Alex Burton Comments on the Controversy About His Replacement

Johnny Kincaid

November 19, 2024

When an elected position is vacated, the party that the elected official is a member of gets to select another party member to fill the vacancy. The party convenes a meeting of the Precinct Committee-persons for the district that the exiting official represented. About 20 percent of Hoosier lawmakers are not elected for their first term but are placed in the position by a caucus.

This means a tiny handful of political party faithful act as proxies for the citizens. When Alex Burton vacated his 4th Ward City Council seat to become State Representative, 16 Precinct Committee members, many of whom were appointed by the Democratic party chair, were eligible to vote for the next 4th Ward representative on the city council.

Three candidates, Tanisha Carothers, Angie Bullock, and Jaimie Sheth, announced interest in running for the City Council seat. Bullock filed challenges to the candidacy of the other two, claiming that neither met the residency requirement. The challenges included residency details and voting records. Carothers’s CEB 5 form to qualify to run stated that she lived and voted in the 4th Ward, but voter registration records show that she was registered to vote in the 3rd Ward.

Bullock presented her evidence and challenge forms to Vanderburgh County Democratic Party Chair Cheryl Schultz but was informed that short of a lawsuit, there is no avenue for challenging a caucus.

Burton addressed his choice to replace him on the City Council in a letter to Our Times Newspaper, resoundingly endorsing Tanisha Carothers. The letter named the 16 precinct committee members, pointing out that they will make the final determination about representing the 4th Ward.

Sheth withdrew her candidacy before the caucus, and after votes were cast, Schultz announced that Carothers won over Bullock. According to Bullock, the number of votes was never announced.

Bullock believes that Burton may have pressured Schultz regarding the outcome. “It was a conspiracy to put in someone who committed a crime by lying on a form,” She said.

Burton dismisses her claims, saying, “I have not communicated with the Vanderburgh Co. Democratic Party leadership, nor did I give them any instruction regarding the vote for my successor. My open letter to Our Times Newspaper and the 4th Ward Precinct Committee persons represents my thoughts on the matter.”

When asked whether Carothers is eligible for the 4th Ward seat, Burton said, “I’m not sure about any disqualification accusations or anything in question. It is my hope that Angie can move beyond the caucus results. The 4th Ward Precinct Commitee-persons chose who we wanted to represent us on Council. “