Weber
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected. An earlier version contained incomplete results from the North Vernon municipal election.
NORTH VERNON — The North Vernon clerk-treasurer race won by Republican Charlie Weber, who defeated Democrat Connie Rayburn with nearly 57% of the vote.
Weber will succeed current clerk-treasurer Shawn Gerkin, a Democrat who ran unopposed to become the city’s mayor. Gerkin will succeed North Vernon Mayor Mike Ochs, who is retiring after multiple terms.
In contested North Vernon city council races:
- Democrat Jarrod Daeger defeated Republican Warren Alexander in the District 2 race.
- Republican Andrew Klescht beat Democrat Alana Thrine in the District 4 race.
- Democrat Pat Kirchner won the at-large race against Republican David Kopitzke.
Republican council members Jack Kelly in District 1 and Baron Wilder in District 3 were unopposed in their reelection bids.
Turnout for the North Vernon municipal election was 26.25% of eligible voters.
Hogsett winning in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett appeared to be cruising to a third term Tuesday night, Indianapolis Business Journal reported. Shortly after 9 p.m., Fox-59 had called the race for Hogsett.
With about two-thirds of voting centers reporting, Hogsett led with about 59% of the vote over Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve in heavily Democratic Marion County.
About 64% of voters cast straight-ticket ballots, which were breaking heavily for Democrats.
The Marion County Election Board on Tuesday evening said that 26.3% of registered voters cast a ballot in the 2023 Municipal Election, up from a turnout of 24.2% in the 2019 election, the last municipal election cycle in Indiana.
Republican wins in Carmel
Republican Sue Finkam will be Carmel’s first new mayor in 28 years after defeating Democrat Miles Nelson in Tuesday’s election, Indianapolis Business Journal reported.
Finkam won nearly 57% of the vote. Nelson conceded at about 8 p.m.
Finkam will succeed Republican Jim Brainard, who was first elected in 1995. Brainard, who endorsed Finkam last week, announced in September 2022 that he would not seek an eighth term in office.
The race to succeed Brainard drew considerable attention to the Hamilton County suburb throughout the election. That was evident when about 950 people attended a debate between Finkam and Nelson at Carmel’s Palladium performing arts center.
Over the course of 27 years, Brainard has transformed Carmel from a sleepy suburb of 30,000 people into a regional powerhouse with more than 100,000 residents, more than 150 corporate headquarters, 148 roundabouts (and counting), and high-profile areas such as the Arts & Design District, City Center and Midtown.
And the power is out …
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales was monitoring power outages that impacted some counties throughout Indiana on election day.
Morales was in contact with county clerks and officials in Hamilton County, Wayne County, and other eastern Indiana counties. The only counties where voting was impacted were Hamilton County and Wayne County.
In Wayne County, power disruption lasted approximately an hour at four voting locations. Provisional paper ballots and generators were deployed for voting to continue.
In Hamilton County, two voting locations were impacted. Generators were also deployed for voting to continue.
“Even an unexpected situation like a power outage is something my office and election teams across the state are prepared to handle. County clerks continue to prove their commitment, ensuring when Hoosiers show up to the polls, they’re able to cast their ballot,” said Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales.
The outages were being tracked by State Homeland Security, emergency management authorities, and utility companies.
