Mandeville, Oliver win North Putnam bids

BAINBRIDGE -- Following Tuesday’s local general elections, the North Putnam School Board will have two new members come January.

In one of two contested races there, Rachel Mandeville defeated incumbent and current Board Vice President Dustin Osborn for the seat representing Monroe Township, securing 2,210 votes to 1,566.

In the other race at North Putnam, Eric Oliver defeated former board member Jacquelyn Simpson with 2,537 votes to her 1,287.

Oliver will succeed current Russell Township representative Darrell Wiatt, who will be retiring from the board at the end of the year.

“I’m very happy,” Mandeville told the Banner Graphic Tuesday evening. “It was fun. It was a lot of hard work. It was a lot of campaigning since Day 1 up to about 6 o’clock tonight.”

She highlighted that it was good to get feedback from the community throughout the process, and greatly believed the current school board she will come into has represented the community well.

“I think this current school board has done some really good things, and I’m excited to bring in fresh ideas,” Mandeville said. “I felt like no matter what happened, it was going to be good at the end of the day.”

Coming onto the board, Mandeville said she wants to advocate for better communication, and to bring this dialogue to the “next level.” One specific issue she wants to tackle, though, would be staff wages.

“I would like to look at different ways we can think outside the box and look at wages,” she said. “We have a responsibility to take a look at this, because we have quality staff including teachers, support staff and administration.”

Ultimately, Mandeville said she was “thrilled to be a part of it,” and emphasized gratitude for the community’s participation in the election.

“I want to thank Dustin for running, and want to thank people in general for getting out and voting,” Mandeville concluded. “I’m grateful for people exercising that right.”

While he was “a little disappointed” in the results, Osborn told the Banner Graphic that voters “spoke their choice” and wanted to congratulate Mandeville on her victory.

The incumbent reflected on how the board has represented North Putnam during his tenure, positively highlighting the recent renovations done throughout the corporation and how the schools have handled COVID-19 safety protocols.

Osborn provided that his greatest concern was looking out for taxpayers in the North Putnam district. Saying particularly that farmers are “big attributes” to the community there, Osborn wants the board to have a frame of mind of being financially stable.

“I’m extremely excited to see what’s to come,” Oliver said to the point in a call for comment from the Banner Graphic. “I want to bring a new perspective on where we’re at and where we’re headed.”

Not having any specific stances, Oliver said he wanted to talk more with the other board members and gain their insights. He felt the board acts as a collective, and this would be a learning opportunity for him.

“Education is my No. 1 for everyone. Our core needs to be on education and to build from that,” Oliver said. He referenced school systems like North Putnam facing the challenges of online learning, emphasizing school leaders being proactive in this time.

Having just seen the results before the call while helping with homework, the election was still settling in. Regardless, Oliver was happy with the turnout and looking forward to being on the board.

“I’m just excited for what it brings and about being involved,” Oliver said. “I’m very thankful for the people who did turn out. I’m glad to see people voting and overwhelmed by the support.”

Simpson did not return a call for comment from the Banner Graphic Tuesday evening about the Russell Township race at North Putnam.

Meanwhile, Amber Greene will retain her seat representing Franklin Township at North Putnam after running unopposed. She accrued 3,330 votes.

Though they were all uncontested, Putnam County’s two other elected school boards technically had positions on the ballot as well.

At Cloverdale, Donna Fidler, Katrina Lewis and Joe Mann will retain their at-large seats, having together gotten 3,509 votes cast. Fidler gained 35 percent of this group.

JaceAnn Troutt will also continue serving on the board after receiving 1,301 votes in Jackson Township, Owen County.

Having accrued 2,451 votes, current Board President Hollie Hutcheson will stay on for Marion Township at South Putnam. Meanwhile, Lisa Cooper, who got 2,081 votes, will succeed Larry Bottorff -- who is also retiring -- representing Washington Township.

The at-large seats at both North Putnam and South Putnam were also up. However, no candidate was filed for either of them.

Election Deputy Stacia Hathaway told the Banner Graphic Tuesday morning that if the current representative stays, the seat is theirs. If they should resign, the school board can then take candidates and choose one.

South Putnam’s at-large member is Anthony Heavin, and Mark Hoke fills the same seat at North Putnam.