The election of a county councilman on Nov. 8 to the Indiana House District 62 seat left Jackson County Republicans with a vacancy to fill.
On Dec. 22, they found someone to fill the seat of county At-Large Councilman Dave Hall of Norman, who had two of the four years remaining on his second term. During a caucus of the county’s 30 GOP precinct committeemen and committeewomen that day at the courthouse in Brownstown, Amanda Lowery of Vallonia was selected to replace Hall.
Lowery, who will complete her second four-year term as county recorder on Saturday, also is chairwoman of the Jackson County Republican Party.
Lowery’s appointment to Hall’s council seat, however, requires a second caucus of GOP precinct committeemen and committeewomen because she is set to be in sworn in as the county clerk during a ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday at Pewter Hall. Doors for the swearing-in ceremony open at 5:30 p.m., and the public is invited for the swearing in of the 64 Republicans, including Lowery, elected Nov. 8.
On Wednesday, she said her plans are to assume the county clerk position Jan. 1 and tender her resignation as clerk effective Jan. 13 because a person cannot hold two elected positions at the same time.
On Jan. 14, Lowery will be sworn in as county councilwoman on Jan. 14.
Another caucus of GOP committeemen and committeewomen will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 5 at the courthouse to pick Lowery’s replacement as county clerk.
She said anyone can apply for that position, and there are two candidates — one handpicked by Lowery — as of Wednesday morning to replace her.
“I am going to work really hard to find someone for clerk,” she said. “I am going to find a good one.”
A couple of other issues complicated the timing of the changes that started with Hall’s election, Lowery said.
One was a recount of the District 62 race, which showed Hall won by 40 votes initially over Bloomington Democrat Penny Githens. On Dec. 20, the Indiana Recount Commission confirmed Hall had won the race with by a margin of 74 votes.
Lowery said the caucus couldn’t be held until it was confirmed Hall had won the race.
Lowery also recently accepted the position of district director for newly elected Ninth District Congresswoman Erin Houchin. The full-time job will take her across the district, which spans all of the 17 counties, including Jackson, and part of an 18th (Bartholomew) in southeastern Indiana.