July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Reblublicans pick Wagner as new coroner (03/19/04)


By By BARBARA [email protected]

The Republican Party’s nominee for Jay County coroner started those duties early after being selected Thursday evening to complete the current term.

Portland resident Paulette Wagner received a majority of the vote on the first ballot at a GOP caucus of precinct committee members Thursday evening at the Jay County Public Library. Also vying for the appointment were Bob Brown and deputy coroner Kip VanSkyock.

The caucus was called following the recent resignation of coroner Brad Myers, whose term in office will expire Dec. 31. Myers and his wife have since moved to northern Indiana.

Thirteen precinct committee members — out of a possible 18 eligible to vote — cast ballots, with two voting by proxy, GOP chairwoman Carla Horn said. Wagner took office immediately following the vote, which was done in private. The final tally was not released by GOP officials.

“I believe my advanced medical knowledge ... makes me a strong candidate,” Wagner said prior to the vote. She has been an advanced emergency medical technician with the Jay Emergency Medical Service for 13 years.

“I'd like to thank everybody for their vote,” she said after the announcement.

Between now and the Nov. 2 general election, Wagner said she hopes to do “ride alongs” with the coroners in Delaware and Allen counties to get more practical experience for the job. “You learn out in the field,” she said.

She also plans to create a schedule that will help speed response time when the coroner is called to a scene.

The only requirement to be coroner is that the individual must have lived in the county for at least one year. A deputy coroner, however, has 12 months to complete the needed courses, then must complete an externship and pass mandated exams within the next 12 months, Portland attorney John Coldren said.

In response to a question about who she would pick to be deputy coroner, Wagner, 49, 805 E. Walnut St., said, “Kip (VanSkyock) would be a logical person.”

VanSkyock, 1009 Blaine Pike, Portland, a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, has been a deputy coroner for 12 years and has fulfilled all the requirements of that position.

He had filed to run in the May primary for the Republican nomination for coroner. He later withdrew from the race — leaving Wagner as the only GOP candidate — after learning his federal job prohibited him from running. Wagner will face Democrat Mark Barnett in the fall general election.

Brown, a deputy with the Jay County Sheriff's Department, also submitted a declaration of candidacy for the position. He did not attend Thursday's caucus.[[In-content Ad]]
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