As you approached City Hall for the council meeting the chanting of around one hundred people grew louder. “Love not hate will make America great” could be heard from more than a block away. Several people held a giant banner on the steps of City Hall reading “NO Kings,” others held electric candles and various other protest signs. The doors opened at 5:40 and everyone filed into council chambers. By the time the council meeting started every seat was full and the hallway was filled with people standing and listening to the meeting through the speaker system.
The meeting as always started off with the Pledge of Allegiance. Then Mayor Costas introduced our new city Attorney, Joseph Svetanoff. Joe was welcomed by the Mayor and applauded by the crowd, this was his first council meeting. Then the minutes of the prior council meeting were approved. The council meeting went for over three hours with one resolution and three ordinances, with a few items of other business.
The first resolution which brought out the large crowd was Resolution No.3 2026 expressing deep grief and outrage at the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti brought forth by councilman Robert Cotton. Cotton introduced the resolution and then Mayor Costas opened the floor for public comment before council discussion. City residents were allowed to speak first followed by people who lived outside the city limits. There was a three minute timer used to keep things moving along.
There were 36 public comments, 20 supporting the resolution and 16 opposed to it. It is interesting to note that all the people supporting the resolution were white and many spoke about racism and protecting our “brown and black people.” Of the 16 people opposed to the resolution 4 were “brown.” One woman’s comment is worth noting. “I am one of those brown people you all are talking about. My grandparents came from Mexico, all four of them. They came here with nothing but the shirts on their backs. They did not expect to get freebies from the government. They worked hard to get what they got. On my mom’s side there were 9 kids, half of them got college degrees. So how racist is that? There was some racism but they were able, if you work hard and are honest you can make it here. So my problem is all these people who are speaking for brown people. I don’t need your pity, I don’t need you to speak for me. I have my own voice, I have my own opinions. Don’t speak for me. Don’t feel sorry for me because I’m brown. Because you know what? To me, when you’re looking at my skin color, that’s racism. And you guys are trying to be like you have this moral superiority going on here.
All this virtue signalling, I’m tired of it. We’re all the same. We need ICE here, if you came here illegally, that’s breaking the law with no way of us knowing who you are. Many people are not assimilating to our culture, people coming in here waving flags from other countries and saying how much they hate America. No, no thank you, I just needed to get that off my back. So stop feeling sorry for people of color, stop speaking for us, we have our own voices.”
The resolution was voted down by a 6 to 1 majority, Councilman Cotton being the sole yes vote. Council debate over the resolution got rather chaotic and the resolution did not fail from lack of support from the democratic majority. The resolution failed due to Cotton forcing a vote when the other democratic councilwomen wanted to table it and work on amending it. Emilie Hunt who was born and raised in Minnesota just 10 miles from where Good and Pretti were killed said she has “never been prouder to be a Minnesotan.” She continued “I’m concerned this resolution falls short of genuinely addressing the questions raised last week.” She is referring to the requests made by the Valpo Resistance to condemn ICE during public comment at the last city council meeting. So the democrat majority Valparaiso city council is literally being directed and led by a minority of progressive activists who protest Republicans downtown every Saturday. Hunt also wants the resolution to include condemnation of Indiana Senate bill 76 Saying “it fails to recognize or even address the atrocity of Senate Bill 76 and the continued threats our state house is making against municipalities who dare to disagree.” Indiana Senate Bill 76 (2026), titled “Immigration matters” is a sweeping enforcement bill that requires state/local, police, and public colleges to comply with federal immigration detainers.
Diana Reed, the most level headed Democrat on council said “I do not believe this resolution is the appropriate role of our municipal government in its current form. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and while this resolution acknowledges that, it goes on to make legal conclusions and policy judgements about federal actions that are beyond our authority as a city council. I believe our responsibility is to govern locally, ensure our own policies and practices, protect our constitutional rights and maintain trust and stability within our community without overstepping the limits of our role.”
Both Republican Councilmen opposed the resolution. Councilman Anderson said “I will be voting no on this resolution. Not because I disagree with the value of human life, and not because I oppose accountability. But because I have concerns about both the process and the substance of what we are doing here tonight.” He said that only Cotton and Domer worked on this resolution and that he didn’t hear about it until it was made public. He continued “I believe if we are going to address an issue as sensitive as this it would have been better to work together first and try to find common ground before bringing something forward that immediately divides the council and community.” He did acknowledge that councilwoman Reed reached out to him to discuss the matter, saying “not necessarily as a council issue, but more from the angle of how can a couple of people with influence unite our community. We had a thoughtful, reasonable conversation and I appreciate that. That is the kind of collaboration and mutual respect that helps us govern in unity, even if we might disagree on certain things.”
