Ohmer Miller
HOPE – Two veterans of the Hope Town Council have found themselves facing off against each other on the November ballot to represent Ward 3 on the council.
Jerry Bragg, who came to the council in early 2014 to fill the unexpired term of Shawn Lange, maintained his association with the Democratic Party for the nine years he was in office. He was elected in both 2014 and 2018, serving his last four years as council president.
Bragg, 58, initially filed to run this year for the Republican nomination for the council seat. He said he now finds himself more aligned with the GOP than the Democrats.
But election rules state a primary candidates’ last two primary votes must be for the party they are seeking to represent. That prompted Bragg to withdraw his initial application for candidacy after three days, and submit a new one as a Democrat.
Bragg is challenging current council president Ohmer Miller, a Republican who came on the council in 2015 to fill out the term of Paula Pollitt after she died.
An Army veteran, Miller first worked for Cummins, Inc. for 30 years. He left the company to becoming a probation department counselor before obtaining co-ownership of an insurance company.
Miller, 77, who ran unopposed in the 2016 and 2020 elections, says he agreed to serve on the council at the request of several businessmen in northeast Bartholomew County.
Q: The construction of a sidewalk on the west side of County Road 775E, between South Street and the Goshen Meadows subdivision, has been described as something needed for the safety of students. However, this particular project has not been discussed by the council recently. Would you support the sidewalk? Are there still funding possibilities for the project?
Jerry Bragg: Yes I would support the sidewalks. We would have to see what kind of funding we could find that we could use and go after.
Ohmer Miller: We received a sidewalk grant that has just been approved, but I’m not sure at this time what areas that is going to encompass. I definitely think we should have a sidewalk behind the school.
Q: For several years, council members have sought ways to save money for a new town hall. Explain how a new town hall would better serve the residents of Hope. Would you consider seeking funds to renovate an existing vacant building for a town hall with state incentives?
Jerry Bragg: We have very limited space for residents to sit for the meetings. The Town Hall building also houses the Hope Police Department. Yes, I would consider an existing building.
Ohmer Miller: What we have now is functional and it works.
Q: Both you and your opponent have served several years on the town council. What do you hope to accomplish if voters provide you with an additional term?
Jerry Bragg: To help the community as needed. We have to put the residents of Hope first in any matter that the town is going through or seeking to do.
Ohmer Miller: In as much as I’d like to say I have a particular issue, I don’t. A lot of it is knee-jerk. We try to be proactive in what we do, but we’re a small community without a lot of money. I will continue to support the community and the infrastructure. I’ll do the best I can to support residents and their needs.
Jerry W. Bragg
Age: 58
Party affiliation: Democrat
Employment: Tom Smith Glass in Columbus
Prior political offices: Town council member from 2014 to 2022.
Education: Graduate of Hauser High School
Community service and organizations: Serves on Hope Emergency Services committee, Community Center of Hope board member, volunteers for Hope Heritage Days and the Hope Cruise-Ins.
Family: Wife, Mary. Two daughters and three sons.
Ohmer Miller
Age: 77
Party affiliation: Republican
Employment: Retired co-owner and partner of McCarty & Miller Insurance. A 30-year employee of Cummins, Inc., Miller later worked as a certified addiction counselor for the Shelby County Probation Dept.
Prior political offices: Town council member since July 13, 2015
Education: 1965 graduate of Columbus High School. Majored in psychology at IUPUI in Indianapolis.
Community service and organizations: Active in supporting philanthropies championed by Jaycees, Masonic Lodge F&AM, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Bartholomew County Shrine Club, and Sahara Grotto Inc. in Indianapolis.
Family: Three children (one deceased)
Jerry W. Bragg
Age: 58
Address: State Road 9
Party affiliation: Democrat
Employment: Tom Smith Glass in Columbus
Prior political offices: Town council member from 2014 to 2022.
Education: Graduate of Hauser High School
Community service and organizations: Serves on Hope Emergency Services committee, Community Center of Hope board member, volunteers for Hope Heritage Days and the Hope Cruise-Ins.
Family: Wife, Mary. Two daughters and three sons.
Ohmer Miller
Age: 77
Address: Grand St.
Party affiliation: Republican
Employment: Retired co-owner and partner of McCarty & Miller Insurance. A 30-year employee of Cummins, Inc., Miller later worked as a certified addiction counselor for the Shelby County Probation Dept.
Prior political offices: Town council member since July 13, 2015
Education: 1965 graduate of Columbus High School. Majored in psychology at IUPUI in Indianapolis.
Community service and organizations: Active in supporting philanthropies championed by Jaycees, Masonic Lodge F&AM, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Bartholomew County Shrine Club, and Sahara Grotto Inc. in Indianapolis.
Family: Three children (one deceased)
