All nine small claims court judges in Marion County are up for reelection this year.

Each of these judges represent one of the nine townships in Marion County. They are responsible for handling eviction cases and civil claims involving fewer than $10,000. They are elected to four-year terms.

At least three of them are slated to appear in an upcoming forum hosted by the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of renters. 

The forum will be held 6 p.m. Oct. 28, at Castleton United Methodist Church, 7101 Shadeland Ave.

The three judges who have so far agreed to participate in the forum are:

• Judge Kimberly Bacon, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Lawrence Township. She was elected in 2014.
• Garland Graves, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Warren Township. He was elected in 2010.
• Steven Poore, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Washington Township. He was elected in 2010.

Mirror Indy asked the remaining six judges if they planned to attend. None of them responded.

Here’s more information about those judges:

• Gerald Coleman, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Wayne Township. He was elected in 2018.
• John A. Kitley, a Republican, is running unopposed in Franklin Township. He was elected in 1994.
• Cheryl Rivera, a Republican, is running against Jami Sayeed, a Democrat, in Perry Township. Rivera assumed office in 2019. (Sayeed did not respond to Mirror Indy’s inquiry.)
• Jonathan Sturgill, a Republican, is running unopposed in Decatur Township. He was elected in 2022.
• Brenda Roper, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Center Township. She was elected in 2014.
• A. Douglas Stephens, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Pike Township. He was elected in 2010.

Election Day is Nov. 3. For more information about all of the candidates running for office, check out our voter guide.

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him by phone or Signal at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.

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Township judges slated to appear in forum

by Peter Blanchard, Mirror Indy
October 1, 2026

<h1>Township judges slated to appear in forum</h1> <p class="byline">by Peter Blanchard, Mirror Indy <br />October 1, 2026</p> <p>All nine small claims court judges in Marion County are up for reelection this year.</p> <p>Each of these judges represent one of the nine townships in <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Marion_County_Small_Claims_Court,_Indiana" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marion County</a>. They are responsible for handling eviction cases and civil claims involving fewer than $10,000. They are elected to four-year terms.</p> <p>At least three of them are slated to appear in an upcoming forum hosted by the <a href="https://www.indymultifaith.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance</a>, a nonprofit organization that advocates for <a href="https://www.indymultifaith.org/current-focus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the rights of renters.</a>&nbsp;</p> <p>The forum will be held 6 p.m. Oct. 28, at Castleton United Methodist Church, 7101 Shadeland Ave.</p> <p>The three judges who have so far agreed to participate in the forum are:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Judge Kimberly Bacon, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Lawrence Township. She was elected in 2014.</li> <li>Garland Graves, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Warren Township. He was elected in 2010.</li> <li>Steven Poore, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Washington Township. He was elected in 2010.</li> </ul> <p>Mirror Indy asked the remaining six judges if they planned to attend. None of them responded.</p> <p>Here’s more information about those judges:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Gerald Coleman, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Wayne Township. He was elected in 2018.</li> <li>John A. Kitley, a Republican, is running unopposed in Franklin Township. He was elected in 1994.</li> <li>Cheryl Rivera, a Republican, is running against Jami Sayeed, a Democrat, in Perry Township. Rivera assumed office in 2019. (Sayeed did not respond to Mirror Indy’s inquiry.)</li> <li>Jonathan Sturgill, a Republican, is running unopposed in Decatur Township. He was elected in 2022.</li> <li>Brenda Roper, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Center Township. She was elected in 2014.</li> <li>A. Douglas Stephens, a Democrat, is running unopposed in Pike Township. He was elected in 2010.</li> </ul> <p>Election Day is Nov. 3. For more information about all of the candidates running for office, check out our <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/vote" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">voter guide</a>.</p> <p><em>Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is</em> <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/donors/"><em>funded through grants and donations</em></a> <em>from individuals, foundations and organizations.</em></p> <p><em>Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him by phone or Signal at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/peterlblanchard"><em></em><em>@peterlblanchard</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-township-small-claims-court-judges-election-2026/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=92131&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-township-small-claims-court-judges-election-2026/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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