Two vie for nomination

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories previewing the May 3 primary election. Early voting begins April 5. All election-related stories will be posted at http://www.thecr.com and will remain active until election day.

A local business owner and a two-term county council member are vying for the chance to run for county commissioner in November.
James Brewster and Ted Champ will compete in the May 3 primary for the Democratic nomination for the south district seat, which is being vacated by incumbent Republican Jim Zimmerman. The winner will advance to the general election to take on either Wayne Bailey or Chuck Huffman, who are seeking the Republican nomination for the seat.
Brewster is a 1999 graduate of Jay County High School, served an apprenticeship to become an electrician and started his business, Brewster Electric, in 2009. He has run for elected office twice, having fallen to Lisa Barnett in the Democratic primary for county council in 2010 and lost to Zimmerman in the 2012 general election for commissioner.
Champ is a 1973 Redkey High School graduate who has been a bricklayer for nearly 40 years and is president of Local 4 of the bricklayers’ union, which encompasses all of Indiana and part of Kentucky. He is in the midst of his second term on county council.
Jobs were the lead item on a list of issues Champ noted as important to the future of the county.
He expressed the need for commissioners to be involved in communicating with Jay County Development Corporation officials and business leaders inside the community and out. He discussed tax abatements and other incentives as things the county must consider in order to be competitive in the effort to bring new businesses to the county.
“Good-paying jobs coming into Jay County will keep the county moving forward,” said Champ. “We have to be able to maintain the jobs we have … but in my opinion we can never be satisfied. We need to continue searching for companies that are willing to come in to our county and sit down with them and talk to them and see what it’s going to take to get them here.”
Roads stand out as a key issue to Brewster, who said he spends a lot of time driving throughout the county for work.
He supports the road plan the current commissioners have put in place to create a priority list of roads that should be converted from stone to a hard surface. And he said he feels money used to put down new stone each year could be better spent on chip-and-seal or paving.
“There are issues out there,” he said. “A lot of the other counties, most of their roads are paved.
“I’d just like to see more asphalt roads. They’re safer.”
Both candidates noted the need to deal with flooding, saying it’s key to keeping current businesses in downtown Portland and attracting new ones.
Work to clean out the Salamonie River has been a positive, Brewster said, adding that he is in favor of creating detention ponds north of the city to help hold back water.
“I think that’s probably one of the best things to look into at this point is having a place to divert the water, at least to hold it, until we can let it naturally drain away,” he said. “I think (detention) ponds are probably going to be the best option. Maybe the cheapest also.”
Champ feels the commissioners took the right approach by hiring engineering firm Butler, Fairman and Seufert to study the issue.
“That problem needs to be fixed, and it needs to be addressed by people who know how to do it,” he said. “When that report comes back, as commissioners … we need to come up with ways to act on that report, keep that report active and moving forward until the flooding problem is solved.”
Champ also noted confined feeding operations and the county’s budget as important issues.
Balance is key in the former, he said, adding that he believes the county has made progress toward finding the “happy medium” in which confined feeding operations can prosper while other property owners are still protected.
A vocal critic of the budget process as a council member last year, Champ added that he feels the county did not do enough to try to make cuts before taking $500,000 out of the rainy day fund.
Brewster said he felt the plan commission seemed “a little one-sided” in favor of confined feeding and that he would have preferred if it had stuck with the study group’s suggestions instead of scaling back setbacks. He added that his approach to the budget would be to try to work directly with department heads to make sure everything is operating efficiently.
Champ touted his experience on county council, three terms on Redkey Town Council and one on Jay School Board, and his willingness to make difficult decisions, as assets. He promised to bring a common-sense approach to the office of commissioner.
“The taxpayers should feel very comfortable that if I am the next commissioner I will treat that job exactly like I have the county council, and I will make sure that in my eyes everything is being done that should be done for the betterment of Jay County,” said Champ. “I’ve been in Jay County 60 years and I’m planning on being here until the day I die. Both of my kids live in Jay County. My grandkids live in Jay County. I want to make Jay County a better place, or at least do my part.”
Brewster, who is a past president of Portland Junior League, said he’s seeking office to help his community. He expressed a desire to bring some new blood to county government.
“A lot of the (people) have been on county council or commissioners before,” he said. “I think it’s always good to get younger people in, and new faces.
”I just want to serve the people of Jay County.”