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It’s Hammer time for Greencastle City Council
For only the second time in his 25 years on the Greencastle City Council, Mark Hammer will serve as Council president in 2020.
Hammer, a Republican, received the unanimous backing of the seven-member Council at January meeting Thursday night. He succeeds First Ward Councilman Adam Cohen, a Democrat, in the Council leadership role.
Cohen made the motion to elect Hammer as president with a second from Second Ward Councilor Stacie Langdon.
Cohen, who last November won re-election to his fourth term on the Council, steps aside after 11 years as the group’s president. Hammer was the obvious choice as his successor.
“Thank you for your vote of confidence,” said Hammer, who from all indications is likely the longest-serving Council member in the city’s history.
After five terms as Second Ward councilman, Hammer is beginning his second term as one of the city’s three at-large councilmen.
The November election of Tyler Wade to an at-large seat on the Council (after one term as Fourth Ward councilor) and the election of newcomer Cody Eckert to the Fourth Ward spot changed the political makeup of the City Council from a 4-3 Democrat majority to a 4-3 Republican majority.
Hammer, Wade, Langdon and Eckert are Republicans, while the Democrats are Cohen, at-large member Dave Murray, who won his second term, and Third Ward newcomer Veronica Pejril.
Cohen recalled how he became president, a role for which his fellow councilors were effusive in his praise.
He said then-Councilman John Lanie basically asked how he’d like to be president. Not given much time to think about it, after a 10-minute chat, the rest was history.
Cohen said he was proud of the bipartisan votes of the City Council the past 11 years.
“You’d have to go back before I was on the Council to find the last party-line vote,” he said.
That was apparently when there was a tie in the fall general election and the Council decided the outcome, voting 3-2 -- three Democrats, two Republicans on what was then a five-member Council -- to make Democrat Jinsie Bingham the Third Ward councilor over Republican Eric Birt.
Councilman Wade said Cohen was always quick to call with information or questions, regardless of the time, often calling him early in the morning or even on Easter Sunday.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” Cohen said. “I get up early with the swimmers (he is the DePauw University men’s swim coach) and I’m Jewish, so Easter Sunday ...”
Meanwhile, the Council agreed to keep its meetings for 2020 on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The group also renamed its two appointees to the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission, Erika Gilmore and Lottie Barcus.
As far as City Council appointments for 2020, they include:
• Greencastle/Putnam County Economic Development Center -- Langdon (reappointment).
• Sustainability Commission -- Cohen (succeeds Gary Lemon, who did not win re-election).
• Putnam County 911 Board -- Veronica Pejril (succeeds Langdon).
• Tree Board -- Hammer (succeeds Steve Fields, who did not seek re-election).
• Plan Commission -- Hammer (remains on board).
• Budget Committee -- Cohen, Murray, Langdon and Eckert (Langdon is a reappointment, while the others replace Lemon and Hammer).
• Human Relations Committee -- Wade (committee is still in the formative stages with mayoral and school board appointees yet to come).
Department liaisons named by the Council are:
• Fire Department -- Eckert.
• Police Department -- Langdon.
• Public Works -- Murray.
• Utilities -- Cohen.
• Forest Hill Cemetery -- Pejril.
• Parks and Recreation -- Wade.
• Planning Department -- Hammer.
The City Council will next meet in regular session at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13 at City Hall.