GOP names officials
GREENCASTLE -- The Putnam County Republican Party hosted a caucus Saturday, naming a new commissioner and two new at-large council members.
The voids on the county's two governing boards came about when Commissioner Jim Baird and council members Nancy Fogle and Opal Sutherlin were elected to new positions in last month's elections.
Nancy Fogle will step into Baird's old seat, with Phillip Gick and Jay Fogle taking over the vacated council seats.
Republican Party Chairman Larry Sutton said nearly every precinct committee person made it to the caucus, deliberating long over the decisions.
"There were 28 or 29 out of 31 who showed up. That was a good turnout, given the weather," Sutton said. "It was long. We were there until 11:30 a.m. It took almost three hours."
Baird, who was outbound as a commissioner at year's end, won a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives, ending his term as commissioner immediately.
Nancy Fogle, who was slated to take over Baird's post on Jan. 1, was the only applicant to take over the last month of the current term.
Most of the three hours, though, was spent on the council decision. Sutton was impressed with the interest in the two at-large positions.
"At one point, we had 15 applicants for the county council positions," he said.
By Saturday, 12 applicants remained, and the talent available made the decision tough.
"It was a huge, huge group. We never expected that many -- we expected about half a dozen," Sutton said. "It was an extraordinarily rich pool with a wide range of experience.
"It was a win, win, win, win, win situation," he added. "We could have chosen several other people and the county would have been just as well served, probably."
In the end, though, Gick was chosen to replace Nancy Fogle, effective immediately. Sutherlin, who will be sworn in as county recorder on Jan. 1, will be replaced by Jay Fogle on the same date.