TERRE HAUTE —
With the 2011 Terre Haute mayoral election six months away, incumbent Mayor Duke Bennett, a Republican, and challenger Fred Nation, a Democrat, are well into making plans for the fall campaign season.
As of mid-April, each candidate had raised more than $70,000 for his campaign. Nation faced primary election expenses that Bennett did not. However, Bennett, since being elected in November 2007, has had to pay about $50,000 in legal fees associated with the court challenge to his election victory. That challenge came from former Mayor Kevin Burke.
Bennett is hoping to become the first Terre Haute mayor to win a re-election since Pete Chalos won his final victory in 1991. The incumbent also is hoping to become the first two-term Republican mayor since Ora D. Davis, who held that post in the 1920s.
This month, Bennett launched his 2012 “neighborhood summit” schedule, something he has done each year since taking office in 2008. Neighborhood summits — meetings Bennett conducts in different parts of the city — are designed to inform residents of what’s going on with city government and to hear their concerns.“I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback,” Bennett said of the summits. People tell him they learn a lot about how the city operates, he said. “People also like that openness,” he said.
Nation said his campaign currently is in an organizing and recruiting mode, less than two weeks after his primary victory over challengers Mick Love and Clarence Soughers. Nation won the May 3 primary with about 69 percent of the vote.
“I intend to do a variety of things over the summer,” Nation said, including a door-to-door campaign. “The challenger simply needs to make sure that he or she is out there reminding people of who I am and what I stand for.”
Bennett said being mayor leaves him less time for campaigning than four years ago.
“My days are much longer than they were when I worked for Hamilton Center,” Bennett said. “You just squeeze in campaigning when you’re not conducting business.”
Both candidates noted that the traditional campaign season begins in earnest after Labor Day. But even before then, both said they plan to try to reach as many voters as they can.
Asked whether he believes neighborhood summits provide an advantage to Bennett, Nation said the summits are a part of the mayor’s job and something he would continue — in some form — if elected in November.
“We only have one mayor,” Nation said. “And Mayor Bennett is the mayor and he should be doing neighborhood meetings like this and I encourage him to continue to do them. That’s part of his job to listen and respond. I’m glad he’s doing them.”
Bennett said an average of about 35 people attend the neighborhood meetings, of which he conducted 12 in 2008. He planned to conduct eight this year, he said.
Public concerns expressed during neighborhood meetings almost always result in projects for city officials, Bennett said. Residents are able to meet with city department heads at the meetings, he noted.
“Anytime we learn of a problem, we do something about it,” Bennett said. “You bring closure to the issue. And that happens every time.”
Nation said all incumbents have an advantage over challengers because of a current officeholders’ ability to conduct meetings and to attend official events and command news media attention.
“Incumbents have a number of advantages by the nature of their jobs,” Nation said. “They make news, make announcements and the news media covers it, as they should. Being a challenger, it’s not as easy to get public notice, unless one is provocative. That’s the nature of the beast. I understand it and I have no problem with it.”
Bennett, who has conducted meetings in neighborhoods since he was elected, doesn’t view them as campaign events.
“I don’t see it as political at all,” Bennett said. “It’s my job and I will continue to do my job.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (812) 231-4232 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Elections 2011
Mayoral candidates gear up for campaigns
Bennett launches neighborhood summits; Nation says meetings give incumbent advantage
- Elections 2011
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One got more money, one more votes
Voter support propelled Republican Duke Bennett to a second term as mayor of Terre Haute in November, but Democratic challenger Fred Nation outraised and outspent Bennett in that election.
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Bennett, All foresee bright future for city at swearing in
“I think Terre Haute is right on the cusp of greatness, and I’m proud to be part of it,” the city’s newest councilman said Monday after taking an oath of office in city hall.
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VOTERS BACK BENNETT: Incumbent shocked by size of landslide
For the first time since the Prohibition era, Terre Haute voters have re-elected a Republican as mayor.
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City Council District 2: All tops incumbent Democrat Ralston
Terre Haute’s 2nd District city council seat is back in Republican hands after four years of Democratic representation.
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Reaction mixed on ballot changes
Some Terre Haute voters said Tuesday they preferred a simpler ballot, mandated by a new state law effective this year, that did not contain the names of unopposed candidates.
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New clerk-treasurer elected in Seelyville
A new clerk-treasurer has been elected while three incumbent council members will return for the Town of Seelyville in a Democrat sweep of the town election.
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Sarah Mullican cruises to win, retains bench
Taking 57 percent of the vote, Sarah Mullican will retain the bench as judge for Terre Haute City Court.
