Russell Harvey named to First Ward City Council seat

Russell Harvey

Less than a week after the resignation of First Ward Greencastle City Councilman Adam Cohen, the seven-member Council is whole again.

Russell Harvey, a 16-year resident of Greencastle, was named Friday afternoon by Putnam County Democrat Chairman Kim Fidler to succeed Cohen for the remainder of the final year of his fourth four-year term. Cohen resigned due to health issues.

Fidler said she expects Harvey to also fill the First Ward vacancy on the city election ballot, where Republican David Masten has already been slotted.

“I wouldn’t want to appoint someone and then see him fade away,” Fidler said, “so there was a commitment there. We definitely wanted someone who wanted to run when the term ends.”

Harvey said running for City Council was something he’s thought about for quite a while.

“But I never acted on it,” he told the BannerGraphic, “because I felt we’ve had good representation. Adam has been a fantastic City Council person, so I thought, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’”

While he agrees Cohen’s shoes will be big ones to fill, Harvey believes he’s “ready for it.”

“I’m real excited about it,” the Steubenville, Ohio, native offered, noting that his “life’s journey has been different than most” and he can provide new perspective on things.

Harvey went on to say he and his wife Charity are a blended family.

“Before marrying her, I was a single dad for almost six years,” he explained. “I’ve worked some tough, low-paying jobs and I’ve been blessed to have some really good ones. I know what it’s like to live on government assistance, be just over the cut-off and have to figure that out, and I know what it’s like to live independent of any assistance. These experiences all made me who I am and will allow me to relate with a wide variety of folks in my ward.”

He’s most excited, Harvey said, “to bring about positive change” in his new role.

Ironically, Harvey will be joining a body that appointed him to his current position on the Greencastle School Board, a post he will now have to resign to take the City Council seat. Coincidentally, the Council’s other school board appointee, Brian Cox, is on the city election ballot as a Democrat candidate for mayor and likewise would have to resign the school board should he win election in November.

Things were moving fast Friday for Harvey, who said that as he talked to the BannerGraphic, GCSC School Board president Mike White was getting ahold of the school board attorney about how the resignation and subsequent appointment there will proceed.

And if that’s not enough, Fidler, vice president of Main Street Greencastle, confirmed that Harvey has been offered a contract as the new Main Street executive director.

“I haven’t signed anything yet for Main Street,” he said, noting that finalization of the contract is under way and is expected to come to fruition this week.

Being the new First Ward councilman and with the downtown lying within First Ward, Harvey acknowledged “there is little bit of overlap on both” and looks forward to providing that perspective to both sources.

Harvey expects to be sworn in prior to Thursday’s March City Council meeting (7 p.m, City Hall).

“That’s the plan,” he said. “I haven’t talked to Bill (Mayor Dory) yet but I know Bill wants to get going on it.”