Monroe County commissioners, council members to face primary challengers
Two influential Monroe County Commissioners are facing challengers in this year’s primary election, and at least one of them also will face a Republican opponent in the fall.
Githens, Volan, Madeira in 3-way race for commissioner
Commissioner Penny Githens will face Steve Volan, a former Bloomington City Council member, and Jody Madeira, the Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law and co-director for the Center for Law, Society & Culture at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law.
Githens, who has served on the board of commissioners since 2019, and Volan, a long-time city council member, have clashed on major local issues including annexation and housing. Madeira listed in a news release among her highest priorities “improving, city-county relationships (and) reinvigorating Monroe County’s health and human services infrastructure."
Githens, Madeira and Volan are vying for the seat for District 3, which represents Washington Township (north-central Monroe County), Clear Creek Township (south central), the county’s eastern townships — Benton, Salt Creek, Polk — and parts of south-central Perry Township.
Voters in the entire county get to vote on all commissioner races. The districts merely denote where the candidates must live.
The winner in the three-way Democratic primary for District 3 will face a Republican in the fall. Joe Van Deventer, director of street operations for the city of Bloomington, and Paul White Sr., a bus driver for Area 10 Agency on Aging, are vying for the Republican nomination for commissioner in District 3.
Thomas, Iverson both seeking commissioner seat in Democratic primary
Julie Thomas, the incumbent commissioner for District 2, also will face a challenger in the primary: Monroe County Council member Peter Iversen. Thomas, who holds a doctorate in Russian history from IU Bloomington, works part-time at Indiana University-Purdue University – Indianapolis, Southern New Hampshire University and Franklin College. She has served as commissioner since 2012 and served on the county council before that.
Iversen holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU and works as philanthropic engagement officer at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He has served on the county council since 2019.
Thomas and Iversen are competing for the seat in District 2, which covers Bloomington township, the north-central part of the county, including the northern part of the city of Bloomington. No Republican filed for the primary.
Neither Githens nor Thomas faced challengers in the primary in 2020.
District 1, which covers primarily the western townships — Bean Blossom, Richland, Van Buren, Indian Creek — is represented by Lee Jones. Her seat is not up for election this year.
Four candidates vie for three at-large seats on Monroe County Council
Three at-large seats for the Monroe County Council also are up for grabs this year. Four candidates will vie for the three slots.
Incumbents Trent Deckard and Cheryl Munson are seeking re-election. The third incumbent, Geoff McKim, said he cannot seek re-election because he has taken a job with the U.S. Department of the Interior. Federal employees are barred from political activity by the Hatch Act.
The other two candidates for the council’s three at-large seats are David Henry, chair of the local Democratic Party, and Matt Caldie, an Indiana University graduate who works as a customer service representative at IU Parking Operations.
Other Monroe County offices on the ballot
Offices for surveyor, auditor and treasurer have only one candidate each, and only on the Democratic side: Incumbent Trohn Enright-Randolph is seeking another term as surveyor. Brianne Gregory, who works in the auditor’s office, is running for auditor. That position is vacant because former auditor Catherine Smith last month was chosen by caucus to serve as treasurer, Henry said. Smith would not have been able this year to seek another term as auditor because she was term-limited. Instead, she is running for the treasurer’s office and is unopposed in the Democratic primary. The treasurer’s position opened up because former treasurer Jessica McClellan resigned after she was tapped by Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson to serve as the city’s chief financial officer.
Jeff Hall is the sole candidate on the Democratic side for coroner. No Republican has filed.
Henry said having local contested races generally shows the parties and voters have an interest in those contests. Some uncontested offices, such as surveyor and coroner, do not see as many candidates because of requirements for the job and because it may not always be clear to voters that the office holders are elected, as some of them are appointed in other states.
Three incumbent Monroe Circuit Court judges — Christine Talley Haseman, Catherine B. Stafford, Darcie L. Fawcett — also are seeking re-election and are unopposed.
Also on ballot: Trump, Biden, candidates for Indiana governor
Voters also will get to weigh in on federal offices, such as U.S. president, where President Joe Biden is unopposed in the Democratic primary, while voters can choose between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley on the Republican side.
The Republican ballot may also see a contest for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mike Braun: John Rust, chairman of Rose Acre Farms, is fighting a legal battle to be on the ballot with U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind. Banks recently made headlines after he sent a letter to IU President Pamela Whitten to ask her to “aggressively respond to reports of antisemitism.”
IU profs: Jim Banks' letter alleging antisemitism on campus aims at 'heart of democracy'
Two Democrats have filed for the Senate race, Marc Carmichael and Valerie McCray.
Braun is one of six Republican candidates who hope to succeed Gov. Eric Holcomb, who is term-limited. Two Democrats also have filed paperwork to run for governor.
Other statewide races with local involvement include the Indiana Senate seat for District 40, where Democratic incumbent Shelli Yoder is unopposed in the primary. No Republican has filed. Republican Eric Koch is seeking re-election in District 44. He is unopposed in the primary. No Democrat has filed.
Henry, the chair of the local Democrats, said parties can still fill some vacancies on the ballot later in the year, which means some office holders may yet face an opponent in the fall.
State Rep. Dave Hall, R-Norman, is seeking re-election to his District 62 seat. He is unopposed in the Republican primary, and Thomas Horrocks, a Bloomington resident, is unopposed on the Democratic side. Hall won the seat two years ago against Githens, the Monroe County commissioner, by such a slim margin that local Democrats asked for a recount. The final tally showed that Hall won by 74 votes out of 26,000 cast.
District 62 covers the southern part of Monroe County and parts of Brown and Jackson counties.
Other statehouse offices up for election include:
District 46, which includes Ellettsville and Spencer: Incumbent Republican Bob Heaton is seeking re-election. He is unopposed in the primary. Kurtis J. Cummins is unopposed on the Democratic side.
District 61, which covers Bloomington: Matt Pierce, a Democrat, is seeking re-election. He is unopposed in the primary. No Republican has filed.
State Representative, District 60: Republican Peggy Mayfield is seeking re-election. She is unopposed in the primary. Democrat Michelle Higgs is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket.
Matthew R. Kochevar, co-general counsel, of the Indiana Election Division, said the candidate list is not final, as candidates can still withdraw. Voters also can challenge candidates. Kochevar said it is normal for both to happen in an election.
Information about Monroe County voter registration and polling places
People who have questions about voter registration, candidate filings and voting locations have the following options:
The state voter portal: indianavoters.in.gov.
The county website: tinyurl.com/y59pxfe6.
The local election office: In-person at 401 W. 7th St. or by calling 812-349-2690.
Larime Wilson, deputy clerk for voter registration, said Friday voting locations are scheduled to be finalized by the election board on March 7. Poll sites could change, she said, but that has not yet been decided.
The voter registration deadline is April 8. Early voting begins April 9. People can vote early for any reason.
Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Who is on the ballot in Monroe County, Indiana, for 2024 primary?