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Loudermilk tops Flott in rematch
In what was a rematch of four years earlier, the final result remained the same on Tuesday as incumbent Norm Loudermilk won re-election to a fifth term on the Terre Haute City Council, representing District 3.
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Incumbent John Mullican takes 64 percent of vote
As he watched election results Tuesday night, John Mullican was cautious about acknowledging victory too soon, even though he appeared to be well ahead with most precincts counted.
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Dems find success in Valley mayoral races
Cities throughout the Wabash Valley placed Democrats at the helm Tuesday, as the party swept mayoral races by large margins.
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No Knew City Council seat — Auler tallies victory
Amy Auler anxiously darted from room to room at her parents’ home as family, friends and co-workers monitored television, Internet and smart phones for election results.
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Election problems few; voter turnout light
Despite an unusually warm November day, just 28 percent of Terre Haute registered voters made their way to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots.
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Voters flock to polls to support their candidates
Small towns throughout the Wabash Valley cranked out the votes Tuesday, electing town council members and officials.
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Mississippi defeats life at conception ballot initiative
Mississippi voters Tuesday defeated a ballot initiative that would’ve declared life begins at conception, a proposal that supporters sought in the Bible Belt state as a way to prompt a legal challenge to abortion rights nationwide.
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Ohio voters reject Republican-backed union limits
The state’s new collective bargaining law was defeated Tuesday after an expensive union-backed campaign that pitted firefighters, police officers and teachers against the Republican establishment.
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Democratic challenger concedes Indy mayor’s race
Republican Mayor Greg Ballard appears poised to win his second term as Indianapolis mayor.
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Election Day: Bennett-Nation mayoral faceoff leads TH ballot in today’s voting
Terre Haute voters will select a mayor and city council members today as polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.
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Write-in candidate Bissey takes issue with ballots
Terre Haute mayoral write-in candidate Bob Bissey is objecting to the size of the words “Write-in” on the Nov. 8 electoral ballot.
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Candidates make their case with organized labor
Mayor Duke Bennett and Democrat challenger Fred Nation appealed for union support in the Nov. 8 election during a candidates night Monday, hosted by the Wabash Valley Central Labor Council and Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 20.
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District 2 candidates report finances
Financial reports for the race for the District 2 seat on the Terre Haute City Council were reported Monday.
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Mayoral candidate announces plan to keep, bring new jobs Terre Haute
Democratic mayoral candidate Fred Nation on Thursday announced a “jobs for Terre Haute plan” he said he will implement if elected mayor on Nov. 8.
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Vigo County tests out voting machines
Voting machines are ready for the Nov. 8 municipal election after a public testing Thursday in a storage facility on South 13th Street.
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Mayor Bennett opens campaign headquarters
Mayor Duke Bennett officially opened his 2011 campaign headquarters Monday evening amid dozens of enthusiastic supporters.
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Dems open headquarters
Terre Haute Democrats rallied Thursday to show their support for mayoral candidate Fred Nation at a “grand opening” of the Vigo County Democratic Party Headquarters on Wabash Avenue.
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Dem, GOP candidates seek office in Seelyville
The town of Seelyville will have an election on Nov. 8 to select a clerk/treasurer and town board members, while West Terre Haute must hold a party convention.
Candidates had until Aug. 1 to file for town officials in Seelyville, Riley and West Terre Haute. -
Mayoral candidates gear up for campaigns
With the 2011 Terre Haute mayoral election six months away, incumbent Mayor Duke Bennett, a Republican, and challenger Fred Nation, a Democrat, are well into making plans for the fall campaign season.
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Nation vows clean campaign
Less than 48 hours after winning Tuesday’s Democratic Party mayoral primary, Fred Nation is asking his Republican rival, Mayor Duke Bennett, to join him in signing a promise to run a clean fall campaign.
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Sullivan mayoral hopeful looks to move forward with city
Democrat Clint D. Lamb said it is time to put the past behind and look to the future to build a better city of Sullivan.
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Fred Nation wins mayoral primary in a landslide
Olive branches were in the air Tuesday evening as the sun set on a sometimes hard-fought Terre Haute Democratic Party mayoral primary.
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Incumbent out: Amy Auler bests Rich Dunkin for Terre Haute City Council D-1
Incumbent City Council member Rich Dunkin, who publicly flip-flopped on a bid for a third term, was unseated Tuesday by challenger Amy Auler, who won the Democratic nomination for the District 1 seat on the council.
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One got more money, one more votes
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