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No suspense but new officials ready to begin
There's a new sheriff in town.
And although he doesn't officially assume office until Jan. 1, Putnam County Sheriff-elect Scott Stockton will hit the ground running, promising to go into the office to familiarize himself with things before this week is even over.
"I'm not going to just walk in on Jan. 1," he assured.
Stockton, a Republican, led the 2014 ticket Tuesday with 5,514 votes in an election in which all countywide offices were unopposed.
That didn't stop the sheriff-elect from working the polls regardless of the lackluster turnout (27.43 percent overall) or the chilling rain and wind on Tuesday.
"I was out at some of the precincts -- at the approved distance -- shaking hands and meeting people," Stockton said, obviously enjoying a pressure-free evening at the courthouse. "They seemed to appreciate that I was out there in the rain," he said, adding, "but what else was I going to do today?"
Stockton expects a smooth transition as he takes over a sheriff's department that's been under the microscope in recent months.
"Sheriff Fenwick and Chief Deputy Tom Helmer have been very cordial and very inviting," he acknowledged. "It's all been very informative."
First order of business, he said, will be to assure the department's books are balanced with the help of the State Board of Accounts to make sure his administration will be "starting off with a clean record."
Then he has vowed to set forth some new policies and procedures for the department, planning to meet with all merit deputies in that regard.
Stockton, as part of his three-pronged plan, has promised a citizen complaint procedure and "to revisit the hiring process."
"Sometimes," he said, "friends and relatives and close-knit people" have been hired in the past.
"I think we need to look at some other people within the community," the sheriff-elect noted.
Although the outcome was decided when no opposition filed against Stockton following his GOP primary win over Sheriff Fenwick and Deputy Craig Sibbitt, Tuesday's results were nonetheless impressive for the first-time candidate. Stockton not only led the ticket with his 5,514 votes but polled the most votes in 28 of the 31 precincts.
Only in Washington North (where Clerk-elect Heather Gilbert topped him by two votes), Cloverdale 1 (with Rep. Jim Baird beating him by three) and Monroe East (where Judge Bridges had one more tally) did Stockton not lead the ballot.
Stockton will be working closely with Putnam County Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter and Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges, each of whom ran unopposed and drew similar vote totals to Stockton. Judge Bridges polled 5,162 of the 6,566 total ballots cast, while Bookwalter earned 5,027 votes while unopposed.
Bridges congratulated Stockton, saying he hoped the Sheriff's Department change would "be a seamless transition. That's good for everyone."
Judge Bridges, incidentally, lost the family election to wife Tracy, who was unopposed in winning the county recorder post with 5,184 -- 22 more votes than her judge husband.
Other countywide candidates running unopposed were Republicans Heather Gilbert with 5,255 votes for county clerk, David Penturf with 5,247 votes for county surveyor and Nancy Dennis, polling 5,127 votes for county assessor.
The largest turnout of the day was in Jefferson Township where 39.72 percent of the voters cast ballots, apparently drawn to a hotly contested township trustee's race that saw Republican Debra Robinson score a three-vote victory over independent Nicole Hacker (157-154) with Democrat Terry Clifford polling 51 votes for third.
The lowest voter turnout of the day was in the First South precinct in Greencastle where only 12.92 percent --- 99 voters out the 766 registered there -- cast ballots.
In fact, six of the eight city precincts produced a voter turnout of less than 20 percent on Tuesday. Fourth West was at 13.59 percent, Fourth East at 16.96, Third West at 17.27 percent, Third East at 17.99 and First North at 18.47.
Outside the city, the lowest turnout came in Warren Township where only 20 percent of all voters went to the polls.
Putnam County Republican Chairman Jerry Ensor was understandably in good spirits Tuesday night, reporting that the GOP not only now holds every county office but each of the township trustee positions as well following Tuesday's results.