LWV candidate questionnaires

Thursday, April 28, 2022

The following are candidate responses drawn directly from League of Women Voters questionnaires. The Banner Graphic has edited them only lightly for clarity.

Responses are printed only for Putnam County races with two or more candidates in the Tuesday, May 3 primary election.

COUNTY RECORDER

Heather Gilbert

Heather L. Gilbert

Why are you the best candidate for this position? I have spent 23 years in the Putnam County Clerk’s Office. First serving as bookkeeper/first deputy. I took over the helm as the Putnam County Clerk in 2015. I am familiar with the documents that are recorded in the Recorder’s Office. These legal documents are required to follow Indiana Code requirements and must be prepared and recorded accordingly. If elected, I would update the computer systems, install ERT E-Recording System and utilize a disaster recovery system to keep the office operational in an emergency like a ransom attack or fire. I plan to continue working as hard at the preservation of records that I began in the Clerk’s Office. I am familiar with the CSI system that is used in the office and will be able to work in it easily.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? In 2018, I, along with my Election Board, transitioned Putnam County to vote centers, saving the county money and resources. Vote centers allow voters to go to any of the eight sites making it more convenient on Election Day. I was the bookkeeper responsible for the transition in 1999 when the Clerk’s Office moved from paper financial ledgers to CSI books. When the court transitioned to Odyssey in 2018, a glitch happened causing 13,000 financial judgments to transfer incorrectly. I had to oversee these judgments to be hand audited and corrected, taking two years to complete. In June of 2021 I was presented the first ever Rock Star award from the Indiana Clerk’s Association in appreciation for going above and beyond for a fellow clerk.

Lorie Hallett-Talbert

Lorie Hallett-Talbert

Why are you the best candidate for this position? I was born and raised in Putnam County and I have served as Greencastle Township Assessor for two terms and elected auditor of Putnam County for two terms.

My experience working in the Assessor’s Office and my experience working in the Auditor’s Office has given me knowledge of the Recorder’s Office software and legal documents.

As recorder, taxpayers will enjoy outstanding customer service as I will always be available to answer any questions. I will also prioritize maintenance and preservation of documents for an efficient office and will provide a superior working relationship with other county offices and the public at large.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? When working in the Assessor’s Office, I achieved a Level III Assessor Appraiser designation.

In 2019 I was awarded Outstanding Supportive Auditor of the Year by Indiana Association of County Commissioners


COUNTY SURVEYOR

David Penturf

David E. Penturf

Why are you the best candidate for this position? My 35 years of experience as county surveyor is unsurpassed in Putnam County. I have learned all aspects of the position in my time here. As an honors graduate of the Purdue School of Engineering I received a well-rounded education of advanced topics beyond the basics of land surveying. I will not be distracted by trying to run a full-time business in addition to my elected duties. I am in my office nearly every day and always available to the public.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? Most of the day-to-day work is involved in section corner perpetuation. Section corners are the monuments originally set by federal and local surveyors, mostly in the 1800s, to mark the rectangular square miles of the public land system. This is a requirement for the county surveyor as per Indiana Code. I have perpetuated hundreds of corners and entered them into the record books and a separate database for public use. I serve on the County Plan Commission and assist the public and other departments with questions about land use, property taxes, acreage determination and other issues. I’ve kept a good rapport with local surveyors to assist with their work as needed.

Greg Williams

Greg Williams

Why are you the best candidate for this position? A primary duty of a county surveyor is to be an active member of the Drainage Board and provide technical expertise of the county’s regulated drains. Along with my professional surveyor license, I have an associate degree in civil engineering and will commit to continuing education to expand my knowledge in regulated drains. I currently sit on other public boards and am experienced working with county officials in this capacity. Regular attendance to Drainage Board meetings is critical to meeting the county’s needs. I am willing to fully commit to the Drainage Board. I want to move the county’s section corner records to a web-based platform for ease of access by other professionals, ensuring they will use the most current records on file.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? Maintained my license as a professional surveyor for over 20 years, including all state required continuing education and knowledge of state and county regulations. My wide range of survey-related expertise gives me the added advantage to help the residents of Putnam County. My experience includes these types of surveys: ALTA/NSPS land title surveys, boundary surveys, subdivision planning, topographic surveys, construction staking, elevation certificates, LOMAs, forest classifications and route surveys. I have a willingness to work with landowners, provide details and options they need to aid them in the best decisions while adhering to regulations and avoiding adverse situations with neighbors.


