Portage Mayor Calls Out State Rep’s Text Threatening City

PORTAGE, Ind. — Portage Mayor Austin Bonta responded this week after getting a text from State Rep. Edmond Soliday promising to block any future revenue increases for the city.

In the message, Soliday wrote, “I promise I will work hard to make certain your city never gets any revenue increases.” Bonta shared the text with the city council, saying it wasn’t about him personally but a threat to the city’s financial future.

On Thursday, Bonta told WIBC’s Kendall and Casey that a lot of people in Portage were caught off guard by a big jump in electricity bills. He mentioned a local church in Porter County whose bill went up by $4,000. “Earlier this year, our city council asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission not to approve the latest NIPSCO rate hike,” Bonta said. That commission decides whether utility rates go up.

Bonta said he shared the message because it wasn’t just a personal jab, but something that affects the whole city. “If it was a personal threat, like him saying he was going to run against me for mayor, I wouldn’t have shared it. But this threatens the city’s ability to bring in money, so I had to let people know.”

He added, “There’s no other way to read ‘I promise I will work hard to make certain your city never gets any revenue increases’ except as a direct threat.”

The message came soon after Bonta posted on Facebook about the need to fix the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. People in the community have shown support for him online. One called Soliday “an old-school bully with outdated views,” while another said, “Mayor, you’re a good man. People like you can be trusted, and that scares some.”

Bonta said he shared the text and Soliday’s statement to be open and honest with the public.

Portage Mayor Calls Out State Rep’s Text Threatening City  was originally published on wibc.com