LAFAYETTE, IN — Jim Slaven’s time as Wea Township trustee will conclude at the end of 2026.
Alan Williams eked out a slim 14-vote victory over Slaven to become the Republican candidate for trustee of the township on the south side of Lafayette.
Slaven presided late last year over a sudden board-approved pay increase of nearly double his salary from $45,000 to $83,000.
Wea Township’s budget has also ballooned since Slaven took office in 2019. At that time, the township was budgeted to spend just less than $800,000. In 2026, according to state budgetary reports, the township will spend almost $6 million.
The budgets have been approved by the township board.
On Tuesday, incumbent Republican board members Andrea Moore and Aaron Slagel won spots on November’s ballot. GOP incumbent George Buck, however, lost to Susan Pfeifer.
Democratic candidates for Wea Township board in November will be Dennise Grater, Talitha Huber and Jesse Washburn.
The unofficial vote count has Williams winning 935 votes and Slaven receiving 921.
Williams will face Alfonso Salazar Jr. on the November ballot.
In adjacent Fairfield Township, which encompasses most of Lafayette, trustee candidate Ted Hardesty defeated Rocky Hession to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for trustee in a 1,380-to-898 victory.
Hardesty faces Republican nominee Ray Williams for the Fairfield Township trustee seat.
The other trustee candidates in Tippecanoe County ran without competition.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Wea Township’s GOP voters oust Trustee Jim Slaven
Reporting by Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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