With the resignation of Tom Walter, a vacancy now exists for Lanesville Town Council.
As Tom was elected as a Republican, Indiana Code says the Republican Party is responsible for selecting someone to serve out the balance of his term, which will end on December 31, 2027.
In most circumstances, elected official vacancies are filled by a caucus of precinct committee members for the area which elected the position. However, as the Town of Lanesville is entirely within one precinct and there would be only one voting precinct committee member, Indiana Code dictates the vacancy is to be filled by appointment of the Republican County Chairman.
In order to ensure a broadly representative process, an interview committee has been created composed of Republican precinct committee members from several adjacent precincts of Franklin Township, including the Lanesville precinct, and the two other Republican members of the Lanesville Town Council. Four of these five individuals are from the Town of Lanesville.
Individuals interested in filling the vacancy should send an email to lanesville.vacancy@harrisongop.com before Saturday, April 4 at 9:00pm. They will be supplied with a brief questionnaire and will be scheduled to have a meeting with the interview committee. After the interviews are complete, the committee will make a recommendation to the Republican County Chairman, who will appoint their recommendation.
We hope to conduct the interviews during the second weekend in April and make an appointment based on the interview committee's recommendation shortly thereafter. This timeline will fill the vacancy ahead of the thirty-day window set in Indiana Code.
Tom Walter served many years on the Lanesville Town Council and has served as Lanesville Town Marshal for many years before that, and we thank him for his years of public service. This process will ensure that his successor is someone who will provide good government for the people of Lanesville.
