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Council elects Yale as president; Bender wins vice president vote 6-3
Summary
At the Jan. 7 organizational meeting, Fort Wayne City Council members elected Yale as council president by unanimous voice vote and selected Marty Bender as vice president in a 6-3 roll-call result over Jeff Paddock.
The Fort Wayne City Council elected Rush Yale as its 2025 council president and chose Marty Bender as vice president at the council’s organizational meeting on Jan. 7, 2025.
Yale was nominated from the floor and, after the council closed nominations, was elected by a unanimous voice vote during the roll call proceedings. The clerk announced the floor closed with nine voting members present before the voice vote.
The vice president contest drew a roll-call vote after nominations for two candidates, Councilman Jeff Paddock and Councilman Marty Bender. After members spoke in support of both nominees, the council voted by roll call. The clerk announced the tally as six votes for Bender and three votes for Paddock; the clerk read the result aloud and declared Bender elected vice president for 2025.
The meeting transcript records several members praising both nominees during the nomination and roll-call sequence. Multiple council members described both Bender and Paddock as experienced and collegial; several framed their votes around seniority, prior service and the ability to work across the council.
Actions/Votes at a glance
- Election of Council President (nomination and vote): Nominee: Rush Yale; Outcome: elected by unanimous voice vote after nominations were closed. Tally: voice vote announced as in favor/“aye” by the clerk (no roll-call roll provided). Notes: floor closed prior to the vote; nine members present for the vote on closing nominations.
- Election of Vice President (roll-call vote): Motion: elect Marty Bender as vice president (nomination and second recorded). Mover/Second: nominations made from the floor; clerk recorded motion and seconds during the meeting. Tally: yes 6, no 3. Outcome: Marty Bender elected vice president. Notes: council members made brief remarks explaining support for each nominee before the roll call. Individual roll-call vote names were summarized by the clerk as a 6–3 result.
Why it matters
Council leadership sets the agenda order for procedural matters, represents the council at ceremonial events and often coordinates with city administration on meeting logistics and priorities. The elections conclude the council’s organizational duties for the start of 2025 and precede the body’s regular legislative work for the year.
What’s next
The council moved from the organizational votes into other opening-business items, including remarks from the mayor and a presentation recognizing the outgoing 2024 council president.
