Mike Wolanin | The Republic Kim Bennett, Republican candidate for Bartholomew County Council-at-Large, talks with Shelly Bell during the Bartholomew County Republican Party election results watch party at Hotel Indigo in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Bennett won election to the Bartholomew County Council.
While the county commissioners may set policy in county government, it is the Bartholomew County Council that controls the purse strings.
For that reason, the council is likely to benefit from the fact that two of the three Republicans who won their first term on the council have strong financial backgrounds.
One is Michael Bell, 55, a certified public accountant who has worked extensively in business administration. Another is 49-year-old bank administrator Kim Bennett.
After being chosen by a Republican caucus in July to fill out the remaining term of Evelyn Pence, Marcus Speer can now serve a full four-year term in his own right. The 50-year-old farmer/minister/school bus driver says he’s very familiar with handling finances and keeping on a budget.
Bell, Bennett and Speer will succeed Matt Miller and Bill Lentz, who both chose not to seek another term on the council, as well as Pence, who stepped down due to health concerns.
Bell said he will have four priorities when he takes office: public safety, infrastructure, economic development, and personal property rights.
Besides her financial background, Bennett said she wants to use her experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors to help the community thrive.
As for Speer, his priorities are maintaining balanced budgets and effectively using tax revenues.
In what has become an all-too familiar election night outcome, Republicans took all three seats in the Tuesday contest against three Democratic challengers.
One was psychologist Nancy Merbitz, who campaigned that the GOP’s long-time dominance in county government shows a need for balance, accountability, and representation.
Another is Michelle Carr, 45, who has held multiple leadership roles with the local Democratic party. The third Democrat on the ballot was Zach Patchett, 26, who holds an undergraduate degree in Applied Statistics from Purdue.
