Mike Wolanin | The Republic Voters check in and cast their ballots at the polling center in Donner Center during the primary in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, May 7, 2019.
While midterm elections will take place this year, voters should know that redistricting will make this year’s primary ballots different from all others since 2012.
The official filing period for candidates begins on Wednesday and ends on Friday, Feb. 4.
In national races, Ninth District Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Indiana, will now represent southwest parts of Bartholomew County that includes all of Jackson, Ohio, Wayne and the southern part of Sand Creek townships. The rest of the county will continue to vote in the Sixth District, which is represented by Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana.
In the Indiana General Assembly, state Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, has been redistricted out of Bartholomew County politics. Now, all of the county is being represented by District 41 state Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, according to Taylor Seegraves of the Bartholomew County Voter Registration office.
While Walker has not formally announced he will seek another term, “I think it is my intention to do so,” he told The Republic.
For the past 10 years, residents in northeast Bartholomew County, including Hope, had been represented by state Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville. But now, the eastern half of Bartholomew County – including Flat Rock, Haw Creek, Clay, Clifty, Rock Creek and Sand Creek townships – are part of Indiana House District 73.
With constituents also residing in portions of Decatur, Jennings and Shelby counties, District 73 is currently represented by Rep. J. Michael Davisson, R-Salem. He was chosen by GOP party leaders to fill the seat held by his father, Steve Davisson, who died of cancer in September.
This year, Davisson will have to put his name on the ballot to keep the seat. In addition, Shelbyville City Attorney Jennifer Meltzer and Shelbyville businessman Bob Carmony say they intend to challenge Davisson in the May primary. Both challengers says they will soon be starting an aggressive door-knocking campaign in Bartholomew County, as well as meeting with key local leaders.
Currently the director of business development for Runnebohm Construction of Shelbyville, Carmony says he believes both farming and manufacturing sectors in this region of Indiana share many of the same interests.
“You still care about low taxes, prosperity, economic development and how we’re going to keep both sectors vibrant,” Carmony said. “Policies and practices in the state of Indiana are going to be crucial toward ensuring our citizens have a bright future.
Meltzer, a former Indiana deputy attorney general, believes state lawmakers should be focused this year on a decision from a panel of the Sixth District Court of Appeals that states the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) did not exceed its statutory authority in issuing emergency temporary standards for COVID-19, calling it a “grave danger.”
With District 73 now taking a prominent place in Bartholomew County, state Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, says that leaves him with fewer than 1,000 constituents – all in southern Wayne Township.
The 2022 session of the Indiana General Assembly is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday and end on Monday, March 14.
For several years, the midterm elections in Bartholomew County have been dominated by Republicans. But attorney Ross Thomas says he has hopes that this year might be different.
Thomas, who announced he’s seeking the Democratic nomination to run against District 59 state Rep. Ryan Lauer in November, says several incidents including the Jan. 6 insurrection, misinformation regarding COVID-19 and controversies involving former President Donald Trump have created a divide among traditional Republicans and those who operate on the party’s fringes.
“I can’t believe most Republicans in Columbus wanted to hang Mike Pence last January, or equate being vaccinated with being a fascist,” Thomas said. “What I’m hoping is to offer an alternative that says ‘let’s live in reality’.”
Thomas lost a 2019 bid against incumbent Republican Tim Shuffett from the Columbus City Council, as well as a 2018 state Senate challenge against Walker.
But Lauer denied there’s a divide among statehouse Republicans, adding any riff between Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP lawmakers regarding executive powers should soon be smoothed over.
At the same time, the Columbus lawmaker said there have been a lot of policies over the past two years regarding COVID-19 that have been excessively harsh, severe and hurtful to schools, businesses and individuals.
“I think Indiana has fared well through the circumstances,” Lauer said. “I have every confidence that Hoosiers will make the best decision for themselves and their families.”
So who will be running for office this year who has not yet announced? The heads of the two major political parties in the Columbus area aren’t giving much away.
Bartholomew County GOP Chairwoman Luann Welmer says she’s unaware of any other Republicans who intend to run for sheriff other than Chief Deputy Sheriff Maj. Chris Lane. Current Sheriff Matt Myers is prohibited by term limits from seeking another four years in office.
Lane also says he’s has also not heard of any other sheriff candidates. However, he feels it’s too early to draw any conclusions at this time.
“I didn’t come out and expect to run unopposed,” Lane said. “That’s the reason we have elections. If you look at past history, there will likely be more people coming out to run…”
The history Lane mentions goes back to mid-January, 2014, when only two sheriff’s candidates had officially filed their candidacies by mid-January. However, a total of four GOP candidates eventually ran for sheriff that year during the primary.
Welmer did say two incumbent Bartholomew County Council members have said they’ll see re-election, but that’s about the extent of her inside knowledge at this time.
Meanwhile, Bartholomew County Democratic chairman Steve Schoettmer said he prefers not to speculate on what offices Democrats will seek until after they officially file. But his party will soon hold a meeting to firm up their political plans, he said.
Two county offices up for election this year are Circuit Court judge and Bartholomew County prosecutor. While incumbent Judge Kelly Benjamin, a Republican, has announced her intention to seek a second six-year-term, current Prosecutor Bill Nash has already said he will not seek a sixth consecutive term.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Greg Long announced he would be running to succeed Nash in 2022. Last October, Lindsey Holden-Kay stepped down from her position as Juvenile Magistrate, so she could also run for prosecutor. Both of the candidates will compete this May in the Republican primary.
Those who run for judge or prosecutor are held to a higher standard regarding campaigning, according to the candidates. That’s especially true for judges, Benjamin said.
“We really can’t answer when someone asks what we think of some law, because our job is to apply the law,” the judge said. “If we give any indication of how we feel or what we think about a law, it can make us look bias and artificial.”
Those who run for judge usually rely more on their background, experience, and past decisions, Benjamin said.
“How many people know you, as well as your back work ethic and history, are also important,” she added.
In county government, there are elected administrative offices that are considered extremely important, but generally don’t create a lot of voter frenzy.However, one of those offices – county assessor – might stir up more public interest than in the past.
Former GOP county council woman Laura DeDomenic has announced she intends to challenge incumbent Assessor Ginny Whipple in the Republican primary.
In explaining why she’s the best candidate for the job, Whipple says being an assessor has become more of a technical position, adding that an efficient assessor has become more of a technical position.
“Our job used to be that if you had the data right and you got the price right out of a book, you were fine,” Whipple said. “Now, we have to look at sales, trends, economy and processes. So in order to be assessor, you really do need the technical experience and education to do the work.”
But DeDomenic says she had have more than 25 years in the local real estate industry, as well as significantly deeper roots withing the community than her opponent. She also says an assessor needs to focus on how assessment impacts property values and economic development in Bartholomew County.
“The average assessed increase was over 4% this year,” DeDomenic said. “Historically, it’s been around 2%. That is an indirect tax increase.”
