Uncontested on Election Day, candidates look forward to 2019

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GREENFIELD — Candidates in many races on Tuesday’s ballot will slide into office on Jan. 1 regardless of what voter turnout might be on Election Day.

The county sheriff, prosecutor, the circuit court judge and three members of the county council, among others, will take office in 2019 after being chosen in May to be the Republican party’s nominee in Tuesday’s general election.

But as no Democrat or Independent challengers filed to run against them, those representatives are now already planning for the years ahead.

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Prosecutor Brent Eaton and Hancock Circuit Court Judge Scott Sirk will remain fixtures in the Hancock County Courthouse. Both earned the GOP nomination following three-way races in the May primary and are uncontested Tuesday.

Brad Burkhart, the current chief deputy at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, will take over the county’s largest law enforcement agency. He faced three challengers in May but is now unopposed.

Debra Carnes, the current recorder, will be Hancock County’s next auditor; Susan Bodkin will remain the surveyor; and political newcomer Katie Molinder will become the assessor.

Republican candidates for three out of the four Hancock County Council seats up for election are also unopposed: Jeannine Gray, District 1; Mary Noe, District 2; and Bill Bolander, District 4.

Bolander, who’s been on the county council for 28 years, said he’s never thought to aspire for a higher political office, adding he simply likes serving Hancock County residents. As he’s about to begin his eighth term on the council, Bolander said determining a long-term solution for the county’s criminal justice system, at a “reasonable price,” is at the top of his list.

The council and commissioners have gone back and forth over the past six months on where to build a new county jail and how to finance the project. Bolander said he wants the council to focus on paying for a jail through income taxes, since the public voted down a property tax increase in the primary. Despite resistance to the project, Bolander is hopeful for a resolution.

“One advantage of being around a long time, is you get to see what works and what doesn’t work,” he said, adding the current jail built in 1988 wasn’t planned properly for expansion.

Other than figuring out how to pay for a new county jail, Bolander said he’s proud of the council’s work on improving efficiencies across county departments, such as upgrading technology and software improvements at the 911 center and digitizing other county records. He said those decisions assist in keeping a more balanced and strong county budget.

Gray was elected to the District 1 council seat by a Republican caucus in January 2017, filling the vacant seat left by John Jessup when voters elected him as a Hancock County Commissioner. Now as she’ll soon start her first full term on the council, Gray said she feels like she has a better understanding on the needs of the county after an almost two-year “learning curve.”

During her next stint in office, Gray said she wants the county’s criminal justice system project further along to completion. Each criminal justice department, such as the jail, prosecutor’s office and probation, lack space, making it difficult for employees to function.

“I’d like to think we could eliminate some of the issues we have today that will set us up for success for the next 20 to 30 years at a minimum,” Gray said.

Gray said she’d like to keep county taxes low, but when a proposed increase is on the table, she would want to lessen its burden on taxpayers.

“We don’t take that lightly,” Gray said about considering tax hikes. “We do our due diligence.”

Noe has spent the past eight years as Hancock County assessor, and she previously served 16 years as the Vernon Township assessor and seven years, from 1988 to 1994, on the county council. Noe wanted to retire from full-time work, but decided to run for council in the primary, beating incumbent Republican Randy Sorrell, to keep up her long service to the county.

Once her term begins next year, Noe said she plans to listen to the thoughts of other council members about solving the long-discussed jail project, while trying to “hit the ground running.” Noe said she also wants to bring the concerns of her constituents to the council for discussion.

“I hope I’m an open door to anyone,” Noe said.

Sirk and Eaton say they’re honored and humbled to continue serving Hancock County and its residents.

Sirk, after working nine years as the local court commissioner, was appointed to the circuit court bench by Gov. Eric Holcomb late last year to replace the retired Judge Richard Culver, who had been on the bench in Hancock Circuit Court for nearly 30 years.

Sirk said he plans to build on the foundation Culver established in his long career, which saw the creation of specialty courts and dockets, like Drug Court and the local Heroin Protocol, which aim to help those whose substance abuse leads them to commit crimes.

Sirk oversees those programs now; and in his new term, he’s eager to “help people with addictions who want to help themselves,” he said. He’ll also strive for fairness in all decision making and work to keep his courtroom running as efficiently as possible.

Eaton was first elected prosecutor in 2014 after several failed attempts to gain the office. In his first term, he and his team established a victim’s assistance program and appointed a prosecutor whose sole responsibility is to handle sexual assault and domestic violence cases.

In this new term, he plans to continue to modernize the prosecutor’s office by updating the technology used in court and for record-keeping and by improving how criminal cases are reviewed at and handled.

Like Sirk, Eaton wants to keep fighting the opioid crisis by finding the balance between strict prosecution and providing assistance.

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The following candidates are unopposed on Tuesday’s ballot and will take office Jan. 1

All candidates listed are Republicans, with the exception of the candidates for school board; those races are nonpartisan.

