By Johnny Kincaid
On March 1, the local political parties will hold their reorganization meeting, a gathering of all Precinct Committee members (PCs) and their Vice PCs to elect new county officers. This process occurs every four years and is usually a smooth, drama-free event.
While the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party will likely have an easy time reelecting its current officers, the GOP may face a contentious gathering with multiple factions fighting for control of the party for the next four years.
On Saturday (2/8), one of those factions met with the candidates supported by Ken Colbert and Cheryl Battinger-Smith, who call themselves “Republicans in Bad Standing.” They played a key role in recruiting numerous candidates to run for Precinct Committee members (PCs) last year before party leadership removed them from their positions for five years. Colbert and Battinger-Smith believe that the PCs they recruited will vote as a bloc to support their chosen party candidates.
Photo by Johnny Kincaod
Frank Peterlin, a long-time conservative member of the party, was introduced to the crowd of 75 PCs as the candidate for chair. Peterlin promised the audience that he would reinstate the monthly party breakfasts and create more opportunities for party members to gather together.
Lauren Bell was announced as candidate for Vice Chair, Walter Valient is running for party treasurer, and Brian Pease is a candidate for secretary.
Steve Airy, who is also planning to run for county chair, attended the event. He previously ran for county chair and was a candidate for mayor. However, he did not have the chance to address the crowd.
Other GOP candidates are likely to arise before the February 26 registration deadline.
The RAINS group (Republican Assembly of Indiana, Southwest) will hold a meeting for all Republican PCs and Vices on February 22 at City Gate, located at 320 Eagle Crest Drive. All candidates for party leadership positions are invited to speak.
Local Democrats do not anticipate any challenges to Vanderburgh County Chair Cheryl Schultz or other members of the Central Committee.
