Caucus picks Beumer

WINCHESTER — Greg Beumer is the new state representative serving District 33.
Republican precinct representatives elected Beumer, a Modoc resident, at a caucus Tuesday at Randolph County Courthouse. He won 20-16 in a run-off over Noel Carpenter of rural Winchester.
Beumer, a Jay County native, was the leader with 16 votes on the initial ballot, finishing ahead of Carpenter (13) and Claudia Thornburg (eight).
“We may not agree on every issue, but I’m certainly going to do my best to represent this district to the best of my abilities,” said Beumer following his victory. “Thank you for your support.”
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Brent E. Dickson was scheduled to swear in Beumer at 9:30 a.m. today as part of the state legislature’s Organization Day.
He is taking over the seat from Bill Davis (R-Portland), who resigned earlier this month in order to become the executive director of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
District 33 includes all of Jay and Randolph counties and part of Delaware County. There are about 13 months left on Davis’ term.
 “I think Greg will fill Bill’s shoes pretty well,” said Jay County Republican Party Chairman Milo Miller Jr., who was in attendance at the caucus but was not involved in the vote. “He’s got a lot of expertise in economic development and grant writing. He knows the ins and outs of county government. We really need people down at the statehouse who know how city and county government are run.”
Monday’s votes came after the candidates each received a two-minute introduction and then gave a three-minute speech.
During his comments, Beumer, who was introduced by Randolph County Commissioner Mike Wickersham, described himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate. He said government should take no more from the taxpayers than it needs, but must also make sure there is a safety net for those who are in financial difficulty through no fault of their own.
Thornburg, who served seven years as Randolph County Clerk, focused her comments on making common sense laws — she noted the recent expungement law as one that is convoluted — and the importance of education.
Carpenter, a former Randolph County Commissioner, also discussed education, indicating that he is against Common Core, and responded to a question about the proposed amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage.
“Marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “That’s the beginning and the end. Anything else is wrong.”
Thornburg said last week she also supports the amendment, while Beumer said he is against amending the constitution to include something “as a way to do what some people would consider to provide a discrimination.”
Beumer edged Carpenter in the first vote, on which none of the candidates received the necessary 51 percent for election. As the lowest vote-getter, Thornburg’s name was dropped from the ballot and Beumer won the District 33 on the second vote.
Above all, he said his focus will be to help the kind of communities found in District 33.
“The issue to me that is the big, encompassing topic, is saving rural Indiana,” Beumer said. “And that includes everything from the schools, to a different way at looking at how we provide social services, to assisting our businesses downtown. Downtown businesses, local industries, job training, we’ve got to save rural Indiana.”
While no Jay County residents filed to run for the seat Davis held for nearly nine years, Beumer graduated from Portland High School in 1972. He ran for the District 33 seat in 1992, losing to Democrat Ron Liggett.
He is a former two-term Randolph County Commissioner and also served one term on the Union (Modoc) School Board.
“I’m excited about tomorrow,” said Beumer of Organization Day. “Back in 1998 when the Statehouse was being renovated, at that time I thought ‘someday I hope I have the opportunity to serve here.’”[[In-content Ad]]