Thomas to continue as president for final year on council

Monday, January 22, 2018
Darrel Thomas

The Putnam County Council will keep it status quo for leadership in 2018, but that will no longer be an option one year from now.

During the council’s January meeting, Darrel Thomas and Keith Berry were unanimously elected president and vice president, respectively, for the ninth consecutive year.

On Monday, however, Thomas confirmed for the Banner Graphic that he will not seek a fifth term as District 3 councilman, which will prompt a change at the top in 2019.

Thomas has served on the council since 2003.

New presidents have been a rarity for the council in recent decades, as the nine years with Thomas as president came on the heels of 15 years of Mitch Proctor as the president of the county’s fiscal body.

For a bit of perspective on the changes in that 24-year period, the president before Proctor was Nancy Michael, meaning that in 1994 the Democrat Party controlled at least four of the council’s seven seats.

Not only have Republicans had a majority on the council since 1994, Michael’s victory over Tom Graffis in 1994 was the last time a Democrat was elected to any county-level office in Putnam County.

Thomas did not make his announcement public during the meeting, and there was no discussion of other candidates, with nominations closing shortly after Thomas and Berry were each nominated.

In other organizational matters, the council members also chose to maintain their board assignments from last year.

In 2018, council liaisons to other boards will be Thomas, West Central Economic Development; Berry, Putnam County Community Foundation; Phil Gick, Humane Society of Putnam County; Larry Parker, Putnam County Commissioners; Dave Fuhrman, Putnam County Emergency Management Agency, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Community Corrections and Cemetery Board; Jill Bridgewater, Operation Life Board; Gene Beck, 911 and West Central Solid Waste.

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  • Hope this is not a dumb question, but how is the county council different from the county commissioners? I believe they have separate meetings??? Just curious.

    -- Posted by 3m50 on Wed, Jan 24, 2018, at 6:13 PM
  • 3m50,County Council handles the money for the county.

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Wed, Jan 24, 2018, at 6:34 PM
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