Town Convention To Decide Republican Candidates For South Whitley Town Council
Posted
Teresa Carrano-
SOUTH WHITLEY – Nine people have filed for the three seats available on the South Whitley Town Council. Because seven of the nine are Republicans – Frank Baldridge, Randall C. Cokl, Matt Dickmeyer, Judith Earnhart, Leslie Hoffman, Stephen P. Smith and Tony Starkey – a town convention will determine which three candidates will appear on the ballot in November. The deadline to file for office was noon Monday. Conventions are held when there are more candidates in the same party than offices available. Convention dates and times are established by each county’s Republican Party chairman and will be announced soon. Registered Republican voters are eligible to attend the convention, sign in with the proper identification and vote for candidates. Democrat Bill Boggs and Libertarian Douglas R. Morrissey are the two other candidates for council. Boggs, Smith and Starkey are the current council members. The South Whitley town convention also will determine which Republican candidate runs against Democrat Dawn Boggs on the municipal election ballot. Republican Janet E. Howard is challenging current officeholder Bob Gould for a spot on the ballot. In Larwill, current town clerk Renee Sills is the only candidate and she will serve another term. Jessica J. Whitfield, a Libertarian, has joined the list of candidates for the three available Larwill town council seats. Incumbent and Democrat Lore Wolfe has filed along with Republicans Michael Garwood, Richard L. Hobbs, both currently on the council, and Larry D. Sechrist. In Kosciusko County, a convention will be held to determine the next Pierceton clerk-treasurer because four Republicans have filed for the position: Stephanie Campbell, Dustin Hurt, Jerry Kreger and Nancy Linn. Long-time clerk-treasurer Janet Castle did not file for re-election. There are four candidates for the three available Pierceton town council seats: incumbent and Democrat Armando Espinoza and Republicans Thomas Barker, Matthew Brubaker and Aaron Robbins. Town councilmen Ron Hall and Jim Bumbaugh did not file for re-election. There are no candidate filings for the town of Sidney. Lana Wolfe is the current clerk-treasurer and Lamont A. Bennett, Kenneth Koontz and Jackie L. Wolfe are the current council members. It is expected they will be reappointed to their offices. Matt Boyd is the Whitley County GOP Chairman, and Randy Girod is the Kosciusko County Republican Party Chairman.