SHERIFF

Jerrod Baugh

Jerrod E. Baugh

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? I’d cite my many years of local leadership experience. I’m finishing a 27-year law enforcement career with Indiana State Excise Police, including 15 years of multi-county supervisory experience and recruit training. But most of all it’s because of my lifelong commitment to our community. Tara and I have dedicated ourselves to so many local volunteer service organizations. I intend to bring this commitment to local service with me as Putnam County Sheriff, leveraging it to make our Sheriff department even more integrated within our community. As the son of a revered Sheriff, I understand the dedication and responsibility this office demands. I’m eager to continue this legacy of professional and volunteer service as your next sheriff.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? I’m 20-year President of Putnam County Fraternal Order of Police, bringing 35 officers from seven agencies together to serve our community. As project leader we built: Shop with a Cop, FOP Santa Drop, 5K run for Concerns of Police Survivors and training programs for parents and teaching staff in all four Putnam County School districts. It’s an honor to serve our community on and off duty and I take great pride in these accomplishments. I’ve volunteered thousands of hours to Putnam County Fair, Putnam County Safe Schools, church safety teams, Cloverdale Conservation Club and many 4-H programs. My cell phone is full of great Putnam County citizens eager to make things happen in our community. Together, we’re set up to make Putnam County Better.

What do you perceive as the two most important concerns facing Putnam County? How will you address these concerns if elected? Our two most important concerns are drug addiction and mental health. These issues ultimately affect all our lives, directly or indirectly. Too many sheriff department calls are for domestic disturbances, suicide and drug overdoses. I plan to implement a Crisis Intervention Team. This team will consist of a clinician and a deputy/officer trained in response to mental health issues. After the scene is declared safe, the clinician will determine the best services for the subject. This is a pre-arrest and pre-incarceration action. It will keep individuals out of jail and place them where they have a better chance of being helped. Training is free for our deputies and with my community connections, we can make this succeed in our county.

What is the greatest concern that you hear from residents and how would you address it? My greatest concern is drug use, adults and minors. I have a two-pronged approach addressing unlawful use by both adults and kids. My two initiatives are education and enforcement. I plan to institute a school resource deputy whose primary focus will be promoting anti-drug and anti-vaping programs in our community schools. Not only will this deputy have day-to-day contact, building trust and connections with those most in need of guidance, but this will be happening at an early developmental stage. For the enforcement aspect of my program, I plan to re-institute the Unified Drug Task Force counseled by a prosecuting attorney and joined by the same local agencies I’ve worked with and completed so many tasks with over my 27 year LEO career.

Steve Hibler

Steven L. Hibler

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? I am the most experienced, qualified and ready candidate to serve the people of Putnam County as their sheriff. Police work is both an art and science. The science is achieved through schools, training, in-service training, specialized training, leadership training, qualification and re-qualification. It is also developed through professional education in college and graduate schools. I have books of certificates from both police and military schools over the past 40 years. The art is developed through years on the job. I am a proven leader, whether leading troopers as a community policing sergeant, assistant emergency response team commander or assistant district commander at the Putnamville Post.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? I have interviewed, hired, trained, supervised, disciplined, promoted, demoted, evaluated, led departments large and small with over 30 years in supervision/leadership roles. I’ve prepared and managed budgets both large and small to accomplish departmental goals. Most recently, in Cloverdale, I took an agency where when I walked in the door the previous year there were only 800 calls for service and 9 criminal arrests. At the time, 66 local warrants not served. I molded the agency into a community policing agency where we now handle 4,000 calls for service each year and made 210 criminal arrests last year alone. This past year we conducted proactive drug investigations which brought about the arrest of 18 individuals.

