Two vying for nod in south district

The incumbent commissioner hopes to continue working toward ongoing projects.

His opponent wants to bring more voices to the table.

Brian McGalliard and Duane Monroe will face off in the May primary for the Republican nomination for the south district Jay County Commissioner seat.

McGalliard, a 1988 Jay County High School graduate, owns the Portland Pizza King, a family business started by his father in 1967. A Dunkirk resident, McGalliard spent two years at Ball State University before he began working for Prudential Security. He also trained standardbred race horses for years.

Monroe, 48, is a 1993 Jay County High School graduate. A rural Portland resident, he earned his associate’s degree in applied science from Ivy Tech Community College in 2005 and works as a journeyman lineman for Jay County REMC. Monroe served for about 24 years on Jefferson Township Advisory Board and has been on the county’s road committee for about a decade.

Monroe lost to McGalliard in a three-way race that also included Barb Street in the 2020 Republican primary for the same seat. He said he decided to put his name on the ballot because he’d been approached by folks asking him to run for the office again.

“I’ve had a lot more support I feel like this time than last time,” he said. “I’m doing it for the people and the county. It’s definitely not about me.”

McGalliard, 54, mentioned various projects county officials have started since he took office, including projects to develop nearly 400 miles of fiberoptic internet line and infrastructure for housing, and the owner-occupied rehabilitation program aimed at providing home repairs for low-income Jay County residents.

Mentioning the county’s average household income, which has been among the lowest in the state in recent years, he said the county needs to show growth, and changes need to be made to attract new businesses and residents.

“If you’re a business owner and you’re looking to invest dollars, do you want to come to a declining county with a low population?” said McGalliard. “We have to make changes to address those situations. It’s not going to happen overnight. But someone has to stand up and say, ‘Hey, these are our issues, we need to start addressing them.’”

He also pointed out population increases and housing increases as two major projects cited in Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) 2.0, a regional grant program through the state.

If elected, Monroe said he would like to work on establishing unity amongst county leaders, such as commissioners, Jay County Development Corporation, business owners and city officials.

“I want to work with all of them to make it all better,” he said. “A motto from Jay County REMC is, we work best when we work together, and that’s a fact. I’ve worked in a lot of storm work. I was just down in Winchester … When we work together, we can get a lot accomplished … If you’re butting heads, you just can’t get anything done.”

He mentioned tensions between JCDC and commissioners as a specific area to tackle.

“JCDC is a huge piece of the puzzle in Jay County, not just Portland but all these towns around here in Jay County,” he said. “It’s hard for them to do their job when they’re not getting their funding.”

Addressing the situation with JCDC, McGalliard said one of the duties of commissioners is “implementing projects and programs to attain and attract workforce.” 

“When I look at my job description, look at the state statute, look at the (economic development income tax) statute, how we’re funding them, they’re there to assist the elected officials, not to be a private organization to use government funds as however they wish,” he said, noting the group draws a large chunk of its funding from the county.

He also referenced the county’s two-year contract with East Central Indiana Regional Partnership at $100,000 annually and noted the agreement has a 60-day out clause.

On the topic of economic development dollars coming in from the four potential solar farms planned for Jay County, McGalliard talked about different ways counties can bring in extra revenue for economic development projects, such as a population increase, tax abatements or tax increment financing (TIF) districts.

“My personal opinion is, when those funds come in, we should use them as matching funds for grants and so forth to double, triple, quadruple the size,” he added, pointing to grants available.

Monroe noted he would like to see economic development dollars coming in from the solar farms benefit the residents living near them. He noted they will see tax benefits, but he mentioned other suggestions, such as road improvements.

On the whole when discussing additional revenue, Monroe said he would look to other community leaders and the public for their perspective.

“I think with everybody putting their minds together and getting the right goal or the right place for it to be allocated, that’s what it should be,” he said. “It’s not about what Duane wants, it’s more about what we need or the community wants, I guess I should say.”

Monroe said his passion and willingness to work with others are a reason to check his name on the ballot.

“I’m passionate about what I do,” said Monroe. “I take it to heart. I’m going to do what’s best for the people, not for me. I’m going to work with everyone to try to be, oh, like that motto. ‘You do best when you work together.’ I’ll stick with that.”

McGalliard asked for folks to vote for him because of his dedication to the job during his time in office.

“I believe for the last three and a half years that I have shown the work ethic, I’ve devoted my time, I’ve done numerous research,” McGalliard said, noting the job has become a passion of his. “If they want a hard-working, determined commissioner, you know, that wants to get things done and keep Jay County moving forward, I’d certainly appreciate their vote.”