Scott Sirk, Hancock Circuit Court Judge

Brent Eaton, Hancock County Prosecutor

Debra Carnes, Hancock County Auditor

Brad Burkhart, Hancock County Sheriff

Susan A. Bodkin, Hancock County Surveyor

Katie Molinder, Hancock County Assessor

Jeannine Gray, Hancock County Council, District 1

Mary Noe, Hancock County Council, District 2

Bill Bolander, Hancock County Council District 4

Tom Strayer, McCordsville Town Council, At-large

Barry Wood, McCordsville Town Council, At-large

Tammy Settergren, Eastern Hancock School Board, District 1

Rebecca Taylor, Greenfield-Central School Board, District 2

Craig Wagoner, Sr., Southern Hancock School Board, District 3

Brian McKinney, Southern Hancock School Board, District 5

Kellie Freeman, Mt. Vernon School Board, At-large

Shannon Walls, Mt. Vernon School Board, At-large

Source: Hancock County Election Office

Note: This list does not include nearly 30 township-level races that are also uncontested.

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The following locations are open for early voting, which officially ends at noon Monday.

Hancock County Courthouse, 9 E. Main St., Greenfield

McCordsville Town Hall, 6280 W. 800 North, McCordsville

8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

8 a.m. to noon Monday

Hancock County Public Library-Greenfield, 900 W. McKenzie Road

Hancock County Public Library-Sugar Creek Branch, 5087 W. U.S. 52

8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

1-4 p.m. Sunday

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U.S. Senator

R – Mike Braun

D – Joe Donnelly

L – Lucy Brenton

U.S. Representative, District 6

R – Greg Pence

D – Jeannine Lake

L – Tom Ferkinhoff

Secretary of State

R – Connie Lawson

D – Jim Harper

L – Mark Rutherford

Auditor of State

R – Tera Klutz

D – Joselyn Whitticker

L – John Schick

Treasurer of State

R – Kelly Mitchell

D – John Aguilera

Indiana House, District 53

R – Bob Cherry

D – Nancy Tibbett

Indiana House, District 88

R – Brian Bosma

D – Poonan Gill

County Clerk

R – Lisa Eberhardt Lofgreen

D – Kim Lozier

County Recorder

R – Marcia Moore

D – Rita Johnson

County Commissioner, District 2

R – Marc Huber

D – Zachary Lafavers

County Council, District 3

R – Jim Shelby

D – Randy Johnson

Jackson Township Trustee

R – Matthew L. Heath

D – Trina Mayhew

Brown Township Board (pick three)

R – Mark Grass

R- Vergil Terry Kemp

R – Levi Lewman-Lockhart

D – Christine Childers

Fortville Town Council District 2

R – Robert Holland

I – Becky Davis

Fortville Town Council, At-large

R – Robert (Bob) Sterrett

I – Fritz Fentz

School Board (Nonpartisan)

Eastern Hancock School Board, At-large

Alan Craney

Michael Lewis

Tammy Stunda

Greenfield-Central Schools, District 3

Mark Lozier

John Rihm

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Election Day voting is from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at these locations:

Adaggios, 5999 Memory Lane, Greenfield

Bell Mortuary, 1512 W. U.S. 52, Finly

Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church, 994 N. 600 East, Greenfield

Cross of Grace Lutheran Church, 3519 S. 600 West, New Palestine

Fortville Community Center, 3519 S. 600 West, New Palestine

Hancock County Annex, 111 American Legion Place, Greenfield

Hancock County Fairgrounds, 620 N. Apple St., Greenfield

Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road, Greenfield

McCordsville Town Hall, 6280 W. 800 North, McCordsville

Ninestar Connect, 2331 E. 600 North, Greenfield

Vineyard Community Church, 1672 N. 600 West, Greenfield

Wilkinson Church of Christ, 7293 N. Indiana 109, Wilkinson

Source: Hancock County Election Office

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Indiana law requires residents to present government-issued identification before casting a ballot.

The ID must meet the follow criteria to be accepted:

1. Display your photo.

2. Display your name, and the name must conform to your voter registration record. Note: Conform does not mean identical. “Robert John Crew” would conform with Robert John Crew, Robert J. Crew, Robert Crew and R. John Crew. Visit the Secretary of State’s website (www.in.gov/sos) for a full list of examples.

3. Display an expiration date. The ID must be current or have expired sometime after the last General Election (Nov. 8, 2016).

4. Be issued by the state of Indiana or the U.S. government. In most cases, an Indiana driver license, Indiana photo ID card, Military ID or U.S. Passport are sufficient. A student ID from an Indiana school may only be used if it meets all of the above criteria.

Those who are unable or unwilling to present an ID may cast a provisional ballot. Voters then have until noon 10 days after the election to visit the county election board and provide the necessary documentation or affirm an exemption to the law applies to you.

The Hancock County ballot is printed on two sides of the same sheet. Be sure to read the instructions at the top of the first page. Also be sure to turn the ballot over when you get to the end of the first page. You cast your vote by filling in the bubble to the left of each candidate’s name.

If you want to vote a straight-party ticket, remember that a straight-party vote does not apply to at-large seats, of which there is a significant number on this ballot. It also doesn’t apply to school board races.

Source: Indiana Election Division

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