Girod To Serve As County GOP Chair; Bartley As Demo Chair
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Both Kosciusko County Democrats and Republicans held reorganization meetings Saturday.
Randy Girod was elected Saturday morning to serve as the new Kosciusko County Republican Party chairman.
The Kosciusko County Republican Central Committee held a reorganization meeting Saturday morning in the Circuit Court room in the old courthouse.
Girod, Syracuse, will replace former chairman Aaron Rovenstine who served in the position for two terms. Girod was selected by precinct committeemen.Jeremiah Heierman also ran for the seat.
Marsha McSherry, who was unopposed, was re-elected vice chair. Christy Polk was elected secretary, defeating Kathy Stutzman, who also was nominated for the seat. Steve Foster, who was unopposed, was re-elected as treasurer.
The terms for all four of the officers will be four years, with the next election in 2013. Mike Miner counted the votes.
Each candidate had two minutes to speak about why they were seeking the seat.
"I believe that a county chair should not endorse or promote a candidate in a contested Republican primary," Girod said. "Rather, I view the duty as one to work to remind all Republican candidates that at the end of the primary we are all on the same team."
He said as county chairman he would like to hold a campaign workshop for candidates prior to the primary to share conventional political wisdom and tactics. He also would like to educate candidates on the significance of Indiana election laws.
Girod served as a prosecuting attorney from 1990 to 1994.
He has lived in Kosciusko County for the last 24-1/2 years.
He said his first political experience was when he was a senior in high school and spent the summer driving then 29-year-old Huntington attorney Dan Quayle throughout the fourth congressional district.
When Girod was a student at Indiana University, he served as an officer in the Indiana University College Republicans. He attended law school at IU and served as a law clerk to the Indiana Supreme Court.
He was appointed a precinct committeeman and has served twice as a Kosciusko County coordinator for Republican Senate and governor nominees.
Upcoming GOP events include a fish fry April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, and the annual GOP Lincoln Day dinner April 30 at 6 p.m. at Fusion Restaurant with featured speaker Attorney General Greg Zoeller.
The Kosciusko County Democrat party also held a reorganization meeting Saturday morning at Warsaw Community Public Library.
Terry Bartley was elected chairman, Cindy Dobbins was elected vice-chair, Lewis Jones was elected treasurer, Deb Boyd was elected secretary, and Paul Heimbach was elected media officer.
They replace former officers Tony Garza, chair; Michelle Boxell, vice-chair; Lewis Jones and Cindy Dobbins, co-treasurers; and Mary Alice Miller, secretary.
The 3rd District democrat chairman seat is up for election Saturday. Steve Haines has announced he will not seek the seat again.
The Democrats 3rd District dinner is April 25 at Eagle Glen Country Club, Columbia City.
