Deadlines approach for municipal elections in Putnam County

As the 2012 race for the White House is already making headlines in Washington, there's still the matter of 2011 municipal elections here on the homefront.

All of Putnam County's incorporated towns -- Bainbridge, Clover-dale, Fillmore, Roachdale and Russellville -- are on the slate for the Nov. 8 election. All town council seats as well as each clerk-treasurer position will be up for grabs.

Traditionally in Putnam County, town candidates have run as independents. For anyone mulling the idea of seeking office, a decision date looms on the horizon.

In towns of less than 3,500 people, a petition of nomination with at least 10 signatures must be filed at the voter registration office by June 30 at noon. The deadline applies to anyone filing as an independent or minor party candidate.

Thereafter, all candidates must file a candidate consent form by noon on July 15.

And for those rare cases of major party candidates in small towns, noon on Aug. 1 is the deadline by which to hold a town convention for the nomination of a candidate.

While there have been a number of filings around the county, a complete list of candidates will be published once the registration dates have passed.

"We've had some people file," voter registration clerk Stacia Gibson said. "Probably one of the most interesting races is we have four people running for clerk-treasurer in Roachdale."

While the election process is different for Greencastle as a city, the clock is also ticking on those seeking office. While there was no primary election in the city, the Republican and Democrat parties have until noon on June 30 to nominate candidates if no one is yet on the ballot.