hear from them.”
Spencer County Democratic Party Chairman, Dan Wilkinson
Tom McDermott – Keynote Speaker
Tom McDermott is the 20th Mayor of Hammond, Indiana’s 8th largest city. He took office in 2004 and was the city’s first Democratic mayor in 20 years. Tom is the longest serving mayor in the City of Hammond’s history and is currently serving a fifth consecutive term. He and his wife, Marissa, who serves as the Lake County Circuit Court Judge, are proud parents to four children. Tom coached youth baseball for 18 years and has recently begun competing in triathlons. He is a member of the St. John Bosco parish and serves on numerous boards and community organizations.
Tom enlisted and served six years in the United States Navy as a nuclear submariner aboard the USS Hyman G. Rickover during the Persian Gulf War. He served as a nuclear electrician and passed the strenuous U.S. Navy Dive School to become one of the ship’s only divers.
After the Navy, Tom attended Purdue University Northwest, earning high honors in Finance while working full time. He went on to attend University of Notre Dame Law School where he worked in the Legal Aid office, providing legal services for the less fortunate.
As Hammond Mayor, Tom has led the city to become the per capita capital of bike trails in Indiana with the construction of miles and miles of bike trails and several pedestrian bridges to attract and keep families in Hammond. However, he is most proud of the award-winning Hammond College Bound Scholarship Program, which provides full-tuition scholarships to thousands of Hammond’s graduating seniors. The program has been awarded the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s City Livability Award twice.
Tom brings to his office a combination of real-world experience and old-fashioned love for his roots that has brought positive change to Hammond and will bring positive change to Indiana as a U.S. Senator.
Ray McCormick for Congress
Ray McCormick, candidate for U.S. Representative, is native to Indiana’s 8th District and lives with his wife of 42 years, Cheryl, on their Knox County farm where five generations of McCormicks have lived and farmed. Ray also has a son, Nate, a daughter, Marilyn, and two grandchildren.
A lifetime of dedication to the principles of conservation has led Ray across the nation, testifying before Congress on conservation issues and having a leadership role in the development of conservation provisions in five separate farm bills. Ray has also been an Indiana delegate to the National Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and served on the board of the National Wildlife Federation.
Jessica McClellan for State Treasurer
Jessica McClellan, candidate for State Treasurer, was raised by her mother, a public school teacher, and
her father, a chemist at a pharmaceutical company. She moved to Bloomington to attend Indiana University in 1996 and graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She was elected Monroe County treasurer in 2017. She serves as the chief investment officer and tax collector for the 12th largest Indiana county and the 11th largest county budget. She also serves as secretary of the Monroe County Board of Finance and sits on the Monroe County Internal Controls Committee.
Jessica is an active member of her community. She is the vice president of the Indiana County Treasurer’s Association, a member of the Association of Indiana Counties Education Committee and in her 7th year as a board member of the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, where she has served as treasurer for the past 3 years.
Jessica lives in Bloomington with her wife – a human resources administrator, her son – a high school senior, her daughter – a sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington, and the family dog.
Jeff Hill for State Senate District 48
Jeff Hill of Princeton and former Gibson County Deputy Sheriff is running for State Senate District 48
against Senator Mark Messmer. Jeff and his wife Amy have five daughters and twelve grandchildren. They are members of the Princeton St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, and Jeff is a Fourth Degree Knight at the Knights of Columbus 1131 in Princeton.
“I am running because we need someone in the Statehouse that will truly represent all the people in District 48. From English to Jasper, Tell City, Rockport, Petersburg, and Princeton, I will be their voice in the Statehouse,” Hill says.
He has spent his entire professional life in law enforcement. For 35 years, Jeff served on the force of the Gibson County Sheriff’s Department, including 21 years as a School Resource and DARE officer in Gibson County schools. After retirement in 2019, he went on to work for the Oakland City police department where he still serves as a police officer. Hill is also a certified instructor at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, and an IHSAA basketball and football official and is currently a member of the Teamsters Union, Local 215.
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