GREENFIELD — The financial troubles of another Republican candidate have come to light, this time showing a New Palestine woman running for auditor faced several small claims cases before she was married and changed her name.
Heather Bussell, a candidate for Hancock County Auditor in the upcoming May 8 primary, owed about $5,000 to several credit card and utility companies in the last 10 years, records show. The cases were filed against Bussell when she still shared her ex-husband’s last name, Brown, she confirmed. The cases have since been resolved.
The revelation comes days after Bussell’s challenger, Debra Carnes, also running for auditor on the GOP ticket, acknowledged her family owes about $27,000 to the federal government due to an unknown mistake made on federal tax filings a year ago.
One of the primary responsibilities of the auditor is keeping accounts and issuing checks for the county.
Bussell said she has come a long way in handling the personal financial issues she’s faced in the past. She has an excellent credit rating now, she said, and has not been the subject of a civil lawsuit since 2008.
“All of this occurred over 10 years ago while I was a single mother with two small children,” Bussell said. “I am truly sorry for any misunderstanding that this may have caused.”
Each election season, the Daily Reporter asks candidates if they have been the party of a financial lawsuit or had liens placed on their property. The question is included on a questionnaire that also asked candidates about their stance on certain issues facing the county.
At the time of the questionnaire, Bussell answered that her debt record was clear. She now says that she misunderstood the question to be asking if she currently had any bankruptcies, liens or lawsuits, which she does not.
However, records involving the name Heather Brown indicate that Bussell had a number of small claims cases filed against her. These include: a $4,500 bill owed to Capital One; $233 owed to an Indianapolis-based trash company; and $150 owed to a New Palestine homeowners’ association.
Bussell stressed her intention was not to mislead the public in her response to the questionnaire. Each of these problems was dealt with in a timely manner and handled appropriately, she said.
“From the start, I just wanted to be forthright and honest,” Bussell said.
