First hopefuls file

Two familiar names will be on the ballot for sheriff again in the May primary.

Both rural Portland residents have served multiple terms.

Incumbent Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton joined incumbent Jay County recorder Angie Byrum and Jay County Commissioner candidate Aaron Loy as the first local candidates to file for election when Jay County Clerk’s Office opened at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Fellow Republican Dwane Ford filed to challenge him for the party’s nomination about a half hour later.

Election filings for the 2026 primaries started Wednesday. Offices up for election include sheriff, the middle district Jay County Commissioner seat, recorder, four Jay County Council seats, auditor and assessor. The deadline to file is Feb. 6.

Also filing as of noon Wednesday were:

•Current Jay County Council member Bryan Alexander for the middle district commissioner seat.

•Jay County Council member Cindy Bracy for re-election.

•Angela Moeller of rural Portland and Cherrie Geesaman of Pennville for assessor.

•Emily Franks for re-election as auditor.

They are all Republicans.

In separate news releases, State Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle) announced that he will seek re-election and Democrat John Bartlett of Hartford City announced he is running again for state representative in District 33. Both filed at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.

Ford, a former conservation officer, spent two terms as Jay County sheriff from 2015 through 2022, defeating Newton for the Republican nomination in the May 2018 primary. Ford was unable to seek re-election in 2022 because of term limits.

While he has enjoyed the last four years spending time with his grandchildren in retirement, he said Wednesday he would like to return to the job.

“I just like the job as law enforcement, and I enjoyed the time when I was in there,” he said, pointing to term limits. “I sat out my term, so I’m ready to jump back in there if I get a chance.”

Newton, who started at the sheriff’s office as a deputy in 1991, has spent nearly three terms as sheriff. He served from 2007 to 2014 and wasn’t able to run again because of term limits. In 2021, he was elected as sheriff after defeating Democrat “Watermellon” Jim Phillips in the general election. 

Newton shared hopes to continue ongoing and upcoming projects, such as updates to Jay County Jail. He talked about improving department training and updating policies, and he referenced grants the department pursued and new equipment including body cameras, in-car cameras and new firearms.

“I want to do positive things for Jay County — I think we have been doing them,” he said. “(I want to) just continue to provide a better service for the community, and that starts at the top …”

Radio upgrades are a main focus for both Newton and Ford. The department has been looking into new radios for emergency responders across the county for years. County officials in September signed a $4.64 million lease agreement with Motorola for the new equipment, with various Jay County departments slated to receive new devices by the end of the year.

Along those lines, Ford said he’s also expecting to handle discussions about a centralized dispatch center. Portland City Council voted in December to explore consolidating emergency responder dispatching.

Newton advocated for continuing to raise wages for sheriff’s office employees to make their salaries comparable to other agencies. He shared plans to approach Jay County Council again during the budgeting process this fall.

Holdman represents District 19, which includes Jay, Blackford, Adams and Wells counties and part of Allen County. He has served in the Indiana Senate since 2008, is the majority caucus chair and chairs its tax and fiscal policy committee.

“Indiana works best when government lives within its means, and families keep more of what they earn,” Holdman said in the release. “I’m running for re-election to continue fighting for low taxes, affordable health care, and the conservative values that make our communities strong.”

Bartlett was among more than 25 Indiana Rural Summit Coalition members to file to run for state house and senate seats Wednesday morning. A Democrat, he is making his third run for the House District 33 seat, which represents two-thirds of Jay County, all of Blackford and Randolph counties, and part of Delaware and Henry counties.

Republican J.D. Prescott of Union City is the incumbent.

Prescott defeated Bartlett for the District 33 seat in the 2022 and 2024 general elections, receiving 70% or more of the vote each time.

Both Alexander and Loy announced their candidacies for commissioner late last year. Incumbent commissioner Chad Aker has decided to step away from the seat at the end of his term.

Filing to run for Republican Party Convention delegate Wednesday were Jay County Republican Party chair Jenae Blasdel, Jon Eads of Portland and Alexander.