Jasper mayoral caucus candidates finalized

Ryan Craig and Phil Mundy are the two candidates who have met the requirements to be considered for the position of Jasper’s next mayor.

Craig currently serves on the Dubois County Council as the representative for the county’s second district, which encompasses Bainbridge 2E, 2W, 3E, 4N, 4S, 5S and 6S. He was elected to the position in 2022.

Mundy serves on the Jasper Common Council as one of the two at-large representatives. He was selected to finish Dean Vonderheide’s term on the council after Vonderheide was selected by caucus to finish Terry Seitz’s second term as Jasper Mayor. Mundy, in his seventh year on the council, has since been reelected twice to the council.

The 13 precinct committee members in Jasper’s mayoral jurisdiction have been invited to attend a special caucus to choose the next mayor on Friday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. at Jasper City Hall.

Normally closed to the public, Amy Kippenbrock, the GOP Party Chair, consulted state party officials to ensure she was conducting the caucus appropriately and learned that it was up to the local party chair to determine who could attend. After learning this, she decided to allow the media to attend and observe the proceedings.

Friday’s caucus will open at 6 p.m., and Kippenbrock will go over the process and rules for the event, and the caucus will be asked to approve them. Then, the candidates can have someone introduce them before giving a speech to the attending caucus members. Individuals providing the introduction to the candidates will each have two minutes to do so, and then each candidate will have three minutes to speak to the precinct committee members.

After the two have completed their presentations, the caucus will vote, and the next mayor will be chosen by majority vote.

Since either choice will leave a vacancy in an elected position, Kippenbrock said she would have information on scheduling the next caucus to fill the vacancy, whether it is the Jasper Council seat or the County Council seat. If it is the Jasper Council seat, the same precinct committee members will choose that position. If it is the county council seat, Bainbridge 2E, 2W, 3E, 4N, 4S, 5S, and 6S precinct committee members will choose a replacement.