Mari Beth (Mert) Jones, recently appointed as Spencer Clerk / Treasurer to replace Linda Simmerman, will be resigning from her position effective July 31, 2009 for personal reasons. 

Pursuant IC 3-13-11, the following information served as legal notice for a caucus to be held by the Owen County Democrat Party.

Whereas the Chairman of this caucus is Anton Karl Neff.

Whereas the purpose of this caucus is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Town of Spencer Clerk / Treasurer due to the resignation of Linda Simmerman.

Whereas the caucus will be held on Monday, July 27^th, at 5:30pm at the Owen County Democratic Party’s Headquarters located at 150 East Jefferson Street in Spencer, Indiana.

Pursuant IC 3-13-11-5, the following Precinct Committeepersons are considered eligible as members of this caucus:

Washington 1:             Pansy White

Washington 2:             Jo Ann Ligon

Washington 3:             Richard Lorenz

Washington 4:             Larry Newton

Washington 5:             Jack Simmerman

This information was sent via first class US Mail this 15^th day of July, 2009.

Additional details regarding the upcoming July 27^th caucus:

Position Information

Town of Spencer Clerk / Treasurer

Term is January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2011

Total Annual Salary = $35,068.51 w/ benefits

Some of the many responsibilities of the office include:  1)  Receive and care for all town money and pay the money out only on order of the town legislative body, 2) keep accounts showing when and from what sources the clerk-treasurer has received town money and when and to whom the clerk-treasurer has paid out town money, 3) prescribe payroll and account forms for all town offices, 4) prescribe the manner in which creditors, officers, and employees shall be paid, 5) manage the finances and accounts of the town and make investments of town money, 6) prepare for the legislative body the budget estimates of miscellaneous revenue, financial statements, and the proposed tax rate, 7) maintain custody of the town seal and the records of the legislative body, 8) issue all licenses authorized by statute and collect the fees fixed by ordinance, 9) serve as clerk of the legislative body by attending its meetings and recording its proceedings, and 10) administer oaths, take depositions, and take acknowledgment of instruments that are required by statute to be acknowledged, without charging a fee, among other duties.

Consideration for Appointment (Candidacy):

Pursuant IC 3-13-11-7, any person wishing to be considered as a candidate for this caucus needs to file a Declaration of Candidacy (Indiana CEB-5 Form) with the Chairman of the caucus, notarized, or stamped by the Clerk of the Owen Circuit Court, at least 72 hours before the time fixed for the caucus.  The deadline for this particular caucus is 5:30pm, Friday, July 24th, 2009.  Declarations of Candidacy forms that are not in the Chairman’s hands by this deadline will not be accepted!  Allow adequate time for the US mail to be delivered by that date.  Nominations cannot be made during the caucus.

A candidate must be at least 18 years of age, a registered voter, and a resident of the Town of Spencer.  A CEB-5 form is attached in the event you know of someone who is interested in filing their candidacy. 

Proxies:

If a precinct committee chair does not attend the caucus, his/her vice-chair may vote as a proxy.

Vote Procedure:

Pursuant IC 3-13-11-10, votes are cast via secret ballot.  A candidate must receive a majority of votes cast in order to be selected for appointment.  If no candidate receives a majority in the first round of voting, the candidate that receives the lowest number of votes is eliminated from consideration and a new round of voting takes place.  This sequence continues until a candidate is selected.

Pursuant IC 3-13-11-8, the Chairman casts tie-breaking votes.

Caucus Chairman Contact Information:

Anton Karl Neff

306 N Park Ave

Spencer, IN  47460

812-829-4254 H

812-325-4029 C

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SPENCER, IN—The Owen County Democratic Party has announced plans to conduct a Democratic Town Convention in conjunction with this year’s Gosport municipal election.  Each political party must conduct a town convention when more candidates than available positions for any one office have filed for the election.  Currently, there are five candidates who have filed as Democrats for the three at-large Gosport Town Board positions, current Town Board members Wes Correll and Rebecca (Becky) Welch, along with new candidates Machele Arnold, Kindra Holsapple, and Christopher (Chris) Wesley.

Any Democratic voter in the Town of Gosport can participate in this convention.  The convention will be held on Friday, August 19^th, at 7:00pm, located at the Gosport Community Building just north of the Gosport Elementary School.

Folks wishing to vote in the convention must check in prior to the 7:00pm start date and, in accordance with IC 3-8-5-11 concerning participation in the convention, each Democratic voter must affirm in writing, under penalties for perjury, that they are affiliated with the Democratic Party, that they had taken a Democratic ballot in the last primary election they had voted in, are a resident of the Town of Gosport, and that they are a registered voter in the Town of Gosport.

Once the convention is called to order, rules for the convention will be adopted and the candidates for which a vote will be taken will be given a limited opportunity to speak.  Following that, a vote by secret ballot will be taken to select the three Democratic nominees for the Gosport Town Board that will appear on the November ballot.

The convention will be chaired by Kextel Dunning.  If anyone has questions about the convention or the process, they may contact Dunning at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or 812-879-4366.