Three of the four incumbent officeholders of the Kosciusko County Republican Party Central Committee were re-elected Saturday in uncontested races to serve four more years.
Rhonda Helser, former county auditor, will be the fourth officer as she was elected as the new vice chairman, replacing Kristi Ormsby, who did not seek re-election. Helser also was uncontested in the caucus.
She joins Chairman Mike Ragan, Secretary C. Austin Rovenstine and Treasurer Steve Foster.
There were 130 precinct committee members and vice precinct committee members eligible to vote for the party office holders, though not all of them turned out.
Before the caucus took place, Rovenstine read the rules by which the caucus was governed and the party members unanimously adopted them.
Under the rules, all votes for the four officeholders are by secret ballot. However, where there is only one candidate filed or nominated for an office, the committee may suspend voting by secret ballot and accept the candidate by acclamation, which is what took place Saturday.
To run for office of chairman, a letter of intent had to be have been filed with the state party secretary and the county party secretary no later than 72 hours prior to the caucus. Ragan was the sole person to file letters.
The rules also state that the chairman and vice chairman must be of opposite gender.
For the offices of vice chairman, secretary and treasurer, nominations were taken from the floor.
Though Ragan was uncontested for chairman, former Chairwoman Jean Northenor spoke on his behalf and placed his name in for nomination.
“I know him pretty well,” she said. “... I never saw anyone that spent any more time, his own time, of course, you know he doesn’t get paid. Does everyone know that none of these officers get paid anything? Sometimes they get a lot of grief, but they don’t get any money.”
Northenor said she’s enjoyed watching Ragan “work and do the kind of things that you want done for your county chairman, and the pride that I think he has in that, working with each and every one of you.”
Ragan is dedicated to the hard work, she said, and is a busy guy doing the work. The county chair’s job is not an easy job and not a lot of fun, but the job needs done.
“I’ve never seen a chairman - and I’ve seen a lot of them - have as many caucuses as this man has,” Northenor continued, explaining what a caucus is.
Ragan has presided over 51 caucuses during his tenure as party chair.
Northenor talked about how Ragan has managed to have a GOP headquarters downtown Warsaw for years, which the party had not had previously for a long time and when it did have a headquarters, it didn’t keep it for long.
“Mike will make a good chairman for you again. He has in the past, he will again, and again and again. As long as feet and legs all stay together, I think he’ll be up here for you. You need somebody like that, that understands the system, and lives by the system and keeps this Republican organization here something they can all be proud of,” she stated.
Ragan then was voted chairman by acclamation, and the committee adopted a resolution governing the chairman’s powers over the next four years.
Ragan then presided over the remainder of the caucus, including the election of Helser, Rovenstine and Foster.
“I want to thank you again for allowing me to chair our county’s Republican Central Committee for another term. In the past few years, we’ve had many election successes, new participants and activities. We are excited about this year’s upcoming events and the growing, active Kosciusko County Republican Women and Young Republican clubs. We certainly encourage you to join them if you haven’t. The Young Republicans is 18 to 40 ... and, of course, the women’s group is the women’s group,” Ragan later said.
He thanked everyone for serving the party.
Kosciusko County Councilman Mike Long also was remembered during Saturday’s GOP gathering. Ragan offered the party’s condolences to Long’s friends and family.
Long died Thursday evening at his property in an accidental drowning.
“Mike served our county with honor and distinction. His contribution to the community will greatly be missed,” Ragan said after a prayer was given at the beginning of the caucus that included a prayer for Long.
Regarding Long’s county council district 2 vacancy, the caucus will be announced after Long’s funeral on Tuesday. Precinct committeemen eligible to vote in the caucus are those in district 2, which includes Etna, Harrison, Jefferson precincts; Plain 2, 3 and 7; Prairie, Scott and Van Buren.
In other announcements, Ragan said the Women’s Purse Bingo is March 14; fish fry is April 2; Gun Bingo is May 6; the Young Republicans golf outing is June 6; and the Lincoln Day Dinner will likely be in mid June with tentative speakers U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, District 2 U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym and new Indiana Republican Party Chair Lana Keesling.