HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM BY BECOMING A SUBSCRIBING MEMBER. YOU CAN ALSO MAKE A ONE TIME DONATION HERE.
MISHAWAKA, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has discovered the Republican nominee for the St. Joseph County Council District I seat changed his name on the ballot and in public life in an apparent attempt to hide a decades long history of legal troubles. It turns out, Council Candidate “Andy” Rutten’s legal name is actually ANTHONY J. Rutten. Nowhere in his name would anyone logically conclude a nickname of “Andy.” Further, on the ballot he does not include his legal name or nickname designation, showing only “Andy Rutten.” Typically someone who uses a nickname puts their legal name first with a nickname in parentheses in the second or third slot (unless they’re attempting to hide their identity).
While REAL News Michiana does standard cursory background checks on all candidates, RNM was not aware of Mr. Rutten’s legal name. Because of that, we searched for Andrew and Andy Rutten months ago, discovering only one legal action with that name involving the St. Joseph County Department of Health. A search of Rutten’s legal name shows nearly a dozen legal actions dating back two decades.
According to state records, Anthony Rutten has a long history of legal troubles involving finances, criminal behavior and overall poor judgement. Rutten has also been cited for nearly half a dozen traffic infractions, which could explain why the council candidate is typically seen riding a bicycle instead of driving a vehicle.
While Rutten’s latest legal battle was a 2022 trespassing arrest that was eventually dropped, RNM has learned since 2017, Rutten has been sued in small claims court FOUR times for not paying his bills. It’s important to note, the County Council is the financial and budgeting arm of the County’s government.
Rutten’s legal troubles involving finances could be connected to his inability to hold down a job. While Rutten has claimed to be a “developer,” RNM has not been able to find any projects that he has developed. And, according to his own financial statements in his campaign filings, he currently does not have a job. The only evidence showing Rutten was a developer is a company he created on paper called JME Construction LLC headquartered out of his home. That business was created in May of 2023. (PDF files of his campaign paperwork and JME Construction can be seen below.)
Rutten was recruited by sitting Republican County Council District B representative Amy Drake. Drake handpicked Rutten to run for the seat after she learned incumbent Mark Root was not going to run for re-election. With Drake’s help, Rutten defeated Kent Hizer in the Republican Primary this past May.
RNM reached out to Rutten for comment. We left him a voicemail and sent him a text on Sunday morning. He did not respond. A screenshot of the text message can be seen below.
Want to keep seeing the news the legacy media just won’t report? REAL News Michiana relies on member subscribers to keep going. As a subscriber, you’ll get an RNM mug and invites to special events. Help us continue to expose corruption and report on the news conservatives care about by subscribing here.
