Republican candidate Jim Kemp and Democratic candidate Marcia Grooms Taylor faced off for the Dist. 4 seat on the Brown County Council in this year’s general election.
Following the final results on election night, Kemp was announced winner with 1,084 votes. Taylor received 736 votes.
Each candidate from districts 1, 2 and 3 ran unopposed. They were Gary Huett, Joel Kirby and Darren Byrd.
The financial powers of a county are placed in the county council, which serves as a check on the board of commissioners and board of finance. The county council has fiscal control over all county officers, boards and commissions and appropriates funds used by the county and its officers.
After the results came in and the dust had settled, Kemp was glad the campaign season had come to a close.
“Thank goodness it’s finally over,” he said in an email last week.
Kemp concluded his thoughts with sharing what he hopes to bring to the office, simply stating, “Ethical integrity!”
He said after the primary in the spring when he first decided to run he asked himself one question: “Why am I doing this?”
He then came up with about 2,000 words, which he used on his website jimkemp.com, outlining who he is, where he came from and why he ran for county council.
In that process it became “crystal clear” in his mind why he’s running: to ensure that the county pays attention to not just every dollar, but “every dime” that is spent of taxpayer money.
Kemp said if every dime that is spent is not monitored every year, Brown County residents would watch property tax rates increase, he said after the primary.
He added that council has to “keep a lid on expenses,” “live within our means” and that he wanted to research about county topics like housing density.
Through the campaign process, he spoke with people and asked them one question: “What is one word that best describes what you value about living in Brown County?”
In the spring he said that Brown County residents need to be good stewards of what they have.
Kemp said after the primary a financial challenge for the county is the state of Indiana owning a majority of the property here for the state park and forests.
He said in the spring his main goal as a council member would be to think long-term for county residents and future generations.
Kemp previously said he was not running for county council to fix the county because it is not currently broken, but it faces challenges other small counties do, like an aging and declining population, declining school enrollment and aging infrastructure.
He thanked voters in the county and shared his goals for his upcoming time in council.
“It will be an absolute honor to represent you,” he said.
“I will do everything within my ability to develop and build trust in our county.”
‘Not discouraged’
Going into Election Day, Taylor felt very positive. She said she had met a lot of people at different events around the county and had received some positive feedback, so she was feeling good.
Taylor
She spent the majority of Election Day working, followed by going to the polls around 4 p.m. She is in marketing at Cook Medical in a hybrid position, working from home three or fours days a week.
She went to the Washington 3 precinct at Parkview Church of the Nazarene after work, where she enjoyed seeing and speaking with community members.
“After that I gathered up some signs and went to the Brown County Inn,” she said.
Brown County Democrats had gathered at the business to watch results roll in on Election Night.
“It was good, really only two of us on the ballot were there. There was a little bit of disappointment and remaining hope,” she said about watching results be posted to the Brown County Democrat website.
By 9 p.m. they figured the results were final, she said.
Taylor described the campaign process as a “really educational experience.” She especially loved the Brown County League of Women Voters forums, where she had a “really good chance” to hear what people were saying.
“It didn’t seem that my opponent and I were that far apart (in opinions),” she said.
“I think (the outcome) came down to party loyalty, which seemed to be consistent throughout the county.”
Taylor thanked everyone for supporting her, and mentioned that she did not face any negativity or complaints, for which she was grateful.
“I’m not discouraged from seeking office or chances to participate in government,” she said.
“Brown County is a wonderful place and I’ll continue to do what I can to try to serve it.”
