Primary will see a few contested races

A flurry of candidates signed up last week before the Friday noon deadline to run for office in 2014, making not only an interesting General Election ahead, but also the Primary Election in May with a number of county and state races to be contested.
At the state level, two Republicans will vie for the opportunity to try and unseat Democrat six-term incumbent Richard Young Jr., D-Milltown, for the District 47 State Senate seat. Young has been in office since being appointed to succeed then newly-elected Lt. Gov. Frank O’Bannon in 1988.
The two Republicans are H. Lloyd (Tad) Whitis of Laconia and Erin Houchin of Salem.
Whitis is the former judge of the Harrison County Circuit Court, and Houchin was the Southeast Indiana Regional Director for U.S. Sen. Dan Coats.
Regardless of the ballot a voter chooses in the Primary, they’ll have plenty of options in the District 9 U.S. representative race. On the Democrat side, the candidates are Bill Bailey, Seymour; James R. McClure Jr., Clarksville; J.S. Miller, Nashville; and William Joseph (Billy) Thomas of Corydon.
The Republican candidates are two-term incumbent Todd Young, Bloomington; Tea Party Trent Feuerbach, Bloomington; Mark G. Jones, Indianapolis; and Kathy Lowe Heil, Elizabeth.
The Morgan Township Advisory Board has the most candidates of any elected position in the county, with six Democrats and three Republicans (the top three vote-getters for both parties will advance to the General Election). They are: Democrats ‘ Donald Baylor, Michael Book, Michael Farris, incumbent Kenneth Jacobi, Danny Schroeder and Adam Uhl; Republicans ‘ Charlie Crawford, Jack Froning and incumbent Brian Tincher. (Gary Vaught is not seeking re-election.)
The same goes for the advisory boards in Jackson and Franklin townships, which are only contested on the Democrat side in the Primary.
In Jackson, voters can choose three of the four Democrats to move on: Robert H. Morris, incumbent Frederick (Fred) L. Naegele, Jeanne Schilmiller Schroeder and incumbent Michael Schroeder. (Brooks Richards is not seeking re-election.) No Republicans filed to run.
In Franklin Township, Democrats will vote for three of the following candidates: David Brengman and incumbents Harold Scott, Charles D. (Charlie) Sell and Dale E. Chip White. Republican William A. Rowett advances to November’s General Election.
Other contested county races in the Primary include the race for District 3 county commissioner with two Republicans ‘ incumbent Jim Klinstiver of Laconia and Mark Stewart of Elizabeth ‘ and two Democrats, former commissioner Terry L. Miller of Elizabeth and Roger D. Wooten Sr. of Mauckport.
Three Democrats will vie for the opportunity to oppose Republican incumbent Phil Smith of Depauw for the District 1 county council seat: Glenn V. Arms of Depauw, Rodney D. Elliott of Depauw and Kyle S. Nix of Ramsey.
Five-term District 4 county councilman Republican incumbent Ralph E. Sherman of Laconia will have a contested Primary after Sam Day of Elizabeth filed last week.
Four Democrats and one Republican will vie for the Spencer Township trustee position (longtime trustee Donald Satterfield did not seek re-election). The Democrats are Curtis Brown, Kyle Byrne, Aaron Scott and Susie Flock Weigle. The Republican is Bruce Hawkins.
In the Jackson Township trustee race, the position will be settled in the Primary with Democrats choosing incumbent Joseph E. Martin or Jeremy Zabel.
Non-contested races in the Primary are:
‘District 70 state representative ‘ Republican incumbent Rhonda J. Rhoads of Corydon and Democrat Heidi Sellers of Memphis.
‘ District 73 state representative ‘ Republican incumbent Steven Davisson and Democrat Douglas C. Leatherbury, both of Salem;
‘Superior court judge ‘ Democrat incumbent Roger Dale Davis and Republican Joseph L. (Joe) Claypool, both of Corydon;
‘Prosecutor ‘ Republican incumbent J. Otto Schalk of Corydon and Democrat Rachel Armstrong of Lanesville;
‘Auditor ‘ Republican incumbent Karen Engleman;
‘Treasurer ‘ Republican Debra S. Dones and Democrat Leisa J. Emily;
‘Sheriff ‘ Republican incumbent Rodney (Rod) Seelye and Democrat Carl Attwood III;
‘Assessor ‘ Democrat incumbent Lorena A. (Rena) Stepro;
‘District 2 county council ‘ Republican incumbent Gary Davis and Democrat Donald J. (Donnie) Hussung;
‘District 3 county council ‘ Democrat incumbent Gordon Pendleton and Republican Holli Baker Castetter;
‘Blue River Township trustee ‘ Democrat Michael Byerle;
‘Blue River Township Advisory Board ‘ Republicans Fred Churchill, incumbent, and Michael L. Smith and Democrats Imogene Berkenmeyer (Imy) and Thomas C. Black, both incumbents, and Richard Smith;
‘Boone Township trustee ‘ Republican incumbent Linda King;
‘Boone Township Advisory Board ‘ Republicans Kevin A. Crosier and Jessica Terry, both incumbents, and Shelia Beanblossom Jackson;
‘Franklin Township trustee ‘ Democrat incumbent John (Bill) Lyskowinski;
‘Harrison Township Trustee ‘ Democrat incumbent Cecil Trobaugh and Republican Donna Payne;
‘Harrison Township Advisory Board ‘ Republican incumbents Maurice F. Fisher and Lester K. Rhoads and Democrat incumbent Geneva E. Sams;
‘Heth Township trustee ‘ Republican incumbent Teresa Eschbacher;
‘Heth Township Advisory Board ‘ Republican incumbents Gerald Jacobs and Gary W. Wiseman and Democrat incumbent Betty Jenkins;
‘Morgan Township trustee ‘ Democrat incumbent Fred A. Uhl and Republican Debra Ray;
‘Posey Township trustee ‘ Democrat incumbent Steven E. Smith;
‘Posey Township Advisory Board ‘ Democrats Chris Cunningham, incumbent, Deonne Duncan and Susan May;
‘Spencer Township Advisory Board ‘ Republicans Annissa Kellum-Reas, Ray Saylor and Belinda K. Smith and Democrats Kathy Goldman and Phyllis Patterson;
‘Taylor Township trustee ‘ Democrat incumbent Wayne Gettelfinger;
‘Taylor Township Advisory Board ‘ Republican incumbent Pam Wate and Democrat incumbents Donald Stewart and Gene Stewart;
‘Washington Township trustee ‘ Democrat Kathy Ragains;
‘Washington Township Advisory Board ‘ Republicans Stephanie J. Bliss, incumbent, and JoAnna Barks (incumbent Melissa Shaffer did not seek re-election; the board currently has two members);
‘Webster Township trustee ‘ Democrat incumbent Merlin (Dick) Lillpop and Republican Isaac Dean Brown; and
‘Webster Township Advisory Board ‘ Republican incumbents Oren L. Chumley and Joey Rosbottom and Democrats Stephen F. Bachman, Daniel Thomas McPhillips, incumbent, and Rhonda Smith Wiseman.