Jay Alcorn appointed to Putnam County Council

Following an unexpected four rounds of voting, Jay Alcorn emerged Thursday evening as the newest member of the Putnam County Council.

With the recent resignation of Jill Bridgewater as the District 2 representative on the council, the Republican Party had until the end of April to choose her replacement by a caucus of the precinct committeemen from the district.

Those nine precinct committeemen — representing Clinton, Madison, Washington North, Washington South and five from Greencastle Township: First North, First South, Second West, Fourth West and Limedale — met needing to decide between three candidates.

In the end, Alcorn, of Madison Township, came out of top. He will serve out the remainder of Bridgewater’s term, set to expire on Dec. 31, 2022.

GOP Chairman Beau Baird said he was first of all happy to get three quality candidates for the office.

“I think it was great to see people wanting to be involved in local politics because that’s the level that really matters,” Baird said. “I was happy to see three good candidates.”

Baird, who is also the District 44 state representative, said he would have never imagined it taking four rounds of voting for the caucus to reach a consensus.

Alcorn expressed his appreciation at the confidence of the party representatives.

“I was just honored that they thought enough of me and chose me to fill that position,” Alcorn said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do to help out.

“I’m really just trying to learn for a little bit,” Alcorn continued. “I didn’t come into this with any particular agendas in mind. I’m coming in with the idea of wanting to propel the county to the next generation. There’s not really one specific agenda, but what we need to look like 20 years from now.”

That focus on the future echoes one of the attributes Baird said he believes Alcorn brings to the table. The 30-something Alcorn steps in as the youngest member of the seven-member council.

And while Alcorn won’t be the only farmer on the council, both he and Baird believe his agricultural background is important.

“Also, with my background in agriculture, I think I have something to offer the council in that regard,” Alcorn said.

“It’s important to make sure farmers have a voice in our county council,” Baird said.

Alcorn also noted that his family has a history of community involvement, so he is happy to have this opportunity.

“My family has had a history of being involved in the community over a long period of time,” Alcorn said. “It’s something I had done in the past, though not on this level.”

The Putnam County Council is composed of four members elected by their individual districts and three at-large members elected by voters from throughout the county.

The seven council members are:

District 1 (Russell, Franklin, Jackson, Floyd and Monroe): Dave Fuhrman of Monroe Township;

District 2: (Clinton, Madison, Washington, First North, First South, Second West, Fourth West and Limedale): Jay Alcorn of Madison Township;

District 3 (Greencastle North, Marion, Second East, Third East, Third West, Fourth East): Danny Wallace of Greencastle Township;

District 4 (Jefferson, Warren, Cloverdale, Foxridge): Keith Berry, Warren Township;

At-large: Stephanie Campbell, Greencastle Township;

At Large: Phil Gick, Greencastle Township;

At-Large: Larry Parker, Madison Township.

All district representatives’ terms run through Dec. 31, 2022. All at-large terms run through Dec. 31, 2024.

Alcorn’s first meeting as a council member will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18.