What do you perceive as the two most important concerns facing Putnam County? How will you address these concerns if elected? We have a crime problem centered around drug sales and use in virtually every town in our county. The second issue is mental health. There are limited resources in Putnam County, and we need to engage the whole of community to address the problem and develop long-term solutions. Too often we have historically just put a bandage on these problems when what we need are lasting solutions. We’ll implement pro-active intervention of youth and mentorship, providing them with the tools and skills. The “My Steps” program and Moral Recognition Therapy (MRT) will be put back in the jail to reduce recidivism and provide help and support to those seeking it. Lastly, an All Crimes Task Force that will proactively go after the dealers.

What is the greatest concern that you hear from residents and how would you address it? After 18 months talking to our citizens, I believe the greatest concern they share is seeing a proactive response to issues impacting their local communities. Whether it’s methamphetamine use, speeding cars or quality of life issues, our citizens want and deserve a pro-active, positive response from the PCSD. Starting with an available and approachable sheriff setting the example for the deputies throughout the county. I intend to have “Coffee with the Sheriff” opportunities throughout the county during my term as your sheriff. Our office will develop proactive measures to deter crime and hold accountable offenders. We will accomplish this through community policing initiatives and our crime task force.

Dwight Simmons

Dwight Simmons

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? As a Republican candidate for sheriff of Putnam County, the past 24 years of my life, and now my candidacy for sheriff, has been based upon the ideal that I serve the citizens of this county with a servant’s heart. I understand the role of a rural sheriff’s deputy because I am the only candidate who has lived it. As sheriff, an individual must not only understand the complex functions of a law enforcement agency, but also how to lead that agency to further benefit the citizens. I am well-versed on all aspects of this agency and its many moving parts, which together, serve the courts, jail and citizens of Putnam county.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? I am a 24-year veteran of the agency, and a graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. I have served as a reserve deputy, merit deputy, lieutenant in charge of night shift operations and my current assignment, operations commander with the rank of major. I am currently in charge of the Enforcement Division, Investigations, Courthouse Security and Animal Care and Control. I am an active shooter instructor, as well as a criminal interdiction instructor. I have taught drug enforcement to cadets at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy since 2009, as well as at numerous agencies throughout the state of Indiana. I have been a part of the current administration’s command staff for seven years, thus gaining the experience to lead this agency.

What do you perceive as the two most important concerns facing Putnam County? How will you address these concerns if elected? Our county has a substantial issue with individuals suffering from mental illness. Our current jail population typically hovers around 30 to 40 percent of inmates who are suffering from mental illness and are prescribed psych meds as a result. Oftentimes, these individuals are incarcerated for petty crimes simply due to the fact that our county lacks the resources to serve those in need of services. As sheriff, I hope to explore avenues towards providing these individuals with treatment, outreach programs, coping tools and life skills as alternatives to incarceration. Secondly, as with any other community, drugs continue to plague our county. My answer to this will be to continue our sustained, proactive enforcement to target drug dealers.

What is the greatest concern that you hear from residents and how would you address it? Our agency answers north of 30,000 calls for service each year. Although these numbers typically include traffic-related incidents, the remaining run the gambit from domestic situations, thefts, assaults, suspicious activity or warrant service and everything in between. The one concern that I have heard from citizens is that we do not have the presence in rural areas of the county. Although we cannot be everywhere all the time, we strive to reach the remote areas of Putnam County when possible. I fully understand that these rural areas are vulnerable to property crimes, such as burglary and theft. I intend to address this issue by studying call data and making adjustments to patrol units in the county, improving our patrol coverage.


