We Need a Trusty Trustee
Patio Pondering: We Need a Trusty Trustee
The 2025 financial data is now available on Gateway for taxpayers to review. I did just that, and I’m not happy.
In the 24 months following the closing of the NE Allen Fire Territory, the Republican candidate for Springfield Township Trustee received $78,639.88 from Fire Territory funds. Let that sink in. $78,639.88, from a closed, non-existent entity.
That candidate is Lori Dewitt.
The Gateway records show those payments split across two separate vendor accounts. Vendor 1549, listed as “Lori L. Dewitt,” received $6,591.30 in 2024 and $3,187.33 in 2025. Vendor 1671 tells a different story. That account was originally listed in public records as “Dewitt Consulting LLC,” a company I can find no legitimate record of. After I raised questions publicly about those payments, the vendor name was quietly changed to “Lori Dewitt.” That account received $56,053.47 in 2024 and $12,807.78 in 2025.
Two vendor IDs. One person. One fictitious company name that disappeared from the public record only after someone started asking questions.
When questioned publicly about the “Dewitt Consulting LLC” entry, Lori Dewitt blamed a high school intern for the mistake. That explanation does not pass the smell test. Establishing a vendor in a government payment system is not a casual data entry task. It requires a completed vendor application, a W-9, a Tax ID number, and authorization through the system. A vendor account tied to a fictitious company name does not get created by accident, and it does not receive $68,861.25 in payments without someone approving every single one of them
Here is what voters need to understand. The NE Allen Fire Territory was a joint operation serving Cedar Creek Township, Springfield Township, Scipio Township, and the towns of Leo-Cedarville and Grabill. Cedar Creek Township served as the financial manager for those funds. They held the checkbook. And Lori Dewitt, as Clerk of Cedar Creek Township, sat inside that operation. At the same time, she was serving on the Springfield Township Advisory Board, the very township she now wants to lead as Trustee. One person. Two townships. A clear conflict of interest.
Now the Indiana State Board of Accounts is investigating accusations of malfeasance and inappropriate use of those same NE Allen Fire Territory funds. In early February, the SBOA issued an extensive subpoena to Cedar Creek Township demanding financial records. Two townships. One pot of money. One name at the center of it all.
$78,639.88 doesn’t move itself out of a closed fund by accident. And a fictitious company name doesn’t appear in a public ledger by mistake.
Springfield Township voters deserve a trustee who is trustworthy. Before you cast a vote in 2026, pull up Gateway yourself. The data is public. The numbers don’t lie. And right now, those numbers are doing a lot of talking.