'Stunned:' Political newcomer upsets incumbent Monroe County commissioner

Political newcomer Jody Madeira beat incumbent Monroe County Commissioner Penny Githens in the Democratic Party primary Tuesday.

The victory will set up a clash with Republican Joe VanDeventer, who beat his primary opponent, Paul White Sr., by a margin of nearly 2-1.

“Stunned,” Madeira described her reaction.

She teared up as she thanked her family and her campaign team, especially her treasurer, Tanner Branham.

“I’m ready to work,” she said. “I’ll take the eighth off, and it starts the ninth.”

Madeira, the Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law and co-director for the Center for Law, Society & Culture at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, won against Githens in a three-way race, in which former Bloomington City Council member Steve Volan finished third.

Madeira received 3,860 votes, or nearly 44%, while Githens garnered 2,940 votes, or 33%, according to preliminary results posted by the Monroe County Clerk's office.

“I am disappointed,” Githens said. “I don’t quite understand everything that happened.”

“If people were dissatisfied with how I was behaving as a commissioner, I wish that they had come to tell me,” she said.

Githens said she was not sure what made the difference.

“I didn’t feel like I wanted to attack people,” she said. “That’s not who I am.”

Githens said she seriously considered not running again because her younger sister died of cancer last August, but after reflection, she said she still wanted to get some things done. That included improving access to child care and design and location of the jail.

Madeira credited her team for the win and said “knocking on doors” and having a good message made the difference.

“Just trusting … that if you have a good message … it’s going to resonate with those who … are not comfortable with stagnation,” she said.

While Githens was an incumbent, Madeira said she was caucused into the position initially and then did not face a primary opponent in her last election, which meant that Githens was “vulnerable.”

Madeira said she wants to have conversations with lots of community members before taking the oath of office and plans to visit corners of the community to re-engage people with county government and explain to them why it matters.

Githens, who has served on the board of commissioners since 2019, and Volan, a long-time city council member, have clashed on major local issues including annexation and housing. Madeira listed in a news release among her highest priorities “improving, city-county relationships (and) reinvigorating Monroe County’s health and human services infrastructure."

The three candidates also sparred over the location of the jail, likely a difficult and costly endeavor for county officials in the next few years.

Madeira said Volan was “the most collegial opponent you could ever ask for” and she would have supported him or Githens in the fall election.

Madeira and Githens hugged just before Githens left the gathering of the Democrats Tuesday at the Cascades Inn.

Githens said she plans to retire after her term ends.

On the Republican ticket, VanDeventer, the director of street operations for the city of Bloomington, received received 3,619 votes, or 66%, while his opponent, Paul White Sr., received 1,873, or 34%. White Sr. is a bus driver for Area 10 Agency on Aging.

VanDeventer stood at various polling places Tuesday to drum up support, spending much of the afternoon at Ellettsville Christian Church.

A lifelong resident of Monroe County who previously worked for the county, VanDeventer has said he plans to focus on job creation, leveraging his background in community service, agriculture and public infrastructure.

Madeira and VanDeventer in the fall will vie for the commissioner District 3 seat, which represents Washington Township (north-central Monroe County), Clear Creek Township (south central), the county’s eastern townships — Benton, Salt Creek, Polk — and parts of south-central Perry Township.

Voters in the entire county get to vote on commissioner races. The districts merely denote where the candidates must live.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Jody Madeira beats Penny Githens in Monroe County commissioner race