Monroe County Democratic Chair David Henry elected to Monroe County council at-large

Brian Rosenzweig, The Herald-Times
Updated ·3 min read
Democratic Party chair David Henry updates results on a whiteboard Tuesday at the Cascades Inn, where local Democrats held their watch party.
Democratic Party chair David Henry updates results on a whiteboard Tuesday at the Cascades Inn, where local Democrats held their watch party.

Monroe County Democratic Party chairman David Henry and incumbents Trent Deckard and Cheryl Munson are the presumptive Democratic winners for the county council at-large nominations in the Monroe County primary.

Munson won by the biggest margin, with 30.42% of approximately 9,014 votes cast. Deckard received 29.01% of the vote, while Henry, received 21.9%. About 2,800 people voted for fewer than three candidates when casting their ballot, which is reported as an undervote.

Munson said she believes her years of service in the county council position made voters believe she will make informed decisions about tax money.

Incumbent Monroe County Council member Cheryl Munson speaks at Cacades Inn Tuesday night. Munson moves on to the General Election in November.
Incumbent Monroe County Council member Cheryl Munson speaks at Cacades Inn Tuesday night. Munson moves on to the General Election in November.

"We spend the taxpayers' dollars for the services people want and need, and we have limited dollars, and the wants and needs are always greater. And it's a job. You have to learn how to shuffle and balance," Munson said. "I'm thrilled to have another shot at the November ballot, and I would love to serve another four years."

The county council is responsible for setting budgets, fixing the tax rate, authorizing spending and approving descriptions and setting salaries for county jobs.

Newcomer Matt Caldie fell short of advancing, with 18.67% of the vote, or 1,683 total votes.

Henry is the current chairman of the Monroe County Democratic Party and is an assistant professor at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Henry comes from a public policy background, with a master’s degree from the O’Neill School. He has previously served as the public health preparedness coordinator for the Monroe County Health Department, the senior homeland security analyst for the bi-partisan National Governors Association and a senior management fellow for the District of Columbia under Mayor Adrian Fenty.

Incumbent Monroe County Council member Trent Deckard gives a speech Tuesday at Cascades Inn during the Democratic Party's election night event.
Incumbent Monroe County Council member Trent Deckard gives a speech Tuesday at Cascades Inn during the Democratic Party's election night event.

Deckard was elected in 2018 and currently serves as the president pro-tempore of the council. Munson has served on the council for 12 years and served as president for two years.

Henry and Deckard could not be reached for comment on their nominations.

Candidates’ campaign focuses

Henry’s campaign emphasized housing affordability, infrastructure, criminal diversion efforts, and raising wages to keep pace with rising inflation. Henry also stressed the need for a “constitutional jail” site and a greater emphasis on public defenders in the county budget, as well as well-funded public health initiatives in mitigating the opioid epidemic.

Munson ran on responsible spending in government, supporting resilience efforts like expanded affordable housing and improving justice and mental health systems and preserving valuable county assets like Lake Monroe.

Deckard’s campaign focused on collaboration between the county council and other government agencies like the City of Bloomington, increasing wages for county employees, affordable housing and support for public infrastructure and transit.

Caldie campaigned on housing affordability, supporting “fair wages” in Monroe County, conservation of natural resources and “sustainable growth.” During the campaign, Caldie touted his personal background in blue collar jobs and struggling to afford housing in college and beyond as an asset in the council role.

Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @brianwritesnews.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Monroe County Council at large primary winners Munson Deckard Henry