Several town races remain vacant with 8 days to filing deadline

A number of vacancies remain on the November municipal ballot, most notably in one Putnam County town where no candidates have filed.

With little more than a week until the filing deadline for independent candidates, no one had expressed interest in seeking office in Russellville, trailed closely by Fillmore, where just one candidate is seeking any of the four seats up for grabs in November.

If no Russellville candidates have turned in a packet to the voter registration office by noon on Tuesday, June 30, the four incumbents for clerk-treasurer and the three at-large town council seats would retain their offices.

Those incumbents are Clerk-Treasurer Devon Davis (I) and Councilmen Don Reddish (I), Norma Jean Gross (I) and Cathy Jones (I).

The county has seen three new candidates file their paperwork in the last week in Curt Leonard (I) for Fillmore Town Council Ward 1, Larry Fidler (I) for Cloverdale Town Council Ward 1 and Monica Bray (I) for Bainbridge clerk-treasurer.

Leonard, the incumbent, is the lone candidate on a ballot nearly as vacant as Russellville's.

No one has filed for Fillmore clerk-treasurer, including the recently-appointed Paul Alleyn. Likewise there are no candidates for the Ward 2 or 3 council seats that incumbents Alan Jones (I) and Meridith Trusty (I) have said they do not wish to retain.

In Cloverdale, Fidler's filing amounts to a trade of positions with current Ward 1 Councilman Gary Bennington. After Bennington (I) recently filed for Fidler's at-large seat, Fidler, also a Ward 1 resident, chose not to oppose his fellow councilman and simply filed for the other open seat.

The filing gives Cloverdale one candidate in each race, although none has any opposition. Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Galloway (R) and Ward 2 Councilman Don Sublett (I), both incumbents, will also appear on the ballot.

In Bainbridge, more candidates are now seeking the single clerk-treasurer office than are running for the three town council seats combined.

Bray's addition to the clerk-treasurer race brings the count to three candidates, as she joins fellow independents Bobbi Boller and Pamela Kashman.

That lies in contrast to just two candidates seeking three council seats. Jerry Lents (I) is running in Ward 2, while incumbent Joel Thompson (I) is running in Ward 3.

Incumbents Chuck McElwee in Ward 1 and Bonnie Osborn in Ward 2 have yet to file.

The week saw no change in Roachdale, where independents Kathy Asher and Debbie Sillery face off for clerk-treasurer, while independents Jim Cromwell and Rick Kiefer seek two of the three at-large council seats.

None of the incumbents, clerk-treasurer Martha Louk and council members Zach Bowers, Barbara Scott and Jack Jones, have filed.

Interested parties should pick up a candidate packet at the Voter Registration Office on the second floor of the Putnam County Courthouse.

For more information, persons may call 655-1538. The office is open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The deadline to file is noon on June 30.

2015 Town Elections

(Filings as of June 19)

Bainbridge

Clerk-Treasurer: Bobbi Boller (I), Monica Bray (I), Pamela Kashman (I)

Council Ward 1: No candidates filed

Council Ward 2: Jerry Lents (I)

Council Ward 3: Joel Thompson* (I)

Cloverdale

Clerk-Treasurer: Cheryl Galloway* (R)

Council At-Large: Gary Bennington (I)

Council Ward 1: Larry Fidler (I)

Council Ward 2: Donald Sublett* (I)

Fillmore

Clerk-Treasurer: No candidates filed

Council Ward 1: Curt Leonard* (I)

Council Ward 2: No candidates filed

Council Ward 3: No candidates filed

Roachdale

Clerk-Treasurer: Katrina "Kathy" Asher (I), Debbie Sillery (I)

Town Council At-Large (vote for 3): Jim Cromwell (I), Rick Kiefer (I)

Russellville

Clerk-Treasurer: No candidates filed

Town Council At-Large (vote for 3): No candidates filed

*--Incumbent