Local winners from the 2020 general election will take their oaths much earlier than usual and without the spectators who usually surround the event.
Instead of New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, many new and continuing county officeholders are being asked to come to the Bartholomew County Courthouse on Friday, Dec. 18, to take their oath of office from Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton.
The election winners will be required to do the same protocols that everyone must do to gain access to the courthouse — make an appointment, said Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps.
Once they arrive, each office holder will be given about 15 minutes to be administered the oath of office in the presence of family members only, Phelps said.
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And by administering oaths on a workday, instead of a holiday, it is hoped that fewer people will be inside the courthouse at the same time, said Bartholomew County Republican Chairwoman Barb Hackman.
Two new officeholders have made appointments so far. Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge-elect Jon Rohde will be sworn in at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 18, while District 3 Bartholomew County Commissioner Tony London will be administered his oath of office at 4 p.m.
Rohde will become the second former Columbus Police Chief to be elected a judge when he succeeds the retiring Kathleen “Kitty” Tighe Coriden. Worton became the first when he defeated incumbent Republican Chris Monroe in the 2012 primary.
London, a Columbus business owner, will succeed county commissioner Rick Flohr, who announced almost a year ago that he would not seek a third term.
Both new and incumbent officeholders must take the oath of office, but for those unable to schedule an Dec. 18 courthouse appointment, Worton is willing to set aside time for appointments on other days, Hackman said.
Members of the Indiana General Assembly, including State Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, were already sworn in Nov. 19 during the state legislature’s annual Organizational Day. While oaths may be administered any time after election results are certified, Phelps confirmed non-incumbents on the state and local office are forbidden by state law from assuming office until Jan. 1.
Hackman expressed a little disappointment that the pandemic will prevent the staging of a large celebration on or before New Year’s Day that usually attracts about 150 people.
“It’s always kind of exciting, especially if it is your first time to take the oath,” Hackman said. “Usually, we have the whole courtroom full with family, friends and other elected officials. So it’s going to be a lot different just having a few people there at one time.”
That being said, Hackman accepts the health precautions after recently recovering from the COVID-19 virus herself.
“Thankfully, I had a mild case, but I’ve lost loved ones and good friends,” Hackman said. “I understand why concern remains strong about keeping people as safe as possible.”
As he reflected back on 2020, Phelps admitted that having a large presidential election coincide with a global pandemic required a lot more organization and planning than he anticipated. For example, the clerk’s staff had to make sure there was an ample amount of personal protection equipment at all vote centers for both poll workers and voters.
And since spring election deadlines were delayed a month, the courthouse began receiving requests for mail-in general election ballots within a month after the primary, Phelps said.
“But overall, I loved to see the high voter turnout (65%) across the state, and that people still got out in spite of the pandemic,” Phelps said. “I think one of the greatest successes of the 2020 General Election is that nearly 21,000 people showed up to vote at Fair Oaks Mall, but few, if any, had to wait in line for long periods like they did in other counties.”
