2010: The Year of the Caucus
By Jim Banks
Recently, we received the second letter in the mail from a candidate announcing their intention to run for the At-Large County Council seat I will be vacating when I begin my service in the Indiana State Senate later this year. A third candidate announced his intention at our August Whitley GOP breakfast. Now that we have passed the deadline for an opponent to file against me in the State Senate race, I can begin to plan with certainty that I will be vacating the County Council position I was elected to in November of 2008.
Since I announced I was running for State Senate exactly a year ago I have had over a dozen Whitley County residents acknowledge to me they will run for my seat on the council if I am successful. In what has already become an interesting season in political caucuses over the past few months, the Whitley County Council caucus will add more intrigue to the system we employ to choose candidates and elected officials due to vacancies.
Our Whitley County Republican precinct committeemen have been busy. They helped choose State Senator Marlin Stutzman as our party’s candidate to become our next Congressman in the Third Congressional District on the ballot in November. When State Representative Matt Bell surprised many this summer announcing that he was moving on to be executive director of the Northeast Indiana Regional Chamber of Commerce, nine of our precinct committeemen helped choose Whitley County resident Kathy Heuer to take his place on the ballot to represent House District 83. In addition, precinct committeemen from Union and Richland Townships gathered after the Primary Election to choose candidates for vacancies on their Townships Advisory Boards.
In just six weeks I will preside over the caucus to replace myself on the County Council. All 34 of our precinct committeemen will have the opportunity to pick my replacement.
Unlike local and national offices, I will become “State Senator” immediately when the votes are cast on Election Night, forcing me to resign from the County Council at that point. With consideration of that and the scheduled Council meeting the morning after Election Night, I have scheduled the caucus for October 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the County Council Chamber in the Whitley County Government Building. For those who have never witnessed a caucus, these events can become good theatre - just ask Kathy Heuer who tied her opponent after several rounds of voting. Our 34 precinct committeemen will vote until a candidate has a majority of the votes cast. With several candidates expected to run for the position, we could potentially vote several times.
My hope is that Whitley County residents will take note and do two things. First, the precinct committeemen system is not perfect but it is the system we use to make important decisions when vacancies arise. Additionally, precinct committeemen choose the party chairmen who largely determine the direction of both of our local parties. On the Primary Election ballot in 2012, voters will have the opportunity to choose their precinct’s committeemen. Whitley County voters should pay more attention to this position. It is often ignored on the ballot and left vacant in many cases. With the attention paid to these caucuses this year I hope that more people will run for these spots and more voters will take an interest in who we choose for these positions. In cases where more than one person runs for precinct committeemen, call these candidates and ask questions about what types of candidates they will choose when given the opportunity.
Secondly, I hope Whitley County residents will pay attention to the cast of candidates who throw their proverbial hat in the ring to run for the Council position and, even though only 34 people get to make this decision, take some interest in who we choose. Call your precinct committeeman and weigh in about your favorite candidate or simply ask questions about who they will choose. Though precinct committeemen lists are not public record (an issue I’d like to change in the legislature next year), I’ve asked Jennifer Romano to post our Republican list in this column and she has agreed to do that.
It has been a privilege to serve on the County Council where I have learned far more than I’ve contributed. I will do my part as one of the 34 to choose a replacement who will dig in on Day 1 to make a difference for the future of Whitley County.
Contact me any time at jim@jimbanks.us.
Recently, we received the second letter in the mail from a candidate announcing their intention to run for the At-Large County Council seat I will be vacating when I begin my service in the Indiana State Senate later this year. A third candidate announced his intention at our August Whitley GOP breakfast. Now that we have passed the deadline for an opponent to file against me in the State Senate race, I can begin to plan with certainty that I will be vacating the County Council position I was elected to in November of 2008.
Our Whitley County Republican precinct committeemen have been busy. They helped choose State Senator Marlin Stutzman as our party’s candidate to become our next Congressman in the Third Congressional District on the ballot in November. When State Representative Matt Bell surprised many this summer announcing that he was moving on to be executive director of the Northeast Indiana Regional Chamber of Commerce, nine of our precinct committeemen helped choose Whitley County resident Kathy Heuer to take his place on the ballot to represent House District 83. In addition, precinct committeemen from Union and Richland Townships gathered after the Primary Election to choose candidates for vacancies on their Townships Advisory Boards.
In just six weeks I will preside over the caucus to replace myself on the County Council. All 34 of our precinct committeemen will have the opportunity to pick my replacement.
Unlike local and national offices, I will become “State Senator” immediately when the votes are cast on Election Night, forcing me to resign from the County Council at that point. With consideration of that and the scheduled Council meeting the morning after Election Night, I have scheduled the caucus for October 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the County Council Chamber in the Whitley County Government Building. For those who have never witnessed a caucus, these events can become good theatre - just ask Kathy Heuer who tied her opponent after several rounds of voting. Our 34 precinct committeemen will vote until a candidate has a majority of the votes cast. With several candidates expected to run for the position, we could potentially vote several times.
My hope is that Whitley County residents will take note and do two things. First, the precinct committeemen system is not perfect but it is the system we use to make important decisions when vacancies arise. Additionally, precinct committeemen choose the party chairmen who largely determine the direction of both of our local parties. On the Primary Election ballot in 2012, voters will have the opportunity to choose their precinct’s committeemen. Whitley County voters should pay more attention to this position. It is often ignored on the ballot and left vacant in many cases. With the attention paid to these caucuses this year I hope that more people will run for these spots and more voters will take an interest in who we choose for these positions. In cases where more than one person runs for precinct committeemen, call these candidates and ask questions about what types of candidates they will choose when given the opportunity.
Secondly, I hope Whitley County residents will pay attention to the cast of candidates who throw their proverbial hat in the ring to run for the Council position and, even though only 34 people get to make this decision, take some interest in who we choose. Call your precinct committeeman and weigh in about your favorite candidate or simply ask questions about who they will choose. Though precinct committeemen lists are not public record (an issue I’d like to change in the legislature next year), I’ve asked Jennifer Romano to post our Republican list in this column and she has agreed to do that.
It has been a privilege to serve on the County Council where I have learned far more than I’ve contributed. I will do my part as one of the 34 to choose a replacement who will dig in on Day 1 to make a difference for the future of Whitley County.
Contact me any time at jim@jimbanks.us.