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In another unique situation for Republican leaders, a caucus called to fill a vacancy for a township trustee in Kosciusko County has been canceled and the position will be filled by appointment.
The GOP caucus was announced after Monroe Township Trustee Josh Spangle resigned in February.
The caucus had been scheduled for today, but was canceled Monday after officials realized the resignation by Spangle left no one available to vote in the caucus for a replacement.
Spangle, a detective sergeant with the sheriff’s department, announced his resignation in February because he had moved out of the township. His exit also left the township without a Republican precinct committee person.
Participation as a voting member of a caucus is limited to precinct committee members within that jurisdiction.
As a result, Kosciusko County Republican chairman Mike Ragan announced Monday that he would appoint Stephanie Cloud, the only candidate to file to run in the caucus, as trustee.
Cloud, who lives south of Pierceton, also is the only candidate running for the position in the May 8 primary.
She currently does not have a Democrat challenger on the fall ballot.
Monroe Township resident Travis Trump has been appointed to serve as the new precinct committeeman for the area. He could not participate in the caucus because party rules require all voting caucus members to have been in the position for at least 30 days prior to a scheduled caucus, Ragan said.
Ragan said he had known for a while that he would cast the deciding vote, but waited until after the deadline to announce his decision.
If they had had more than one candidate, Ragan said Monday afternoon, the caucus would have been conducted.
He said he sought and received advice from the state Republican Party on how to proceed.
“It’s a new one for me,” said Ragan, who has overseen more than 10 caucuses in less than two years. “I’ve never had this circumstance.”
For Cloud, the circumstances opened the door to assume a position she had hoped would arrive in January after the fall election.
Cloud will officially assume duties Thursday, Ragan said.
She said she’s excited to get started with the new job.
“I?kind of knew when I signed up that that might be a possibility,” she said.
She said she works parttime at Warsaw Community Church as the creative arts coordinator. She also has worked in customer service.
Monroe Township is south of Pierceton and northeast of Packerton.
Spangle’s exit represents the second time in less than a year a Republican officeholder vacated a position after moving out of the jurisdiction.
County Commissioner Ron Truex resigned last year after he and his wife moved into a new residence they soon realized was just outside of the middle district boundary.
Earlier this year, a Republican caucus to fill a vacancy on the Leesburg Town Council was made in a one-person caucus by a precinct committeeman who also happened to be president of the town council, Tom Moore.
Moore chose Christina Archer in a two-way race on Feb. 6.
