Six seek at-large council seats (10/23/04)

Two incumbents and four other candidates are seeking three at-large seats on the Jay County Council in the Nov. 2 general election.

Incumbents Andy Schemenaur, a Democrat, and Marilyn Coleman, a Republican, are making re-election bids. Republicans Jim Zimmerman and Judy LeMaster and Democrats Ted Champ and Lisa Barnett also are seeking seats on the council.

At present, the third at-large seat is held by Democrat Mark Barnett, who is not making a re-election bid. Instead, he is running as the Democratic Party nominee for county coroner, and will face Republican Paulette Wagner in the general election next month.

Lisa Barnett, 41, the wife of Mark Barnett, is making her first bid for an elected office.

A 1981 graduate of Jay County High School, she earned a bachelor of science degree from Ball State University in 1985. She has worked at Tyson Foods-Mexican Originals in Portland for nearly 10 years.

She attends West Walnut Street Church of Christ and is a member of Habitat for Humanity of Jay County, Tri Kappa Sorority and the Jay County Band Boosters.

She also serves as the industry co-chairperson for the United Way of Jay County.

She and her husband live at 2338 East 200 North, Portland, and they have a daughter.

Champ, 49, served on the Redkey Town Council for 12 years and for four years on the Jay School Board.

He graduated from Redkey High School in 1973. He has been a field representative for Bricklayers Local 4 IN/KY for 11 years, and has served as secretary/treasurer for the union for the last four years.

Champ is a member of Redkey Faith Ministries and the Redkey Lions Club.

He and his wife LuAnn have two children, and the family resides in Redkey.

Coleman, 50, served as county auditor from 1982 to 1991. She also served as county clerk from 1992 to 2000. Currently, she is completing the last year of her first term on the county council.

A 1972 graduate of Pennville High School, she earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration at Ball State in 2000. She has worked as the acquisitions accounting fiscal control supervisor for University Libraries at Ball State for four years.

Coleman is a member of Bethel U.M. Church in rural Dunkirk, the Association of Indiana Counties and the Association of Indiana County Councils. She also is an at-large member of Delta Theta Tau Sorority in Pennville.

She lives at 16 S. Union St. in Redkey and has a daughter and two grandchildren.

LeMaster, 62, served two terms as county recorder from 1996 to 2003 and two terms as county treasurer from 1989 to 1995. She recently retired after having worked in various jobs and elected positions in the courthouse for 30 years.

She is a 1960 graduate of Madison High School. A charter member, past president and secretary of the Portland Evening Optimist Club, LeMaster also is a member of the Republican Women’s Club and the Southside Church of Christ and serves as a precinct committeeperson for Wayne 1 in Portland.

She and her husband Leland live at 516 W. Race St. in Portland, and they have four children and 17 grandchildren.

Schemenaur, 50, has served on the county council since 1988. He also served as a Noble Township Advisory Board member from 1984 to 1998, and ran unsuccessfully for county treasurer in 1984.

At present, he is the principal of West Jay Middle School in Dunkirk, and has worked for the Jay School Corporation for 16 years. He also is a part-time farmer.

He graduated from Portland High School in 1972 and attended International Business College in Fort Wayne. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Ball State and holds a principal’s license in elementary and middle school education. He is also a graduate of the Indiana Principals Leadership Academy.

His affiliations include Bellefountain United Methodist Church, where he is a superintendent and Sunday school teacher; president of the Jay County Farmers Union; Ball State Alumni Association; Indiana Association of Counties; John Jay Center for Learning Board of Directors; Phi Delta Kappa International; Indiana Association of School Principals; and Green Park Cemetery Board of Directors.

He and his wife Pam reside at 572 South 600 East, Portland. They have two children.

Zimmerman, 58, made an unsuccessful run for Jay County Commissioner in 1996.

A 1964 graduate of Gov. I.P. Gray High School, he attended Indiana University-Purdue University in Fort Wayne from 1964-66. He also served in the Indiana Air National Guard for seven years.

