Primary filing period finishes with a flurry

Monday, February 13, 2012

After nearly a month of very little traffic in the Putnam County Voter Registration Office, the primary election candidate filing period closed with a wave of filings on Friday.

Putnam County Clerk Marty Watts, working alongside voter registration clerk Stacia Gibson on the final day of filing, said the office needed a while on Friday afternoon to sort through everything. A number of candidates pushed right to the noon deadline to file their declaration of candidacy.

"We've had a big old rush on filings right at the end," Watts said.

The two races seeing the most action were for Putnam County Council At-Large and County Commissioner District 1.

The council at-large primary race has six candidates -- all of them Republican -- seeking three spots on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 general election ballot. Current Putnam County Auditor Stephanie Summitt-Campbell added her name to the race, along with Tina Fogle and Ty Hampe.

Three candidates for council had already filed in current councilmen Larry Parker and Phil Gick, along with County Commissioner Gene Beck.

In the Commissioner District 1 race, Jake Zaring joins opponents David Berry and Rodney Fenwick on the Republican ballot.

Jeffrey Blaydes is the lone candidate for the Democrat nomination and will face the winner of the Republican primary in the general election.

The only other county office with multiple candidates at this time is auditor, with Wilma Phipps on the Democrat side and Lorie Hallett on the Republican ticket.

Each of the three remaining county offices has just one Republican and no Democrats seeking the party nod. Don Walton is unopposed for Commissioner District 3, Sharon Owens for treasurer and Dave Brown for coroner.

All unopposed candidates automatically qualify for the November election.

With no candidates registered for the primary, the Democrat party will have the opportunity to appoint three nominees to County Council At-Large and one each to Commissioner District 3, treasurer and coroner.

Additionally, anyone wishing to run as an independent or minor party candidate must file a declaration of candidacy by noon on July 2.

Watts and Gibson wish to remind all voters that the registration period for the Tuesday, May 8 primary ends on April 9. This includes previously registered voters who need to change their addresses.

It's an easy step to forget in the moving process.

"We had a candidate come in who had moved, and even he had forgotten to change his address," Gibson said.

Putnam County Democrat Primary Candidates

County Commissioner District 1: Jeffrey Oliver Blaydes
County Auditor: Wilma Phipps
State Convention Delegates: Jinsie S. Bingham, Dave Bohmer, Wilma Phipps, Eric Wolfe

Putnam County Republican Primary Candidates

County Commissioner District 1: David E. Berry, James Rodney Fenwick, Jake Zaring
County Commissioner District 3: Donald K. Walton
County Council At-Large: Gene R. Beck, Tina L. Fogle, Phillip J. "Phil" Gick, Ty Hampe, Larry L. Parker, Stephanie Summitt-Campbell
County Auditor: Lorie L. Hallett
County Treasurer: Sharon Owens
County Coroner: David R. "Dave" Brown
State Convention Delegates (Vote for up to 12): H. Keith Berry, Joan P. Billman, Marsha S. Carrington, Richard Coffin, Jennifer J. Coletta, Clyde Flynn Coulter Jr., Gerald E. Ensor, Sherrie Fenwick, Charles Hendrixson III, Matthew S. Manzano, Darwyn Nelson, C. Jane Snellenberger, Dan G. Snellenberger Sr., Joshua N. Snellenberger, Elizabeth N. Suddarth, Carol Sweet, Michael Trisler, Donald K. Walton, Kevin D. York
Precinct Committeemen
Franklin North: Noble C. Fry
Franklin South: Clyde Flynn Coulter Jr.
Clinton: Gerald E. Ensor
Monroe East: James Rodney Fenwick
Monroe West: Karen Griffin
Floyd West: Marsha S. Carrington
Madison: Kathleen A. VanArsdale
Greencastle North: Marty G. Watts
Second East: Carol Sweet
Fourth West: Steve Fenwick
Fourth East: Steve Smith
Foxridge: Joan Billman, Douglas Nally
Limedale: Phillip M. Butt
Marion South: Tim Bookwalter
Warren: H. Keith Berry
Jefferson: Darwyn Nelson
Cloverdale 1: Pat McFadden Sr., Audra Vickroy
Cloverdale 2: Jenni Artis
Cloverdale 3: Donald K. Walton

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: