Ed Coleman, a member of the City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County, announced Tuesday he has switched his party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian.
"Both of the old two parties have forgotten their ties to the common man, and instead focus on power and control as elitists. I am a common man, I campaigned for the common people, and I still represent the common people; the voters and taxpayers," said Coleman in a statement released Monday by the Marion County LP.
"I have found that the direction of the Republican Party has changed, and it is not the same party I joined many years ago," he said. "Nor do I believe its current leaders truly represent the ideals that the party markets and advertises to voters."
The swtich was formally announced in a Tuesday morning press conference at Indianapolis’ Columbia Club.
Coleman, a Navy veteran elected in 2007, is an at-large member of the council. The council now consists of 15 Republicans, 13 Democrats and one Libertarian.
