Martė wins sheriff's race; Salzmann named new judge; Jones to remain commissioner

Correction: This post was updated to correct William Ellis' title.

Ruben Martė will serve as Monroe County's new sheriff, and Emily Salzmann was elected a new judge, while incumbent Monroe County Commissioner Lee Jones defended her seat in a local election with a low turnout and few surprises.

Monroe County Sheriff: Ruben Martė and Nathan Williamson

Martė, a captain with the Indiana State Police, easily beat his Republican opponent Nathan Williamson by garnering nearly 20,000 votes, or almost 60% of the total.

Martė said he believes voters' were swayed by his decades of experience with the state police and a strong campaign that involved knocking on lots of doors.

"We worked very hard," Martė said Tuesday evening as he celebrated with fellow Democrats at Switchyard Brewing Co.

He said it was difficult to say at this point what his first actions as sheriff would be. Martė said he plans to conduct a proper assessment of the department before weighing next steps.

David Henry, chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party, agreed that hard work by many dedicated volunteers helped Democrats sweep the county races.

"We had a strong, coordinated campaign," Henry said.

"Face-to-face, voter-to-candidate, voter-to-campaign interactions always improve turnout," he said.

Monroe County Republican Party Vice Chairman William Ellis announced updated election returns around 8:30 p.m. that did not bode well for Williamson, or his party.

"I'm not going to lie, guys. It looks like Republicans didn't get out and vote today," Ellis said.

At that point, Martė had 62% of the votes. Williamson decided it was time to go home. He'll be back in uniform at work as a sheriff's deputy at 6:45 Thursday morning.

"I think we all thought this race was going to be closer. This was quite a big campaign, and a lot of work. I don't think I'll run again." he said, acknowledging how difficult it is for Republicans to get elected in Monroe County.

Martė serves as ISP's first equity and inclusion officer. Williamson is a lieutenant with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office who oversees training and the dive team's search and rescue operations.

Campaign issues included designing a new justice center that diverts people away from incarceration and toward rehabilitation and increasing diversity on the force.

Martė raised about $33,450 this year. Williamson raised about $9,000.

Current Sheriff Brad Swain couldn't seek re-election this year because of term limits. He's a Democrat who switched parties after losing in the Republican primary for sheriff in 2006. When Swain re-emerged as a Democrat in 2014, he beat three opponents in the primary, then was elected sheriff for two terms as a Democrat.

Voter turnout was 34.4%. In the last midterm election, in 2018, 57.3% of voters cast a ballot.

Monroe County commissioner: Lee Jones and Perry Robinson

Lee Jones will serve another term on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners.

She handily beat her Republican challenger, Perry Robinson, by getting more than 19,000 votes, or nearly 58% of the total.

Commissioners serve a four-year term and must reside in the district they represent, but are elected by all voters in Monroe County. District 1 includes Bean Blossom, Indian Creek, Richland and Van Buren townships as well as precincts 1-6, 27 and 29 in Perry Township.

Jones, who celebrated with Democrats at Switchyard Tuesday, said name recognition and party affiliation play a big role.

“I think this is a very active …. community (that) pays pretty close attention to what’s going on," she said.

Jones said she believes the commissioners’ opposition to annexation, work during the pandemic and dedication to criminal justice reform all contributed to convincing voters to keep the current leadership in place.

Jones said she hopes to be able to collaborate successfully with Martė, the newly elected sheriff, on criminal justice reform, which, she said, will involve a lot more than building a new facility.

Jones also said she hopes to soon reach a satisfactory agreement on the convention center and commissioners in the next term can do a lot more on affordable housing and community health.

Jones and her husband operate Stranger's Hill Organic farm. She has served on the board of commissioners since 2018 and previously served on the Monroe County Council. Robinson is an union-represented electrician and serves on the Van Buren water board.

Jones, a Democrat, raised about $3,700 this election cycle and spent only $700. Robinson raised nearly $26,000 and spent most of it, about $23,000.

When it was clear he had lost around 8:30 Tuesday night, when he had just 38% of the vote, Robinson folded up his chair and quietly left the Republican after party at the Johnson Creamery building.

Monroe County Council: Peter Iverson and James "Jim" Allen

Incumbent Monroe County Council member Peter Iverson, who represents District 1, will continue to serve on the council.

Iversen beat his Republican challenger, Jim Allen, by gaining just over 4,000 votes, or roughly 58% of the total.

Iversen has been a member of the Monroe County Council since 2019, when the Monroe County Democratic caucus chose him to fill the seat vacated by Shelli Yoder.

Iverson has a master's degree from the Indiana University O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and has held several leadership roles within the local Democratic Party. Allen is a retired Bloomington Township Fire Department firefighter who ran for an at-large seat on the council in 2020.

Monroe County judge: Emily Salzmann and Carl Lamb

Emily Salzmann was elected Tuesday as Monroe County's newest judge, getting nearly 20,400 votes or nearly 62% of votes cast.

Salzmann could not be reached Tuesday evening. Her opponent was Republican Carl Lamb.

Judge Stephen Galvin's retirement from the bench sparked the interest of several candidates seeking the Division VII judgeship. Four candidates sought the Democratic nomination, and Salzmann won the right to be on the ballot this month.

Salzmann is a graduate of IU Maurer School of Law, a partner in Salzmann Law LLC, has served as judge pro tempore numerous times and has held leadership roles with the Monroe County Bar Association. Lamb is a local attorney with a practice, Carl Lamb and Associates, a Marine Corps veteran, a graduate of the IU's law school and has worked as the Monroe County attorney.

Monroe County recorder: Amy Swain and Paul White Sr.

Amy Swain, wife of outgoing Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain, also easily won her race for recorder, beating her Republican opponent, Paul White Sr., with more than 61% of the vote.

Swain had won the Democratic primary by just 40 votes. She was previously a board member for Indian Creek Township and currently serves as its clerk. She also worked as a records archivist for the city of Bloomington in 2015.

White is a former cartographic technician with the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management. He also volunteers as a coach for Special Olympics, drives a bus for Rural Transit, and is involved with his church, First Nazarene.

School board

Erin B. Wyatt, District 1, and Ashley Pirani, District 3, won seats on the Monroe County Community School Corp. board., each beating two opponents. Wyatt got 50% of the vote, while Pirani got nearly 46%. Brandon M. Shurr won his seat without opposition.

Dana Robert Kerr won the Richland District seat on the Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corp. board. Kerr got nearly 71% of the vote. Angela A. Jacobs, Bean Blossom District, won her seat unopposed.

Other county offices

Running unopposed in Monroe County were judges Mary Ellen Diekhoff and Holly Harvey; county council members Marty Hawk, Kate Wiltz and Jennifer Crossley; assessor Judith Sharp; clerk Nicole Browne; and prosecutor Erika Oliphant.

Laura Lane can be reached at llane@heraldt.com. Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Monroe County sheriff, commissioner, school board election results