GREENFIELD — November’s municipal elections saw low turnout, but Hancock County Clerk Lisa Lofgreen is expecting high turnout for both the primary and general elections this year.
Lofgreen said she plans to work with the county election board, which has its first meeting of the year on Jan. 16, to ensure that plenty of space for voting and for parking is available at Hancock County’s polling places.
“We’re going to be making sure that we’re utilizing the space we have in the best way possible,” Lofgreen said.
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The filing period for the May primary opens Wednesday, Jan. 8, and voters will make their selections in the primary on May 5 and in the general election on Nov. 3. The presidential race will command the most attention, but numerous state and local offices will also be on the ballots.
If they’re not already, voters must be registered by April 6 to vote in primary elections and by Oct. 5 to vote in the general elections.
Local elections
Two seats on the Hancock County Board of Commissioners will be up for a vote in 2020. Voters will choose a replacement for District 1 commissioner after incumbent Brad Armstrong announced he would not run for re-election.
Two Republicans, Matt Holland and Bill Spalding, have announced their candidacy for the seat. Holland is the deputy chief of the Greenfield Police Department and serves on the Sugar Creek Township Board. Spalding works for the Indiana State Police; his duties include providing security for President Pro Tempore of the Indiana Senate during the legislative session.
The commissioner seat for District 3 will also be on the ballot this year. Incumbent Republican John Jessup said he intends to run for re-election.
At least two new candidates, Keely Butrum and Will Ronan, will be running for three at-large seats on the county council, in addition to three incumbents: Kent Fisk, Debbie Bledsoe, and Martha Vail. All are Republicans.
Butrum served three years on the Greenfield City Council and declined to pursue another term in favor of running for county council. Ronan ran for the District 3 seat on the county council in 2018 but was defeated by the longtime incumbent, Jim Shelby. He was appointed as a member of the Hancock County Tourism Commission in 2019. Ronan and Butrum are Republicans.
Judges in Hancock County’s Superior Courts 1 and 2 will also be up for a vote. Judge Dan Marshall is the incumbent for Superior Court 2. Marie Castetter, who was sworn in last week as judge in Superior Court 1 in late 2019, will face at least three challengers for the seat: court commissioner Cody Coombs and attorneys Jessica Lacy and D.J. Davis.
Other countywide offices up for a vote include coroner, currently held by David Stillinger, and treasurer, held by Janice Silvey.
All candidates for local office in Indiana are required to file a statement of economic interests, disclosing their employment and any other affiliations with entities they or their spouses have.
Candidates will also have to create a campaign finance committee within either 10 days of raising or spending $100 or seven days after the deadline for filing a declaration of candidacy, whichever is earlier. These committees must disclose all contributions to their candidates, and a donation of over $100 must be itemized, meaning the identity of the donor must be disclosed as well.
National and state elections
Five months ahead of the Indiana primary, 14 candidates are still in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination, while Republican President Donald Trump has not faced any significant primary challenges. Indiana has open primaries, so voters will be able to choose which contest to vote in regardless of their own registration. In 2008, thousands of Hancock County Republican voters crossed over to vote in the primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb is running for another term. One Republican, Carmel resident Brian Roth, has filed paperwork to oppose him in the primary. On the Democratic side, declared candidates include state Sen. Eddie Melton, former Indiana health commissioner Woody Myers and Josh Owens, the CEO of online retailer SupplyKick.
In state Senate District 28, which includes Hancock County, Republican Sen. Mike Crider is the incumbent. Democrat Theresa Bruno, a town councilwoman in Warren Park in Marion County, has announced plans to run for the seat.
Voters in various parts of Hancock County will also help elect representatives from State House Districts 53, 57 and 88. District 53, which includes Greenfield and Pendleton, is held by Republican Rep. Bob Cherry. The incumbent for District 57 is Republican Rep. Sean Eberhart, and the incumbent for District 88 is Republican Brian Bosma.
Bosma, the current Speaker of the House, is retiring at the end of the 2020 legislative session. Republican Leah McGrath, the former deputy mayor of Fishers, has announced plans to run for his seat.
Hancock County voters will also choose delegates to send to the Republican and Democratic parties’ presidential nominating conventions. Republicans will vote for six delegates from each of the four county council districts and six at-large seats. Democrats will vote for 22 at-large delegates.
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[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”2020 elected councils” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
City and town councils around Hancock County are re-forming after the municipal elections in November, some with newly elected members. We’ve complied a list of who will be serving on each governing body; names in bold are newly elected or appointed this year.
Greenfield
Mayor Chuck Fewell
City council
Mitch Pendlum
Jeff Lowder
John Jester
Gary McDaniel
Daniel Riley
Kerry Grass
George Plisinski
Fortville Town Council
Fritz Fentz
Tonya Davis
Becky Davis
Robert Holland
Libby Wyatt
New Palestine Town Council
Brandee Bastin
Bill Niemier
Jan Jarson
Clint Bledsoe
Angela Fahrnow
McCordsville Town Council
Greg Brewer
Tom Strayer
Branden Williams
Barry Wood
Larry Longman
Cumberland Town Council
Joe Siefker
Anna Pea
Brian Gritter
Edward Loud
Breck Terheide
Shirley Town Council
Becky Perkins
David Messer
Robin Rinehart
Wilkinson Town Council
Dennis Fisher
Robert Heiden
David Elliott
Spring Lake Town Council
Pat Haley
Andy Swain
Diana Johnson
Wally Althouse
(one seat is vacant)
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Municipal councils are kicking off the new year after elections in November. Find a complete list of city and town council members for 2020 on Page A8.
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