From left to right: Council attorney Chris Monroe, council member Bill Lentz and council member Matt Miller have essentially completed their terms on the Bartholomew County Council.
As one chapter closes, another begins for Bartholomew County government.
Since there will be no county council meeting in December, Bill Lentz and Matt Miller have, for all intents and purposes, completed their terms as at-large council members.
In addition, Chris Monroe is stepping down after serving 11 years as the council’s attorney. Pete King has been chosen to succeed the former judge.
When the council meets again in January, Lentz and Miller will be succeeded by fellow Republicans Michael Bell and Kim Bennett. Marcus Speer, who also won an at-large seat this month, was chosen to replace Evelyn Pence in July. Pence, who first took a seat on the council in 1968, cited health concerns for her retirement.
Bill Lentz
Lentz will find himself in unfamiliar territory when January arrives. For the first time in 32 years, the farmer and community volunteer will not hold an elected office.
At the age of 34, Lentz was elected to the board of trustees of the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. in 1992. The husband of Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz remained on the school board in Hope for 16 years.
In 2008, Lentz was elected to his first term on the county council. But as he did with his school board seat, Lentz has concluded that 16 years of service is sufficient.
While proud that he was never supported a tax increase, Lentz admits it hasn’t been easy at times.
“It’s a balancing act,” Lentz said. “People want services, but they also want lower taxes. It’s tough to do sometimes, but I always try to look at both sides.”
Matt Miller
Matt Miller was elected to the council in 2016 after defeating incumbent Jim Reed and fellow challenger Mike Lovelace in the Republican primary. In the general election, Miller, Pence and Lentz defeated Democratic challengers Pam Clark, Lynn Fleming and Diane Hawes.
While seeking the office, the sheriff’s deputy-turned-business owner-turned-real estate investor campaigned for efficiency. While Miller refused to say he wouldn’t raise taxes, he became one of the most outspoken fiscal conservatives on the council.
But from his perspective, Miller said all he did was remain true to his values.
“I’m most proud of serving the community and doing exactly what I told them I would do,” Miller said. ” I think that having the perspective of having worked in county government and being a business owner brought a different perspective to county government that hasn’t been here before.”
When asked what advise he has for Bell and Bennett, Miller said they would talk to as many people as possible, including county employees, elected officials and former council members.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out to them,” Miller said. “I’ve also made a lot of connections at the state level, which provided me with a lot of good advice. But above all, stay true to who you are. Because there’s a lot of pressure to do things and give in to things.”
Chris Monroe
Monroe was chosen to be the council’s attorney in October, 2013 – just one year after making history by becoming the longest serving judge in Bartholomew County history.
His record of 23 years of overseeing Bartholomew Superior Court 1 would be broken four years later by former Circuit Court judge Steve Heimann, who served 25 years before retiring.
During his time on the bench, Monroe was named the recipient of the 2005 Excellence in Public Information and Education Award from the Indiana Judges Association. He would later also serve as the attorney for the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.