He has been a farmer for 40 years. He attends Christ Church in Redkey and serves on the Jay County Development Corporation Board of Directors, the Jay County Planning Commission and the FFA Ag Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Redkey Lions Club.

Zimmerman and his wife Carol live at 6922 West 700 South in Redkey, and they have two children.

The candidates recently answered questions from The Commercial Review regarding the upcoming county council election. Their answers follow.

Why are you running for county council? What makes you qualified for the position?

Barnett — I am dedicated in making this county a good place to live and raise a family. I keep informed of current events and of issues that are most important to the taxpayers.

My experience is overseeing employment issues for over 420 employees. I am familiar with employment law, OSHA and financial budgets.

Champ — Concerned about Jay County and its future. Introduce forward thinking and a positive outlook. Sincerely interested in achieving results that are the best for Jay County. Enjoy politics and representing the taxpayers of Jay County.

I feel I’m qualified for this position because I have common sense, forward thinking, not afraid to make hard or tough decisions. My job of secretary/treasurer with Local 4 IN/KY I understand somewhat the way budgets work. I also contributed to the turnaround of the Jay County School Board budget.

Coleman — My experience in county government interested me in running for this position. The county auditor serves as secretary to the commissioners and council, and it was during the time I was auditor that I became interested in running for council. I feel I can contribute to the council my views from past experience in the offices I have served.

I also try to keep current with government activities, locally and statewide. In 2004, I attended the first-ever state-called county council meeting in Indianapolis. Other county offices have annual meetings called by the State Board of Accounts, and this year the Association of County Councils was able to organize this first of a kind event for council members. It was a great experience talking with other council members around the state and discussing how different counties operate.

I am interested in county government and experienced in working with others in county government, and want Jay County to have the best local government possible.

LeMaster — Having been involved in county government for a number of years, I would like to remain active on the local level. Due to serving in elected positions, I feel I have knowledge of the workings of the county council.

Schemenaur — Jay County has made a conscious effort to position itself for continued growth. As a member of the council, I have been an active agent of change, and if re-elected I will continue to be an advocate for Jay County’s economic future. I will also continue to take an active stance with the county council in their efforts to keep jay County financially solvent. My 16 years of service as an elected official has offered me a great deal of insight into county government operations.

Zimmerman — To serve our community. I have spent time serving on many committees, plus my years of business experience gives me a good background to serve on the county council.

What do you believe to be the most pressing issue before the council now? What is your position on that issue?

Barnett — To make sure that the county department heads stick to the budgets that they set for themselves that was approved by the council.

Champ — To my knowledge there’s not a single issue, but I believe all issues will be pressing — just some more than others.

Coleman — The most important and pressing issue that I believe the council faces is making sure a complete, but fiscally sound, budget is in place for all the offices. The budget process is long and tedious at times, but the council must ensure a budget is passed which allows all the departments and elected officials to run their department efficiently while at the same time making sure tax dollars are spent wisely and not wasted.

I try to review all the budget requests before the budget meetings, reviewing previous expenditures, and looking for any areas which could be adjusted. I also try to see the overall effect of budget decisions for the county.

LeMaster — Economic development. Being more aggressive in bringing new business to county and keeping the business that has been already established.

Schemenaur — While I have been approached by members of the community on a variety of issues, one issue in particular has surfaced more than others. Jail expansion is the issue that will command the greatest attention of our council. Expanding the jail will pose great financial challenges for the county in years to come. Thus, I believe the council must carefully weigh the costs and benefits of any new financial undertaking, while at the same time ensuring that funds are available for the county’s other essential services.

Zimmerman — Maintaining and upgrading our roads. With rising costs, finding a way to fund the county’s budget. That we need to find alternative ways to raise revenue other than property taxes.

What is your opinion of the current pay plan for county employees? What changes, if any, would you recommend?

Barnett — I believe it is the best plan that the county has come up with so far. If changes need to be made, they should be brought before the council on a case by case basis.

