(Greensburg, IN) — A Decatur County Council seat will be filled by appointment, not by voters at the ballot box, after the candidate who won the seat in the primary moved out of the district.
Decatur County Republican Party Chairman Nate Harter announced the opening in a video posted Oct. 25. He said a candidate withdrew late from the race for the council seat representing Greensburg precincts 6, 7 and 8 and the rest of Washington Township.
That candidate was Bryan Messer, the Republican who won the District 2 council primary in May.
In a phone call with WRBI, Harter said Messer moved out of the district. Harter said formal paperwork stating Messer intended to make his domicile elsewhere came through late last week, and the party chairman cannot act until that paperwork is filed.
Harter said the move was not known at the time of the primary. He said at some point it became obvious it could happen, but there was no action for the party to take until the paperwork arrived.
Under Indiana law, Harter said, it is now his job as chairman to appoint someone to fill the vacancy. In the video, he said, “it’s now my job as chairman to appoint somebody to fill that ballot vacancy and to serve on the county council because there’s no opposition for that seat.”
The person appointed will not appear on any ballot. Harter said that person will still become a county councilor.
Harter said a handful of candidates have already put their names in, and he expects more now that the news is out. He indicated Danny Peters, the man Messer beat in the primary, is among those interested.
To be considered, applicants must live in the district. In his Facebook post, Harter said, “I will only be considering Republicans whose primary history shows two consecutive Republican primary ballots.”
Interested residents of Greensburg 6, 7 and 8 or the unincorporated parts of Washington Township should email a resume, letter of interest and other documents to nharter10@gmail.com by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Harter said he will confer with the precinct chairs for that district over the weekend. He plans to appoint the successful candidate on Monday, Nov. 2, the day before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Harter said he hopes Decatur County residents will get behind and support the person ultimately selected.
