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Fourth Ward race shows that every vote counts
Every vote counts.
Of course it sounds trite, but every once in a while it shows itself to be true.
And so it was Tuesday in the Greencastle Fourth Ward race, as Democrat Vince Aguirre topped Republican incumbent Cody Eckert by a 134-133 count.
It was the lone bright spot for the Democrat Party, as Aguirre was the only winner from the party, including losing its hold on the mayor’s seat for the first time in 36 years.
An emotional Aguirre tried to gather his thoughts shortly after final vote totals were posted Tuesday evening at the courthouse.
“I worked really hard. I talked to a lot of voters,” Aguirre said. “Regardless of party, I made a lot of friends. I put in the work and happy it turned out.”
This rang true in the voting patterns within Fourth Ward. While other races broke heavily toward Republicans in the ward, as they did city-wide, Aguirre was still able to go against the grain and eke out his victory.
“I know that I connected with a lot of Republican voters,” Aguirre said. “The Democratic Party worked really hard, but I talked to a lot of people who were hesitant to talk to me because there was a D next to my name. For those who gave me an opportunity to talk with them, we found a lot of common ground on a lot of issues that are important to me.”
He also noted that he and Republican Mayor-elect Lynda Dunbar actually have a lot of the same priorities, despite their party difference.
“I know a lot of Lynda’s passions and things I suspect she was saying to people are things that I was saying,” Aguirre said. “They are things that she told me privately early in the year that she could get behind.
“I know that if she and I were saying the same things to people, the viewpoints aligned and I could attribute some of that to the outcome.”
The political newcomer now knows the real work is ahead of him.
“My motto was ‘Greencastle Forward.’ It was never about party, but you have to put a party next to your name,” Aguirre said. “I’m ready to put in the work. I told all the Republicans tonight, ‘I’m ready. Let’s work.’”
He emphasized accountability from all city officials, himself now included.
“One of the things I said the whole time is I want to hold our entire local government to a higher standard,” Aguirre said. “That includes myself now. It includes everyone who won tonight.
“You can only think that winning tonight shows that people in Fourth Ward have appreciated what I’ve done, and I’ve done it for the city. And now I want everyone who won tonight to do it for the city.”
A native of Chicago, Aguirre came to Greencastle as a DePauw University student and never really left, starting a small business and then a family in the community. He and wife Shelby have one son, Xavier.
Eckert, completing his first term on the council, attributed the photo finish to the fact that he and Aguirre “both put our best foot forward,” which led to a tough decision for voters.
“I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to work on the issues facing the city,” Eckert said. “This campaign was positive, which is the most you can ask for, and I’m incredibly grateful that folks in Greencastle placed their trust overall in the team the GOP put together. As for team effort, the GOP deck was stacked with class, quality, confidence and effort, and my friends and neighbors can rest assured that’s what they’ll get in City Hall for the next four years.”
Reflecting on the last four years, Eckert expressed his pride in the salary ordinance that raised the payscale for public safety officers, as well as the collegial environment at City Hall.
“Our city deserves the best and we have to make priorities when balancing the budget, and that was a big one which will continue to be a challenge,” Eckert said. “Also, the working relationship between the council and mayor in a divided government was always cordial and friendly, and I would certainly attribute that to the folks involved. I never had a constituent question I couldn’t answer, because people were always great to work with.”
He added a bit of advice for the incoming council members.
“Throw yourselves into all the meetings and learn as much as you can because no one comes into office with all the answers,” Eckert said. “Learning to become effective is an art form.”
With vote totals not yet certified by the state and a margin of a single vote, there is likely to be more action on this race. Eckert said next steps on this front are unclear.
“I’m still listening to advice at this point,” Eckert said, “and given the margin of a single vote, we will make the most informed decision we can about how to proceed in order to ensure accuracy and that everybody’s voice was heard.”
Shortly after the vote totals were revealed Tuesday night, though, Councilman-elect David Masten was expressing his desire to “find another vote.”
For his part, Aguirre expressed his faith in the results as presented.
“I have faith in everyone who was involved with the election and that everyone from the top down did their job appropriately,” Aguirre said. “I’m confident in the results that I am the councilman-elect, and I’m ready to get to work.”
More details on that matter will be shared when they become available.
Meanwhile, the near GOP sweep wasn’t the only trend on the evening, as Eckert was one of three incumbents who lost on Tuesday.
In First Ward, that meant one-time Republican Councilman Masten becoming Councilman-elect Masten by a margin of 198-145 over Democrat incumbent Russell Harvey.
Masten, who served one term, 1995-99 previously, said “the only reason I did it (ran again) was to use the experience and organization I’ve had in politics to get Lynda elected -- plain and simple.”
He offered nothing but praise for the city’s new mayor.
“With her being so well known and so well qualified, never in my life have I seen a person more qualified to manage the affairs of this city,” Masten said.
Meanwhile, Harvey, after shaking hands with Masten upon the results being revealed, said he would do it all over again if given the chance.
“For me, the work doesn’t stop,” offered Harvey, who continues to serve as executive director of Main Street Greencastle. “At this point I want to be the best citizen I can be.
“I’m not mad at it,” Harvey, who was appointed last March to succeed Adam Cohen who resigned due to illness, said of the result. “But I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on what goes on with the Council.”
Meanwhile, in Fourth Ward, Republican Tina Nicholson topped Democrat Veronica Pejril by a 173-147 count.
“We had a good team that helped push each other through,” Nicholson said. “It would have been great to sweep it, but it’s good to get all that we have. I’m excited, just happy and really looking forward to what our council can do with everybody that’s going to be on there.”
The at-large election was more straightforward, with Republican newcomer Katherine Asbell the top vote-getter at 966 votes, joined by GOP incumbents Mark Hammer (905) and Darrel Thomas (752) in the race for three seats. They were followed by Democrats Kim Fidler (593) and Gary Lemon (564) and independent Derek Jorgensen (356).
Asbell admitted her surprise at being the leading vote-getter in the at-large race.
“I’m just happy to be here. I’m proud of our team. I don’t know why I got so many votes, to be honest,” she said. “I think I’m just ready to do good things for the community, and I’m ready to get started with work.”
Thomas, meanwhile, a longtime veteran of the Putnam County Council joined the City Council midway through Jake Widner’s term and has enjoyed the experience so far.
“This was just an experiment. I liked it, and I want to keep it even though I’ll be 80 years old,” Thomas said with a laugh. “It’s been a neat experience.”
There were two unopposed Republicans, with Mikayla Johnson claiming clerk-treasurer and Stacie Langdon winning her third term in Second Ward.