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County Council should choose new president Tuesday

Monday, February 18, 2019
By JARED JERNAGAN, Assistant Editor

Maybe the second (or sixth?) time will be the charm.

Following five rounds of voting and no consensus reached during its January meeting, the Putnam County Council will again try to elect a new president during its February meeting on Tuesday evening.

Putnam County Courthouse

The council will meet on the first floor of the Putnam County Courthouse at 6:30 p.m.

The task at hand is choosing a new president of the council for 2019 following the retirement of District 3 councilman and nine-year president Darrel Thomas.

While any of the seven council members may serve as president, only three put their name up for consideration — Dave Fuhrman, Phil Gick and Larry Parker.

Furhman was eliminated after two rounds of voting last month, but Gick and Parker remained locked in a tie for three more rounds of voting.

The hope is that all seven council members will be in attendance on Tuesday, as Gene Beck’s absence last month made a 3-3 tie possible.

During the multiple rounds of voting, a call to Beck was briefly considered, though council attorney Trudy Selvia advised against a vote by phone.

The council will also need to adjust its method of voting on Tuesday if it wants to be in compliance with the Indiana Open Door Law.

Last month’s votes were conducted by secret ballot, a practice specifically prohibited by the Open Door Law, according to Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-3 (b).

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    "Last month’s votes were conducted by secret ballot, a practice specifically prohibited by the Open Door Law, according to Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-3 (b)."

    To paraphrase Captain Louis Renault - I am shocked to find that there are shenanigans going on in government.

    Every politician should be looked at with skepticism on the best day.

    The citizenry must stay vigilant and engaged.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Feb 19, 2019, at 8:55 AM

  • Was the county's attorney present at last month's meeting?

    If yes, then why were the votes allowed to be taken?

    -- Posted by Lookout on Tue, Feb 19, 2019, at 10:57 AM

  • Council has their own attorney.

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Tue, Feb 19, 2019, at 6:39 PM
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