Bowers, Ketchum, Wireman clinch Roachdale council spots

Utilizing the new technology in place for local elections, Zach Bowers checks his phone for results Tuesday night at the Putnam County Courthouse. A former two-term Roachdale town councilman, Bowers claimed one of three spots on the board Tuesday.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

With five independent candidates seeking three at-large seats on the Roachdale Town Council, two of them will be newcomers and the third is coming back on.

With 365 votes cast in the race, Paul Wireman was the main vote-getter with 117, while Mark Ketchem garnered 92 votes and Zach Bowers had 58. All told, they represented 32 percent, 25 percent and nearly 15 percent of the vote, respectively.

Having gotten 13 percent of the vote, Katrina Asher will go off the council as the lone incumbent. Meanwhile, Kyle Crooks got nearly 14 percent.

Bowers has previously served two terms on the council going back to 2012. Having gone off the council in 2019, he was elected as the Franklin Township trustee in last year’s elections.

“I’m looking forward to working with Mark and Paul both to keep Roachdale moving forward in a positive direction,” Bowers said of his fellow electees Tuesday evening after the votes were assured.

Bowers referenced the town having infrastructure issues needing addressed, they being ones he was working on when he was last on the council. He emphasized being fiscally responsible in doing so.

“I just want to thank the people who voted for me, and to have that faith in me in allowing me to be back on the council, to serve the Town of Roachdale to the best of my abilities,” Bowers said.

For his part, Ketchum believes he, Bowers and Wireman are in agreement with different issues he wants to address.

“I believe between the three of us, we will make an outstanding council,” Ketchem said. “I’m glad to see the people of the community come out and voice their opinions, and I knew a lot of people were ready for a change. They showed that in the polls.”

Ketchem referenced the town having a high turnover rate within the last year between utilities and police. A former town employee himself, he said he understands the behind-the-scenes work.

To that, he said his campaign was based on promoting transparency. Along with that, he wants to see that town employees are better supported moving forward.

“In the best-case scenario, we can make sure to let everybody know what our standards are for the town, and to make sure they’re being followed,” Ketchem said to that. “Transparency and equal is where we’re shooting for Jan. 1.”

Saying he was pleasantly surprised by the results, Wireman, a newcomer to the town itself, was also appreciative of voters’ support. He echoed Ketchem’s sentiment of being open and connecting the community.

“Moving forward, we’ll be pushing for a pro-family, pro-business agenda,” Wireman said, he meaning that more families and business should be attracted to the area.

He related that the main goal should be to “keep an ear” to residents and address their concerns as a council. He as such is looking forward to working with Ketchem and Bowers.

“I’m just looking forward to trying to revitalize Roachdale and bring some new life to the area,” Wireman concluded.