It only took about 10 minutes for the Bartholomew County Election Board to deny a challenge to a candidate running for Columbus City Council.
The challenge against former Democrat-turned-Republican Chris Rutan, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the District 1 Columbus City Council seat in May’s primary, was filed Feb. 8 by William Tapscott, 1036 Chestnut St.
Since Tapscott’s challenge was unanimously denied Tuesday by the three-member election board during the brief hearing, Rutan remains on the ballot challenging incumbent Republican councilman Dascal Bunch in the May primary.
Board president Jim Holland told Tapscott the allegations he was making were completely out of the board’s jurisdiction.
State statute only allows the election board to question a candidate’s eligibility on three grounds: Whether the person is older than age 18, has been convicted of a felony, and is in good standing with his political party, according to the board.
Based on that criteria, Holland said there is no legal basis to challenge Rutan’s candidacy.
In contrast, Tapscott’s allegations were based on Rutan’s specific actions as a property manager for an elderly Bartholomew County woman from 2011 through 2014.
Although the board did give Tapscott permission to read a statement, Holland stopped Tapscott when specific allegations regarding Rutan came out in the statement.
“These are not matters we are allowed to discuss,” Holland said.
In response, Tapscott said a district attorney had told him it was up to the local election board’s discretion as to whether they can consider the grounds of the challenge.
But election board attorney Peter King of Columbus disagreed, saying the election board was following state statutes by limiting testimony to its jurisdiction.
“Nobody wants the three people on this board to start making character judgements on candidates,” King told Tapscott. “It’s the people who make those determinations.”
Audience member Asenath Jewell Coombs asked repeatedly why the election board even bothered to hold the hearing if they had already made up their minds.
“This is just a waste of everybody’s time,” Coombs said.
In response, both King and Holland emphasized the board is legally obliged to hear every formal challenge filed against a candidate at an election board meeting.
After it became clear that he would remain on the ballot, Rutan — who has consistently denied any wrongdoing — simply told the election board that “I just want to represent my constituents to the best of my ability.”
Rutan and Tapscott have been involved in community watch activities in separate groups. Rutan has long been associated with a Community Neighborhood Watch program in Columbus while Tapscott began coordinating a similar program in the Taylorsville area in 2014.
