Potpourri: Negativity In City Election Banter Picks Up The Pace
Potpourri: Negativity In City Election Banter Picks Up The Pace
Posted
Dan Spalding-dspalding@timesuniononline.com
Potpourri: Negativity In City Election Banter Picks Up The PaceWe are more than 10 months from the municipal primary election, and there is already plenty of activity.
City Councilman Ron Shoemaker will host an open house July 28 at Republican headquarters, at the corner of Center and Lake streets. He’s testing the waters for a mayoral campaign that would likely pit him against incumbent Mayor Joe Thallemer.
Shoemaker is seeking donations at the event.
Meanwhile, Warsaw Community, a Facebook page openly supporting Shoemaker, is recruiting others to run for city council, and points out that “no skills are needed.”
The thread says they are looking for council candidates and that they will offer assistance.
The page then immediately targeted incumbent Republican 3rd District councilman Mike Klondaris in Trump-like style, calling the businessman an elitist who is known to vacation in Sweden and France. For the record, Klondaris’ wife was born in Sweden, and is now an American citizen. Trips to Sweden involve family visits.
The thread claims Klondaris is Thallemer’s favorite council member.
One comment called the reference to travel mean-spirited and misleading. “I would find it more galling if he never visited,” a woman wrote.
Overall, Shoemaker has been rather quiet, and has mostly relied on his votes against some of Thallemer’s proposals to do the talking.
But to a great degree, his apparent aspirations are being carried by the Warsaw Community Facebook page, which is managed in part by Chad Zartman, a nemesis of Thallemer, who along with former councilman Kyle Babcock, often video council meetings. Much of what they post is, to put it lightly, highly critical and occasionally juvenile. One recent photo shows Thallemer with “pants on fire.” Babcock’s Online Warsaw Facebook page last month attacked Thallemer, saying the city’s Buffalo Street project faces possible “trouble ahead,” but has since failed to elaborate.
Zartman was part of several vehicles that featured “Joe Must Go” signs in the recent county fair parade. On Monday, Zartman and his wife wore signs supporting Shoemaker to a city council meeting.
All of this is odd since Thallemer and the entire council are Republicans.
Plenty of people have taken notice. Earlier this week, a longtime Democratic party player said he thinks the negative Facebook antics could backfire for Shoemaker, and a city official questioned how much mileage they can gain by tearing down people.
REASON FOR RESIGNING – When the Republican Party announced last week that Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board member Sylvia Gargett resigned, she said she did so for personal reasons. But information filed with the clerk’s office noted that she was convicted of a felony 15 years ago.
Indiana law prohibits people with felonies from serving in elected positions.
Gargett was selected by a GOP caucus last year to fill the vacancy left by Kimberly Cates, who resigned after winning election to the Kosciusko County Council.
The conviction was later modified to a misdemeanor, which is why it did not show up when Gargett sought the seat a year ago, according to county GOP chair Mike Ragan.
County Democratic Party Chair Brian Smith raised the issue Wednesday on Facebook, where he posted a copy of the paperwork.
Ragan said Gargett returned pay she earned during her time on the advisory board to the taxpayers of Turkey Creek Township.
Ragan issued the following statement: “The Republican Party is grateful for Sylvia’s service over the past year. Every indication is that she served on the Township Advisory Board capably and honorably. In the decade and a half since her legal problems, she has proven herself to be an upright and valuable member of her community.”
A caucus has been set for Aug. 9 by Republicans to fill the position. Ragan said they hope whoever is chosen will seek election in the fall.
Gargett could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
