Marshall County Republican Chairman, David Holmes conducted a caucus Monday evening to select a Bourbon Town Council member to fill the vacant seat on the board.
P.J. Hanley Jr. announced his resignation from the board at the conclusion of the town meeting on October 13th.
Three candidates filed declarations of candidacy with the republican chairman: Terry Clemens, Spencer C. Standley and Andrew Westafer. Only two of the candidates appeared at the caucus Monday, Clemens and Westafer.
Chairman Holmes allowed each candidate about three minutes to tell the two voting precinct committeemen why they decided to fill the vacancy.
Terry Clemens was the first to declare with Holmes so he was the first one to speak. He told them he had been a resident of Bourbon since 1979 and operated the Deaton Funeral Home since 1983. Clemens has served on the Township Advisory Board for three terms and served the Bourbon Police Department for 14 years as a reserve officer. In his business as a funeral director he is there to serve and wants to serve the citizens of Bourbon with good decisions on decisions including the tough ones.
Next was Drew Westafer to speak. He has been a Bourbon resident for 40 years. In the last election he supported Jordan Fuller for a town council seat. Fuller was unsuccessful in his bid and Westafer said it was time for him to step-up and serve the citizens of Bourbon. A car salesman, Westafer said communication is the key and he would be willing to listen to constituents, department heads, employees and the other town council members when making decisions for the town. He also noted he would handle complaints in a professional way.
The two precinct committeemen, Ward Byers and Missy Leigh Cook adjourned to the backroom with Chairman Holmes and within minutes the Republican Chairman came back and announced Clemens as the winner. He also urged Westafer to not be detoured from serving the citizens in any capacity including the town council in future elections.
Clemens was sworn into office and will be present for the next Bourbon Town Council meeting on November 10th.
