Records Show Lawmaker Awarded No-Bid Contracts
Elected officials are required to follow strict laws on potential conflicts of interest. The public has a right to every relevant fact before officials vote on or advocate for no-bid contracts.”
LAPORTE, IN, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— Commissioner Joe Haney
Records Show Lawmaker Awarded No-Bid Contracts, Did Side Deals with Contractor
(September 2, 2026 -LaPorte County, Indiana) – The LaPorte County Republican Party has release documents that show former LaPorte County Council President Randy Novak approved payments on no-bid government contracts for a LaPorte County contractor, while simultaneously accepting secret commissions on real estate deals from that same contractor. The evidence includes videos, real estate records, and minutes of government meetings.
Novak is currently serving as an Indiana state representative.
The documents also show that Novak was the real estate broker on five home sales and two home purchases for county vendor Andy Skwiat and his family from 2021 through 2025. At standard rates, the commissions on those transactions would have totaled approximately $100,000.
Council minutes show that from 2017 through 2025, Novak voted 40 times to appropriate money for or otherwise advance Skwiat contracts and never voted against a contract.He also voted to deny an independent inquiry into the legality of the no-bid contracts.
Video shows Novak vigorously defending the contracts, going so far as to order the county auditor to be removed from the room when he insisted that the no-bid contracts were illegal under state law. This incident occurred only three days after Novak pocketed $15,000 in commissions.
The revelations were published Monday on nobidnovak.com, a website built as "a collaborative effort by a group of LaPorte County citizens."
"As we sat in that room discussing the contracts, no one knew Novak was profiting on the side, doing real estate deals. This is a moral and ethical betrayal," said Tim Stabosz, former county auditor.
Commissioner Joe Haney, who defeated challenger Novak for the seat in 2024, expressed disgust. “Elected officials are required to follow strict laws on potential conflicts of interest,” he said. “The public has a right to every relevant fact before officials vote on or advocate for no-bid contracts.”
For more information, contact:
nobidnovak.com/about
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