Three men are vying to fill the term of an outgoing Columbus City Council member that will be determined by the Bartholomew County Republican Party on Saturday.
Seven Republican precinct committee members from council District 3 will consider three individuals during a 10 a.m. caucus to become councilman Frank Jerome’s successor and fill the remainder of his four-year term, which lasts through the end of next year.
The caucus, which will be a closed meeting, will be conducted at Bartholomew County Republican Party headquarters, 718 Pearl St., said Barb Hackman, chairwoman of the local Republicans.
The three individuals being considered are:
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Russ Poling Sr., who works at works at Cummins Inc., is a member of the Columbus Plan Commission and Riverfront subcommittee, and a former member of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission.
Jon Padfield, an assistant professor at Purdue Polytechnic Columbus and former District 30 state representative. He has served as treasurer for state Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, for the last 10 years and is president of Proffer Brainchild Analytics & Innovation, an Indianapolis-based training and consulting company, according to Purdue Polytechnic Columbus’ website.
David Bush, owner of Kenny Glass Inc. and whose family owns Bush’s Market.
Poling said he decided to pursue the seat after running against Jerome in the 2015 primary, noting that he still has a desire to serve the city through the Columbus City Council.
“I saw this as an opportunity to get involved,” said Poling, a retired veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
“By serving on city council I can help ensure that our tax dollars are spent wisely and to also ensure our various city departments have the tools they need to get their jobs done. We have an outstanding city workforce to include top notch police and fire departments. We need to keep them at the top by taking care of them,” he added.
Poling also said he intends to file for the city council seat for the 2019 primary election when filing opens Jan. 9.
Bush said he was interested in the position after being approached by several people, including Hackman and Mayor Jim Lienhoop. He also pointed to his business experience, which he thinks would be a benefit to the city.
“The idea of serving the community appeals to me,” Bush said. “I’ll bring a little more youth to the council.”
Bush also said he intends to file for the council seat next month whether or not he is named at the caucus.
Padfield said he is interested in serving the community, adding that he believes he has the passion, professional and political experience, and the leadership skills to be an effective city councilman. Padfield said he would likely file for election for the council position in January if he is selected by the committee.
Jerome, a second-term councilman, submitted a hand-written notification dated Dec. 7 to Hackman indicating that he was stepping down from his position effective Dec. 31. Jerome recently got married and is relocating outside his council district.
Jerome was first elected to represent the city’s District 3 on the northeast side in 2011 after defeating Democratic challenger Greg Noel in the general election by two votes.
He was re-elected in 2015 after defeating Poling in the primary and running uncontested in the general election.
The deadline for candidates to be considered by the precinct committee was 10 a.m. Wednesday, since they were required to submit a declaration of candidacy 72 hours prior to the caucus, Hackman said.
Individuals seeking to fill the remainder of Jerome’s term will have an opportunity to speak briefly to precinct committee members about themselves and why they feel they are the best person for the position before the committee votes by secret ballot.
That process will continue until there is a majority outcome, said Hackman, who noted the person that is selected will be sworn in Jan. 1 with other elected officials.
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The person selected Saturday to be Frank Jerome’s successor as the District 3 representative on the Columbus City Council will be sworn in Jan. 1 to fulfill the final year of Jerome’s four-year term.
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