The County Line
Candidates for county sheriff have already begun announcing their intentions to run for the office in next year’s primary election. Now there are rumblings about candidates for judge where judgeships are up for election in Superior Court 1 and Superior 6.
The widely-respected Judge Steven Nation, having served nearly 23 years on the bench of Superior Court 1, is considering retiring next year. He says he will make that decision later this year. His decision may hinge partially on whether Circuit Judge Paul Felix is chosen to become a judge in Federal District Court. If Felix gets the federal appointment he is seeking, Nation says he would consider running for re-election partially because the two judges have been guiding the county’s Youth Assistance Program. Nation wants to see it continue its current successful course. In any event, it appears likely there will be a court vacancy in either Circuit or Superior 1. There will be no shortage of interest in filling such a vacancy.
David Najjar, a court magistrate, will likely run. It is also possible Carmel City Judge Brian Poindexter will be running. Both have made determined, but unsuccessful runs for judge positions in recent elections.
Gail Bardach, judge of Superior Court 6, is up for election, and has indicated she will run for another term. Najjar or Poindexter could run against Bardach if not for Nation’s bench. However, running against an incumbent judge is not common practice in Hamilton County.
The Republican primary is still more than a year away, and there may well be other candidates for judge which, of course, is a revered and well-paying position with excellent retirement benefits.
In these situations, some feel it is a good idea to make his or her intentions known early in order to get folks to commit to a candidate before others jump into the race.
Next year will feature a big election for local offices with Congressional and state legislative offices on the ballot along with another eleven county offices and all township offices. Most, and likely all, of these positions will be essentially filled in the GOP primary in heavily Republican Hamilton County.
In the meantime, voters in Sheridan, Westfield and Carmel school districts will go to the polls on May 2nd this year to vote on school tax referendums. Unless controversy develops over these ballot questions, a small voter turnout is expected.