Female elected to fill St. Joseph County council District E seat

SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind -- The St Joseph County Council now has a female on the board.

Elections were held at the West Side Democratic Club on Ford Street to fill former county council member Mike Kruk's seat.

Diana Hess of South Bend won the election. She said it was extra special because the county council hasn't had a female on the board for close to 20 years.

Hess is currently the executive director of Neighborhood Resources Corporation and prior to that she worked at IU South Bend for 20 years.

Kruk won the spot for the St Joseph County Treasurer in the November 2012 election.

On Sunday voters in his district had the opportunity to vote for the four candidates who were running to fill the remainder of Kruk's term.

"The district is primarily the south east through south and into the west side of South Bend. It actually covers a lot of the west side of South Bend. It's a pretty large district," said Hess.

Hess will fill the position for the next two years.