Foyst
The Bartholomew County Election Board on Thursday set a hearing for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 18 to determine whether Republican Joseph Jay Foyst will remain a candidate in the November election to represent the newly-created Columbus City Council District 6.
Bartholomew County Democratic Party chairman Ross Thomas filed a challenge to Foyst’s candidacy on July 26. The challenge claimed that the candidate had failed to follow state law requiring proper paperwork be filed with the Bartholomew County Clerk’s office at least 10 days prior to the Republican Party caucus that selected him to run in the general election for Columbus City Council District 6.
Both Foyst and Thomas were at the election board’s brief pre-hearing conference Thursday at the Bartholomew County Courthouse. Thomas said he didn’t anticipate calling witnesses for the upcoming hearing, calling the matter “a document case.”
After Thursday’s hearing, Foyst declined to comment but provided a written statement:
“I intend to retain legal counsel. Our party has spoken with a member of the state election division and have been recommended to retain legal counsel. We hope to resolve this matter so that we can get back to campaigning and allow the voters of District 6 to decide in November if they would like me to represent them as their councilman.”
Thomas states in his challenge that Foyst should be stricken form the ballot because the required candidate form was filed a day after the 10-day deadline mandated under state law. “Because the procedures set out in Indiana law were not followed here, Joseph Foyst is not a valid candidate and should not appear in the 2023 general election municipal ballot,” the challenge says.
Foyst, 60, previously a salesman for 25 years and now a dump truck driver, was selected as the Republican Party’s nominee for during a party caucus held last month. The caucus was convened after no Republican filed to run for the office in the party’s May primary, leaving a vacancy in the November 7 general election.
Should Thomas’ challenge prevail and Foyst be removed from the ballot, it would likely mean that Democratic nominee for District 6 Bryan Muñoz would run unopposed in the general election. Muñoz ran unopposed for his party’s nomination in the May primary.
District 6 is a new council district that was created due to the city’s decision to adopt second-class status based on its size and population. The new district includes portions of central and north Columbus.
Columbus’ change to second-class city status means the city council will increase from five members to seven next year. In addition to the new District 6 seat, city voters in November also will elect a new at-large council member.
