Battles increase on Nov. ballots

Several more candidates have joined Wayne County’s November ballot, offering voters additional choices for races such as Wayne Township trustee and board.

Updates

Indiana election laws allowed additional candidates to file after the May primary to fill vacancies on the ballot. Independent and Libertarian candidates also had more time to register after the Republican and Democratic primary battles were over.

However, the early July deadlines have now passed. Many local candidates face no opposition, especially for county and township leadership.

Wayne County clerk’s office provided an expanded candidate list on July 7. Here’s what’s changed since WWN’s June 24 update:

• Incumbent Wayne Township Trustee Susan Isaacs, a Republican, now faces a Democrat challenger, Jade Rockwell.
• Three Democrats, James “Jimmy” Freiberger II, Lucas Gosnell and Michael Jay, have filed to run as Wayne Township board members. They face Republicans Diane Dwyer Blackwell, Terri Smith and Marilyn Sowers.
• Democrat Ryan Ogden is challenging Republican Barry Ritter, the Wayne County Council District 2 incumbent.
• Richmond Community Schools has five candidates for two at-large board seats. Joyce Downing Mopps (Independent) previously filed but withdrew from the race on July 13. Three challengers, Bruce A. Laudermilk (I), Tevin Roger Thomas (I) and Roderick “Rod” Weiss (R), face incumbents Michael Elorreaga and Kimberly Brown Pickering, who both filed as nonpartisan candidates. This is the first year Indiana is allowing school board candidates to declare their political party. Or they can choose to run as nonpartisan or independents.
• Rodney Blanchford withdrew as a candidate for Abington Township’s board. There are now three candidates for three seats.

The deadline to withdraw from the November ballot is July 15.

Unfilled races

A few races still have no candidate, including one at-large seat each for Centerville-Abington Community Schools and Northeastern Wayne Schools, and trustees for Boston, Clay and Franklin townships.

Boston and Washington townships only have one candidate each for their three board seats, and Harrison Township only has two of the three candidates needed.

Wayne County Clerk Tara Pegg shared how Indiana election law outlines what to do when no candidates file to run for an elected office.

If no one files, the person in the office at the end of the term will hold over until a qualified successor is elected.

When there are no nominees for offices where only one candidate can be elected (such as a town clerk-treasurer), the person currently in the position remains automatically for another term.

However, when more than one candidate may be elected to the office (such as an at-large, three-person town council), the town council will determine the incumbent council member/members who remain in office no later than Dec. 31.

When not enough candidates file for a school board, the school board’s members will determine by Dec. 31 which incumbent members will continue to serve as holdovers.

Incumbents who don’t want to hold over must file their resignation. That creates a vacancy to be filled pursuant to state law.

Contested races

Wayne County

• Council (District 2): Ryan Ogden (D), Barry Ritter (R)
• Council (District 4): Tom Pennington (D), Richard Tincher (R)
• Superior Court 2 judge: Jessica Richert (Independent); Austin Shadle (R)
• Indiana House District 56: Randy Retter (R); Thomas Rockwell (D)
• Indiana Senate District 27: Ron Itnyre (D); Jeff Raatz (R)

School boards

• Richmond Community Schools at-large: Michael Elorreaga (nonpartisan); Bruce A. Laudermilk (I); Kimberly Brown Pickering (nonpartisan); Tevin Roger Thomas (I); Roderick “Rod” Weiss (R)
• Western Wayne at-large: Robert Miller (R); Jeffrey “Jeff” Allen Munchel (R)

Township

• Clay Township board: Four candidates for three seats: Cheryl Heacox, Libertarian; and Louis Artman, David McClain and Jan Riggleman (all R)
• Wayne Township trustee: Susan Isaacs, (R); Jade Rockwell (D)
• Wayne Township board: Six candidates for three seats: Diane Dwyer Blackwell, Terri Smith and Marilyn Sowers (all R); James “Jimmy” Freiberger II, Lucas Gosnell and Michael Jay (all D)