Councilman Pupillo drove home his belief that local government should steer clear of national cultural issues. He began by recalling his first four years on city council with a Republican majority. “We focused primarily on the core competencies of local government, public safety, city services, economic development, road paving, parks and infrastructure. It was mundane, may have been boring to some, but in my mind it was effective, unifying leadership. We live in a city with varied beliefs and a myriad of issues. We are elected by those people, sometimes by the slimmest of margins to represent everyone in the city. Therefore, we considered it inappropriate to make broad pronouncements on social or cultural issues or to utilize government resources to elevate the demands of activist organizations. Are we to address every cultural, social issue we hear about on the national news.” He continued. “And here we are, how interesting. Every loss of life deserves serious investigation. No elected body should ever appear dismissive of that. Let’s let that investigation happen. But this resolution has a fundamental problem, it asks the city council of Valparaiso to pass judgement on an incident that occurred in another state involving federal law enforcement that this body does not oversee, that’s not within our jurisdiction and our residents deserve a council focused on governing here, in Valparaiso.”
After the resolution was voted down the Mayor called a ten minute recess. There were only about 20 people who stayed for the remainder of the council meeting after the recess. The next two ordinances, No. 4 and 5, 2026 both were second readings with public hearings. Both concerned appropriation of funds for city business and were passed. Ordinance No. 6 2026 was up for first reading and appropriated a little over 5.3 million for road paving in 2026. Under other business the council approved a contract for city council legal services.
Mayor Costas appointed Brian Nosbusch to the Ethics Advisory Commission and council approved unanimously. The next city council meeting is February 23, 2026, 6:00 at City Hall. The City and Parks Department also have multiple surveys accessible through the city webpage and the Parks Department webpage about road safety and the future Valpo REC development.
MORE VALPARAISO RELATED ARTICLES . . .
Human Relations Funding Main Topic at the Valparaiso City Council Meeting
The Monday April 13th, 2026 Valparaiso City Council meeting went for just under thirty minutes and had three Ordinances on the agenda. The first two Ordinances, No. 1 & 4, 2026, were up for second reading and final vote. Both ordinances were passed by council earlier this year but were brought back to…
2 Famous Nashville Recording Artists Coming to Valparaiso Monday, March 16th
Welcome to the Region Music Scene where two incredible bands from Nashville, TN are performing in Valparaiso! “Little Lungs” and “Virginity Club” with local act, Bridj Williams, hosting this epic evening of original music here in the region at the region’s newest music venue, The Hub NWI. Mark your calendars for Monday, March 16th. This…
Students and faculty at Valparaiso University welcome members of the public to an exciting semester of ensemble performances, shows and concerts this spring. With a variety of events including jazz, dance performances, music from blockbuster films, baroque masterpieces, and a mainstage theatrical performance, there’s something for everyone at Valparaiso University. Performances are free…
New Sand and Steel Art Fest Announced by Valpo Creative Council
SAND + STEEL Art Fest is a free, three-day celebration of local artistic creativity and talent, named after the geography and industry of the Northwest Indiana Region. The Festival will take place on Saturday, June 27th from 9am – 5pm, and Sunday, June 28th from 10am – 4pm, combined with the Valparaiso Market,…
VU Chapel of Resurrection to Receive $300K Capital Grant
The Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University has been named a recipient of the Sacred Places Indiana award. The award comes with a $300,000 capital grant and $25,000 planning grant to support a redevelopment project for floor infrastructure renovation. This award is funded by the Lilly Endowment and administered through Indiana Landmarks. “The footsteps…
City of Valparaiso Makes Plans for West Street Corridor Development
The West Street Corridor Study runs parallel to US 30, beginning at Hayes Leonard Road on the west and extending to Campbell Road on the east. A comprehensive plan designed to transform the West Street area into a walkable, connected and economically vibrant gateway to the city has been released. The…
Urschel Development’s Conversion of Boys and Girls Club into Grand Gardner Hotel Nearing Completion
The Grand Gardner Hotel is the redevelopment and reuse of the Gardner School building built in 1899 near downtown Valparaiso. The historical building will be augmented into a the Grand Gardner Hotel by Urschel Development Corporation with new construction, encompassing additional guestrooms and amenities. The hotel will operate as an independent boutique hotel focused on…
Indiana Landmarks Awards $50,000 to Beverly Shores Depot Museum and Art Gallery
For more than a century, the South Shore Line has transported passengers between South Bend and Chicago; today it operates as one of the country’s last interurban trains. In Beverly Shores, a Spanish Colonial Revival-style depot—a rare survivor from the line’s heyday in the 1920s—still serves passengers while also housing the Beverly Shores…
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
