The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne IN

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman on Monday sent out the strongest signal yet that she is in the running to succeed Gov. Mitch Daniels in the 2012 election.

Her campaign committee sent out an e-mail of a complimentary story in the Anderson Herald-Bulletin with the headline “Lt. governor may be poised to take over top job.” More important, the e-mail included a request for campaign contributions – without exactly specifying the campaign. But the implication was clear.

“Indiana’s first elected female lieutenant governor could make history again as the state’s first female governor, if she decides to run,” the story reported. “By virtue of the position, she’s a logical choice as the GOP candidate, according to political expert Ed Feigenbaum.”

Given her 12 years in the state Senate before being elected lieutenant governor, GOP state senators might defer and not challenge her in the 2012 primary, if she’s in. And she all but told the newspaper’s reporter that she is.

“2010 is a huge year for so many others, from the courthouse to Congress,” the story quoted Skillman as saying.. “Maybe we need to wait till after the November election” to announce her plans.

Real races

A little more than a week ago, the four contested Fort Wayne Community Schools board races looked as if they might be sleepers. But a number of last-week filings brought the number of candidates to 18, three more than four years ago.

Among those running are Jordan Lebamoff, son of former Mayor Ivan Lebamoff, who hopes to unseat District 4 incumbent Kevin Brown. In 2006, fewer than 4,000 people voted in that race, which Brown won by just 112 votes. This year, with five candidates running, the Lebamoff name may make a difference.

Eight challengers hope to unseat at-large incumbents Mark GiaQuinta and Pamela Martin-Diaz.

One candidate whose views voters will have little trouble finding is Evert Mol, a critic of both Superintendent Wendy Robinson and the teachers union. Mol led opposition to the $500 million bond issue in 2007 to fix the district’s schools. In his blog, Code Blue Schools, Mol consistently disses Robinson as “Wendy” while state Superintendent Tony Bennett is always “Dr. Bennett” or “Mr. Bennett.”

One recent post: “FWCS is actually divided into two systems by Coliseum Boulevard. The ‘poor’ district south of Coliseum if (sic) failing and probably beyond saving.”

A post from earlier in the year was headlined “FWCS can’t be fixed.”

Mol now has the challenge of explaining why he is the one who will help the board “fix” schools that are “probably beyond saving.”

In District 1, incumbent Mitch Sheppard has two opponents – former member Kurt Walborn, who finished fourth in the 2006 at-large race, and Julia Hollingsworth, a former athletic director who sued FWCS, alleging breach of contract.