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Election intrigue manifests in Fillmore
FILLMORE -- As two new members on the Fillmore Town Council are becoming acquainted, they have met with questions surrounding the resignation of a recently-elected official.
During public comments near the end of the council’s first meeting on Thursday, former council member Robin Duncan confronted Jayna Haldeman, who was recently reinstated as Fillmore’s clerk-treasurer.
This followed Tonya Gruenholz, who was duly elected as clerk-treasurer in November, giving up her seat under unclear circumstances.
Duncan accused Haldeman of intimidating Gruenholz to dissuade her from taking up the job. Specifically, she charged that Haldeman told the incoming electee “I hope you like working 60-70 hours a week” before the council’s regular meeting last month.
Duncan added that both new council member Jerry Huff and her daughter, Amanda Maynard, had also heard the statement. She said Maynard was ill and unable to attend the meeting, and thus could not back up the claim herself.
In turn, Haldeman responded that ”Between the two of you, I wouldn’t believe it,” referring to both Duncan and Huff. She also made the comment that Gruenholz “blew it” with her opportunity to be clerk-treasurer.
New Council President Meredith Trusty stepped in to assuage the back-and-forth, saying these disagreements were personal and that the focus needed to be only on town business. The meeting then continued, with Haldeman’s husband Jeff angrily leaving the town hall.
While the argument between Haldeman and Duncan mainly dealt with the latter’s assertion, the mistrust perhaps runs deeper within the transition from the previous town council.
A special meeting was convened on Jan. 2, the first-Thursday during which the council normally comes together. Trusty and Huff were instated as council members, and, with Gruenholz having resigned, it was motioned that Haldeman be appointed as clerk-treasurer.
Council member C.J. Huller asked in December that the regular meeting be postponed, so that Gruenholz could have more time to transition into her new role.
In a call made to the Banner Graphic on Friday, Huff said he was originally concerned about whether the council followed correct procedure in nominating and then reappointing Haldeman - specifically with regard to advertising the position.
Huff also said what was written in the special meeting’s minutes - that he suspected corruption and “did not like” Haldeman - did not truly reflect what he expressed. Haldeman records the minutes at each meeting.
“I just want to be a watchdog on the council, and to make sure we’re working for the town,” he said. “I was just asked how I felt at that time.”
Huff added that he essentially abstained from the council’s vote to bring Haldeman back as clerk-treasurer. The minutes provided that the majority approved the appointment.
Per a request, Voter Registration Clerk Stacia Hathaway provided the Banner Graphic with the letter handwritten by Gruenholz notifying the Putnam County Clerk’s Office of her resignation.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will be unable to fulfill my duties as clerk-treasurer of Fillmore,” Gruenholz wrote in the short letter. “I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for the town.”
The letter was stamped as being filed with the clerk on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Gruenholz did not return repeated calls from the Banner Graphic for comment about her resignation on Friday and Monday.
Hathaway also confirmed that Trusty and Huller inquired in person about what they could do in this situation. She said she could not advise them, but recommended that the town’s attorney, Jeff Boggess, be consulted in turn.
In a call from the Banner Graphic on Friday, Boggess said the council followed the statute - as he understood it - in reinstating Haldeman. In terms of the recent election, the appointment is reasonable with her being the incumbent in a two-challenger race.
Huff also provided, in practical terms, that Haldeman was an understandable choice given her previous experience as clerk-treasurer.
Boggess added that the same procedure was followed when former Clerk-Treasurer Tom Gilson resigned in 2018, with Haldeman then replacing him as such.
According to Title 3 of the Indiana Code, such a vacancy can be filled by the local government so long as the appointee is a resident of the town.
The Indiana Code also calls for a caucus to be held when an appointee may belong to a major political party; however, both Gruenholz and Haldeman ran as independent candidates.
The next regular meeting of the Fillmore Town Council is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Fillmore Town Hall.