Acord resigns council seat

Lantern investigation uncovers residency issue; Wyant says revelation is ‘very sad’

The Kokomo Common Council just lost its third elected member in this term. First District Councilman Jason Acord tendered his resignation on May 24, leaving the Howard County Republican Party with the task of filling his vacant seat.

Former Kokomo Common Councilman Jason Acord (right) resigned his seat on May 24 after it was revealed he didn’t live in the 1st District.

Acord resigned following an investigation by the Kokomo Lantern which revealed that he was not a resident of the 1st District. The Lantern reached out to GOP chairperson Jennifer Jack once Acord’s residency was confirmed, and within an hour, Acord resigned.

“Although I was not a member of the Republican Party Central Committee during the 2019 Municipal Election and cannot speak to the candidacy selection and filing process, I will say that pursuant to I.C. 3-8-1-2 and I.C. 3-8-8, if known, this residency issue could have been challenged by either party, the opposing candidate, or any voter of the first district. Sadly, I feel this was an honest mistake,” said Jack.