Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew County Councilwoman Evelyn Pence is retiring from local politics. She is not seeking reelection for the county council seat she has held since 1968. She is pictured in her home in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, March, 14, 2024.
One of the longest-serving elected officials in local history will retire from politics six months earlier than expected.
Bartholomew County Councilwoman Evelyn Strietelmeier Pence has announced she will step down at the end of this month. Her final meeting as a council member will be at 3 p.m. Monday.
At the beginning of her June 5 letter of resignation, Pence – a lifelong member of St. Peters Lutheran Church – quoted Ecclesiastes 3:1.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
“I have concluded that, for health reasons, it is time for this season to end,” Pence wrote in her letter to Bartholomew County Republican Party chairwoman Luann Welmer.
The councilwoman did not provide specific details regarding her health concerns. Pence’s graduation from Columbus High School in 1957 suggests she is now in her mid-80s, although she strives to keep her exact age a secret.
The three at-large council members – Pence, Bill Lentz and Matt Miller – are not seeking reelection, and their terms are scheduled to end at the close of this year.
All three have repeatedly expressed concerns about not allowing a 2018 hike in the county’s local income tax, as well as the awarding of $16.27 million in federal COVIE relief funds, to create unsustainable expenses in the future.
“While we didn’t always agree, I appreciated your professionalism and your commitment to the betterment of this county that we call home,” Pence wrote to her colleagues on the council. “I know that the (council) is in capable hands going forward. “
Welmer says she will soon call for a caucus of GOP Central Committee members to choose a successor who will fill the remaining six months of Pence’s term.
In the May primary, Republicans chose Kim Bennett, Marcus Speer and Michael Bell as their nominees to fill the seats being vacated on the council. All three are likely to be considered during the caucus.
“But (Pence’s) level of experience does not come easy,” Welmer said.
The councilwoman’s political career goes back to when a young Evelyn Strietelmeier lost a 1966 bid to win a district county council seat. However, she became her party’s unanimous choice to fill the term of GOP councilman Roy Marshall on Aug. 5, 1968. Marshall also stepped down due to health concerns.
During the 1970s, Strietelmeier stayed out of politics to focus on her career as a group leader at Cummins Engine Co. (now Cummins, Inc.). She also married orthodontist Dr. Ben Pence, Jr. on Dec. 17, 1977.
With the support of Republican leaders of the era like Virgil Scheidt and Ross Crump, Pence received 15,834 votes in the 1980 general election for at-large county council members. That was more than sufficient to join fellow at-large Republicans Thomas Harrison and Byron Carr.
It’s a position she held consistently for 44 years.
In her letter, Pence expressed what she described as her deepest gratitude and appreciation to the residents of Bartholomew County for entrusting her with the responsibility of being a council member.
“Your friendship and support these many years have been a tremendous blessing to me and inspired me to keep on serving you,” Pence wrote. “As this season comes to a close, my heart is full because of the countless people who have been a blessing to me and those I have been blessed to serve.“