Champ — Not completely sure how this works, so not sure if I would make any changes. I do believe that a person should get a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.

Coleman — The pay plan currently in place for the county employees is a good plan, which allows employees to move up a step each year and to receive a cost of living raise if at all possible. The problems with the plan occur when someone moves to another position, or something unusual happens with personnel within a department. A personnel committee was created to try to address some of these instances, but it is hard to think of every possible change which might occur.

The personnel committee should address these questions before changes are made by departments so that the employee is aware of how these changes affect their payroll. Unfortunately, the committee often is consulted after the fact and the change is not in effect in time. The council is asked to determine policy on an issue and feels it must follow the policy in effect at the time of the change.

I would recommend that the personnel committee be more active in reviewing policies. The policies need to be reviewed closely and adjusted as needed, hopefully before the employee is adversely affected.

LeMaster — Hiring an external company to set pay grades should be used as a base line. However, it is up to the council to interpret the recommendations and make adjustments. Important to pay people based on skill and ability, as well as experience. Would like to see officials have more leeway in setting the pay level for part-time employees. At present, part-time employees are paid the same rate without regard to the number of years of employment or responsibility.

Schemenaur — Sufficient, yet there is room for improvement. The plan has been helpful in balancing the pay within the “pay levels.” A benefit has been to let everyone know where they stand within the pay grades. We need to be mindful of the level of compensation we give to the employees every year and stay within the competitive pay ranges of other counties within our district.

Zimmerman — I have not studied the pay plan enough to recommend any changes at his time.

Briefly describe what you see as the role of the county council.

Barnett — To see that in these troubled times, the county continues to remain fiscally sound and to continue to watch our bottom lines to provide the best county services possible that we can afford.

To remember that we are entrusted to watch over the county taxpayers’ money and to not spend it needlessly.

Champ — Set budget for county and then the council oversees and works with the commissioners to live within the budget set.

Coleman — The county council is the fiscal body of county government. Our job is to set the budget each year, including setting the pay for employees. Along with that, we are to make any adjustments to the budget as necessary. These adjustments are made through additional appropriations throughout the year.

The council must sometimes make tough decisions and must depend on the Commissioners and other officials to make recommendations. As an example, the council decides how much to fund for employees health insurance each year, but has no authority over what the coverage is or what insurance company is used. The decision for those choices is the responsibility of the Commissioners.

LeMaster — The council is the financial arm of county government. It is their responsibility to set budgets, keep and maintain sound fiscal management.

Schemenaur — The fundamental job of the council is to spend the taxpayers’ money in the same manner they spend their own incomes. Just like an individual family budget, the county must live within its budget. Each of us needs to be self-disciplined to some degree if we want to be successful in the long run.

Zimmerman — To set and approve the county’s budget.

If there is one thing you want to make sure the voters know about you or the office you are seeking, what would that be?

Barnett — If elected I would do the job as county council in a professional manner and to the best of my ability. To always remember that I would work for the taxpayers of Jay County.

Champ — As proven on the Jay School Board I will represent the taxpayers of Jay County to the best of my ability, I’m not afraid to speak up if need be or make hard decisions and I will always have the Jay County taxpayers in my mind when making any and all decisions.

Coleman — If elected to a second term on the Council, I will serve to the best of my ability and use my experience in county government to make the decisions that are needed. I will do the best job that I can for the county.

LeMaster — I, too, want the most from our tax dollars. Would do best job possible for our county government.

Schemenaur — Members of the county council must be proactive in assessing the financial needs to of the county and maintain a firm grasp of the challenges that lie ahead as Jay County moves forward in the 21st century. Thus, I believe that as a life-long Jay County resident and farmer, I possess the necessary foresight and restraint to enable Jay County to maintain our position as a leader in pursuing economic opportunities for the next generation.

Zimmerman — That I am fair and am willing to listen to all sides of an issue and at the end can make tough decisions.[[In-content Ad]]