Stallman chosen to finish Craig's term on County Council

*Stallman was sworn in by Clerk Amy Kippenbrock with his wife, Autumn, and 14-year-old daughter, Clara, by his side.*

Michael Stallman, a former Jasper police officer and local business owner, was chosen from among three candidates in the Republican Precinct Committee caucus held Saturday morning at the Jasper Train Depot.

The 46-year-old Stallman began his public service career at Dubois County Communications before joining the Jasper Police Department, where he served until retirement. He now operates MAS Whatknots Shop with his wife, Autumn, and continues volunteer work in critical incident debriefing for law enforcement personnel.

Stallman contrasted his work as a police officer, in which he was required to “make decisions on the fly,” to the work he will take on as a councilman. He explained decisions would have to be made based on the needs and best interests of his constituents.

“It’s reflective of the people that I represent,” he said. “I want to hear their input. I want to hear from the people in District 2, you know, what is near and dear and what is important to them.”

The candidate’s path to putting his name in for the county council evolved from earlier considerations of city-level positions. Initially contemplating a Jasper City Council run, Stallman said he respected the current councilman, Paul Lorey, who represents the district Stallman lives in, too much to run against him. He also said the at-large seats would be challenging due to strong incumbents, Phil Mundy and Nancy Eckerle.

*The Precinct Committee members listened to each candidate’s pitch.*

The opportunity arose for the county council seat when Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide announced his departure, and Ryan Craig was ultimately chosen to finish his term, opening the county council position. After initial hesitation, Stallman decided to pursue the county role, noting that it represents constituents similar to those he would have served in city government.

The Jasper native acknowledged his learning curve regarding county operations. “I don’t know a lot about the county. I need to learn,” he said, expressing plans to meet with department heads to understand their work and needs in the coming weeks.

His public safety background continues through volunteer work with critical incident debriefing, a service he began 11 years ago after receiving similar support early in his career. “It takes a special person to do that,” Stallman said of the specialized counseling work for first responders. He also serves on the newly emerging peer support team with the Jasper Police Department, maintaining his connection to law enforcement even after retirement.

Regarding major county issues, Stallman took a pragmatic approach to the Mid-States corridor project, viewing it as inevitable at the state level. “I don’t believe there’s a local decision. I think the decision whether it’s going to happen or not going to happen is at the state level,” he said.

Instead of opposing the project, Stallman focused on maximizing benefits for Dubois County. “From the Dubois County aspect is how do we make it the best it can be for us?” he said, citing concerns about emergency response times and infrastructure connectivity.

*Precinct Committee Member Mike Jones cast his vote in the caucus held Saturday.*

He expressed particular concern about upcoming changes to tax codes and their impact on county finances. Stallman noted the challenge of maintaining services while facing potential revenue reductions. “People expect things from their tax dollars and when X number of tax dollars don’t come, they still expect those things,” he said.

Born and raised in Jasper, Stallman has spent most of his career in public safety, whether as a dispatcher or a police officer. The couple has one child, Clara.

Stallman cited a saying from former Jasper Police Chief Michael Bennett about his view on how he will operate in his new role as the representative for District 2: “Do the right things for the right reasons.”

Stallman was chosen over two other candidates, Adam Martindale and Brady Albright. Martindale and Albright leaned on their business experience and visions for the future in their statements to the six attending precinct committee members.

The three candidates each provided an assigned watcher to view the vote count conducted by State Senator Daryl Schmitt and County Councilwoman Sonya Haas after the six committee members cast their votes. The caucus was short one committee member from District 2 because that member was unable to attend. In the event of a tie, the vote would have been repeated; however, Stallman was named the majority winner in the first round.