Election filing opens Jan. 21 (1/13/04)

A little more than two months after an exciting local election cycle ended, another one — this time with offices on the national, state and county level on the line — is almost ready to begin.

The period for candidates to file for elected office in 2004 in Indiana will begin Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 8:30 a.m. Candidates must file in the office of the county clerk. In Jay County, the clerk’s office is on the second floor of the county courthouse.

The filing period closes at noon on Friday, Feb. 20.

The primary/Jay School Board election will be held on Tuesday, May 4, with the general election set for Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Topping the ticket will be the race for president, which at the moment features nine Democrats battling it out for the right to likely face President George W. Bush in his bid to win a second term.

A large number of local positions also will be decided this year — including two of the three county commissioners, three seats on the Jay County Council, and four other county elected officials (clerk, treasurer, coroner and surveyor).

Those seats are currently held by Gary Theurer (Commissioner, South District) and Mike Leonhard (Commissioner, North District); Marilyn Coleman, Mark Barnett and Andy Schemenaur Jr. (council at-large); Jane Ann Runyon (clerk); Robin Alberson (treasurer); Brad Myers (coroner) and Brad Daniels (surveyor).

Alberson is prohibited from running for a third consecutive term.

Also to be decided will be three of the seven seats on the Jay School Board. The school board elections will be held along with the May 4 primary, with those elected taking office July 1.

School board district seats that will be filled this year include District 1 (City of Portland, currently held by Frank Vormohr); District 4 (Knox and Richland townships outside the city of Dunkirk, currently held by Ted Champ); and District 6 (Wabash, Noble, Madison and Pike townships, currently held by Duane Starr).

At the state level, the race for governor, which includes incumbent Joe Kernan, a Democrat, and top Republican challenger Mitch Daniels, tops the ticket. Also up for grabs will be the District 33 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives. That seat is currently held by rural Redkey resident Ron Liggett, who is finishing out his sixth two-year term.

Also on the state ticket will be attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.

Also on the ticket at the national level are seats currently held by U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, a Democrat, and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (6th District).

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