COUNTY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 1

Dave Fuhrman

David W. Fuhrman

Why are you the best candidate for this position? • 12 years experience, • Third year as president of council, • Lowest county debt in our area, • Second-lowest tax burden in our area

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? • Work seamlessly with commissioners and other county officials, • Every year that I have been a councilman we have produced a balanced budget, • Minimal debt for county

What do you perceive as the two most important concerns facing Putnam County? How will you address these concerns if elected? • The exodus of our young adults/average age of our ranchers and farmers, • The coming energy demands and production

What is the greatest concern that you hear from District 1 residents and how would you address it? • Heritage Lake aging infrastructure, • Encourage the lake area residents to incorporate so as to become eligible for the many grants, loans and programs

What infrastructure improvements would you like to see in District 1? How would you obtain funding for those improvements? Rural broadband for entire county, establish dual use of any energy projects, constant road/bridge maintenance

Wayne Huffman

Wayne Huffman

Why are you the best candidate for this position? I am truly passionate, about Putnam County, and its citizens. I believe that growth is coming to our county, and we need a plan, going forward to manage this growth, proactively and not reactively.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? I have many years of experience in leadership roles, managing fast food, I was a supervisor at Greencastle Manufacturing, I was a Cub Master in Bainbridge for five years, helped coach youth sports and recently retired from Nucor Steel after 33 yrs of service. Our pay was based on a production basis, I have learned to work through difficult situations while not losing sight of the goals, working with kids and young adults has really prepared me well to be prepared and remain flexible to the changing dynamics.

What do you perceive as the two most important concerns facing Putnam County? As I stated, I believe we need a plan to manage our growth to be more proactive, and we need to address, our roads, bridges, zoning and water and sewage systems.

What is the greatest concern that you hear from District 1 residents and how would you address it? Roads and bridges are the main concerns.

What infrastructure improvements would you like to see in District 1? How would you obtain funding for those improvements? I believe, step one, will be develop a plan to rebuild our roads and bridges.


COUNTY CLERK

Tracy Bridges

Tracy L. Bridges

Why are you the best candidate for this position? Along with my 22 years of county government experience, I bring a proven record of office and staff management. With my BS degree in criminal justice and psychology I have learned to successfully communicate with our advisors at a state level as well as meet and understand state and county guidelines, reports and budgets. With working knowledge of both superior and circuit courts, I know the integral role the clerk and their staff play to keep the courts moving in a systematic and efficient manner. I also bring experience in the inner workings of the state and county elections, as I have worked the polls for several years including the set up and tear down of the machines. I feel confident in my ability to serve Putnam County in a fair, honest and trustworthy manner.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? • 22 years of county government leadership • Six years as diretor of victims assistance (received the Purple Purse award for my work with county victims) • Six years working directly with both judges in circuit and superior courts • Proud lifetime resident of Putnam County • Extended experience with elections • Active member of the community including being a member of several county clubs, the Greencastle Community Church, realtor at Collins Evans and currently serving as the VP of the Putnam County Republican Party • Eight yrs. as county recorder, during which I implemented e-recording to provide same-day turnaround service • Continued efforts to safeguard our county elections • I know the importance of providing a friendly, knowledgeable staff to serve the public and will provide that

Debbie Ensor

Debbie Ensor

Why are you the best candidate for this position? In January of 1993 I started in the clerk’s office as support deputy under Marty Watts. I became 1st deputy in the late 1990s and have continued that position to this day, serving under Marty Watts, Opal Sutherlin and Heather Gilbert. As 1st deputy, I manage the office in the absence of the clerk. I have been the bookkeeper for the last eight years. As bookkeeper, my responsibilities are to make sure all monies that flow through the Clerk’s Office are applied to the correct accounts as set by Indiana state statute. I was the main point person for the conversion to the new statewide system Odyssey in 2018. This has given me the advantage of learning Odyssey inside and out, which is crucial to balancing our $1.3 million bank account.

What accomplishments and/or qualifications do you bring to this role? With the knowledge of knowing Odyssey, I am able to accurately provide monthly and yearly reports to the State Board of Accounts. The position of clerk should be held by someone who can bring solutions that will change the Clerk’s Office for the better. If elected, I will continue to keep the office under budget and always be researching options that will bring more revenue into the county. If I am elected clerk, I will continue the courteous and helpful service to the community and will continue to be hands on and available in both the Clerk’s Office and Voter Registration Office to serve the needs of Putnam County.