Culy takes auditor race

Tuesday was a big day for Jay County Republicans.
The party scored blowout wins in most races locally. And it split the two tightest contests, winning a three-way race for auditor and missing a sweep by just 1.38 percentage points in a prosecutor race that was closer than many expected.
Republican Anna Culy scored the key win for Republicans as she fought off independent Missy Puterbaugh by less than 300 votes in a three-way race for county auditor that also included Democrat Susan Bunch.
“Overwhelmed I think is the appropriate word. Shock,” said Culy, who covered her face in disbelief while her supporters celebrated at a gathering of local Republicans at John Jay Center after her win was announced. “I can’t even talk.”
Incumbent prosecutor Wes Schemenaur, who monitored the election results from home, scored the only contested win for Democrats at the county level, holding off Republican Greg LeMaster by just 119 votes in a rematch from 2010.
“Nervous, tense, but very pleased with the end result,” Schemenaur said of the evening. “It’s Jay County. Obviously I’m a Democrat in a Republican county, so the outcome, as you see the results come in and you hear the other races, it’s obviously a big Republican night … you understand you’re not going to win every vote.
“It was a Republican night tonight. I was just very fortunate to come out on top.”
Republicans earned at least 57 percent of the vote in races for commissioner, recorder and the District 4 seat on Jay County Council, and were uncontested for sheriff, assessor, a pair of county council seats and Jay County Superior Court Judge. The county supported Republicans just as strongly for State Representative, U.S. Representative and all state-wide offices (see related story).
Puterbaugh won the first three precincts that reported results in the race for auditor. But Culy quickly closed the gap, taking the lead for good thanks to a 51-vote win in Wabash Township. She kept the advantage for the rest of the evening, taking 11 of the 18 precincts and winning with 2,081 votes (43 percent) ahead of Puterbaugh’s 1,788. Bunch, who won the two Dunkirk precincts, was a distant third with 989.
Culy will take over the position from her mother, Nancy, who is completing her second term.
“The next two months I’ll be doing a lot of studying and a lot of work … to make sure that come Jan. 1 I’m prepared,” said Culy, who has worked full-time in the auditor’s office for eight years.
Puterbaugh, who like Bunch filed after the primaries, ran well in Portland as she took four of its five precincts, but couldn’t overcome Culy’s strength in the rural areas of the county. Despite the loss, she said her first time running for office would not be her last.
“I truly expected that it was going to be close, I was just hoping that we could sway a little more votes,” Puterbaugh said while wiping away tears. “It is what it is, but it’s OK.
“It’s truly been a huge experience for me,” she added. “(The defeat) is not going to deter me from running again.
“You may see me back.”
Schemenaur and LeMaster split the county’s 18 precincts, but it was strength in the Portland area that lifted the incumbent to the win. He took all five Wayne Township precincts, winning those by more than 300 votes.
LeMaster, who lost to Schemenaur by nearly 800 votes four years ago, said he expects to run for office again.
“I think this was, in many places, a show of strength and support for me and a good thing to build on going forward,” he said.
Republicans Betty St. Myers, Doug Inman and Mike Rockwell won by wide margins for recorder, commissioner and councilman respectively.
Inman, who knocked off six-term incumbent Milo Miller Jr. in the primary, earned 62.5 percent of the vote as he cruised past Democrat Randy Mann 3,117-1,870. And Rockwell got 58 percent of the vote to retain his District 4 county council seat 813-596 over Democrat Josh Gibson.
St. Myers turned in the biggest victory of the night, scoring 70 percent of the vote. A former two-term recorder who defeated Bev Myers in the primary, she topped Democrat Kari Tressler 3,401-1,425.
“I feel good. I feel like all the work and all the walking door-to-door really paid off,” said St. Myers. “The support in this community has been overwhelming. It means a lot to me.”
Fred Bailey, Jay County Democratic Party chairman, said he felt his party had good candidates and had hoped for better results.
“I was a little disappointed,” he said. “I thought we had some strong candidates, and I thought we offered a little better challenge.
“(We’ll) just regroup. We’re not going to give up. We’re not ready for a one-party system.”
Redkey Town Council will have two new members as Democrat Charles “Red” Coons and independent Mike Wright both finished ahead of incumbent David Dudelston in a five-man race for two seats. Jon Davis had chosen not to run for re-election.
Coons won a close race among four of the candidates with 117 votes. Wright followed with 100, edging Republicans Dudelston (98) and Ryan D. Wolford (95). James “Watermelon Jim” Phillips was a distant fifth with 48 votes.
And in the race for a seat on Pennville Town Board, Republican Alicia Corwin defeated Democrat Michael Grile 92-60.
Republicans retaining their positions without a challenge were Jay Superior Court Judge Max Ludy, assessor Diana Stults and county councilmen Bob Vance and Mike Leonhard. Democrat Ted Champ was uncontested in his run to retain his seat on county council.
Also Tuesday, longtime Jay County Conservation Officer Dwane Ford was officially elected as sheriff. He was uncontested after winning a three-man Republican primary over Rob Bicknell and Mitch Sutton in May.
Miller, who serves as chairman of the Republican Party in Jay County, was pleased with the outcome.
“It was a good day for Republicans,” he said. “Greg ran an awful good race. He worked his tail off. It was a lot closer than anybody anticipated.
“I’m proud of all the people who ran …
“I’m proud of the voters for going with the experience with Culy … She’s got good experience.”