Third District Fort Wayne Office Opens

   After months of uncertainty with no U.S. representative in charge, Indiana's third district congressional office in Fort Wayne is back in business.

   Congressman Marlin Stutzman's staff opened the office Monday, but they have to catch up on a pile of work.

   “The transition now is to get things back up and running and getting case work taken care of,” said Chris Sanders, deputy district director.

   The office opens just weeks after Stutzman won the seat vacated by Mark Souder.

   “The two month layover would have been nice to be able to sit back and transition with a current staff and make that change,” said Sanders. “But the opportunity to step in right away, get things going, and especially with a qualified staff, makes things a lot easier.”

   Even though Souder resigned in May, his staff stayed on through the November election. Sanders credits the staff with a smooth transition.

   “There's a pileup, but it was manageable because of their hard work,” said Sanders.

   Two staffers who worked for Souder will stay on and work for Stutzman.

   “It gives us some opportunity for some continuity, make sure the case work is being taken care of properly,” said Sanders.

   Besides Fort Wayne, the third district has offices in Kendallville, Goshen, and Winona Lake. All of them should be open by the end of the year.

   Sanders says Congressman Stutzman will visit the offices in the district on a “regular basis.”