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Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, IN Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
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Volume 133 Edition 10
Commissioner asks new Posey treasurer to step down By Valerie Werkmeister Newly elected Posey County Treasurer Chris Harp continues to have difficulty in securing a $300,000 bond. Posey County Commissioner President Carl Schmitz stated during their meeting yesterday morning that Harp does currently have a $100,000 bond. However, she has been unable to find an insurance company willing to bond her for the higher amount. No reason was given as to why Harp is unable to be bonded for the higher amount. According to Indiana Code 5-4-1-9 – Time Limitation for bond, failure to comply; An officer required to give an official bond shall give the bond before the commencement of his term of office. If the officer fails to give the bond before that time, the officer may not take office. Schmitz contended that there is a provision in the state treasurer’s association that
allows counties to approve the lesser bonding amount, if that’s all she can secure. “There is a precedence here in the state of Indiana that if she can’t be fully bonded the commissioners can vote on it and attach it to her office and approve it as such,” Schmitz stated. “We still have two more companies that are looking at it. We need two more weeks to see if we get turned down or whatever,” he added. Schmitz also stated that the commissioners have asked for assistance from Richard Mourdock’s office, the state treasurer’s office and the state’s attorney for county commissioners. “We don’t want to set a precedence here in Posey County as being one that can’t fully bond their treasurer,” Schmitz said. Commissioner Jim Alsop expressed his concern regarding the situation.
“This is an area of contention for me. The statute says she has to be bonded for $300,000. I feel like we have to protect county assets. She’s not fully bonded. I’m trying to do the right thing, the right way,” Alsop stated. Once the treasurer is seated in office, there is little recourse for the commissioners in order to remove Harp from office. Attorney Bill Bender explained that a lawsuit must be brought against her before the commissioners can remove her. This is explained in I.C.36-2-10-3 “It’s really tough for me to sit here and allow this to continue if she’s not bonded to the fullest extent as required by law. I think Ms. Harp needs to vacate that office until that bonding is in place for the full $300,000. I think we’re putting our self at risk, our county’s assets at risk,” Alsop stated.
“My take would be we have to keep the treasurer’s office open. We have a bond for $100,000. If we asked her to step down, nobody in the office would be bonded and then we’d be in worse shape than we are now. We’re bonded for what we can get,” Schmitz stated. “What we are doing to the best of our ability is to correct that and proceed and accomplish it the way it’s supposed to be done. I don’t see any problem with that. It’s in good faith and we’ve notified the state. We’ve done all the correct things we can do,” Commissioner Jerry Walden said. While the treasurer’s office doesn’t have the ability to issue checks without going through the auditor’s office as a system of checks and balances, there is a potential risk for misappropriation of cash receipts that is taken in through the office. No action was taken during the meeting.
Over $1 million in equipment burns in Posey Co-op fire By Dave Pearce Mount Vernon Fire Chief Wes Dixon has released the findings of State Fire Marshal investigators and have ruled the Wednesday morning fire at the Posey County Co-op as accidental. The morning fire closed the main east-west route through Mount Vernon just as parents and school buses were making their way to nearby West School and on to their jobs. The fire is reported to have broken out somewhere around 7 a.m. at the Posey County Co-Op on West Fourth Street in Mount Vernon and is said to have destroyed over a million dollars worth of farm equipment and semi-tractor trailers. Firefighters say it took 45 minutes to get the fire under control, because the hydrants didn’t have enough water pressure. Witnesses said water hoses had to be run from as far as four or five blocks away to provide water to fight the blaze. The fire started in an office in the building and the building and all its contents have been ruled a total loss. Area residents were concerned because the Co-op provides fuel and fertilizer to many areas but the tanks nearest the fire never presented a threat. Officials at the Co-op indicated the tanks contained only fertilizer. Multiple fire departments responded to the fire and people nearby reported hearing multiple explosions. Co-op representatives indicated the “explosions” could have been the popping of tires or fuel as several tractors and some propane was stored in the building. Owners say they were able to rip the back doors off the building and drive a small truck out before the
At right, members of area fire departments engage in fighting a Wednesday morning fire at the Posey county Farm Bureau Coop. Photos by Zach Straw
Above, members of the Mount Vernon Fire Department look at the roof of the burned Posey County Co-op building only to find that Old Glory remained intact despite the fire that destroyed the building and its contents.
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‘Team Williams’ helps keep Jerry and Kim in good spirits By ValerieWerkmeister Living in a small community may have its disadvantages at times. For instance, everyone knows everyone, their kids and others’ business. Then again, these are the very things that tightly weave a community together. When someone in a small community is hurting, the whole community hurts and rallies for support. When Kim and Jerry Williams’ learned of Jerry’s cancer diagnosis, their world began to spin. This is not the kind of news a person likes to hear from their doctor, “It’s cancer.” The only other statement that’s worse than those words is the response to questions about the type or stage and where it is - “We don’t know.” That’s what cancer does. It tries to take control and make its victims and families struggling with this disease feel powerless. But, the Williams’ family of Poseyville has already learned the power of a small, tightknit community when one of its own is in need of help. When Jerry heard those very words, ‘it’s cancer’, from a team of doctors at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, he and his wife, Kim, of 25 years were surrounded with their children, Drake, an
ThePCN
eighth grade student at North Posey Junior High and Tanner, 20, along with Jerry’s family. Simultaneously, the Poseyville community held their breath and sent up prayers as it waited back home to hear what was wrong. Kim’s Facebook postings kept everyone informed. The nightmare began when Jerry started having right shoulder blade pain. He was initially treated for a pinched nerve, but the pain radiated around his side to his chest. An MRI, done locally, revealed disturbing results. Jerry’s specialist, Dr. Kwo is a medical doctor in the liver transplant, gastroenterology/hepatolgy division at I.U. Medical Center. The two have a special connection as Dr. Kwo has treated Jerry for many years. Jerry travels to IU on an annual basis for checkups. Dr. Kwo reassured the Williams’ that local doctors may not be accustomed to Jerry’s liver and he ordered the test results to be sent to him. Unfortunately, after Dr. Kwo reviewed the results, his concern did not dissipate. Instead, he ordered Jerry to gather his family and head to IU. They had determined there
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Kim and Jerry Williams are just happy to have a few days together at home as Jerry and his family fight not only a rare liver disease but also now, cancer. Photo by Valerie Werkmeister
Inside this issue... Retrospective ................... A4 Community ........... A5 Social ...................... A6 Legals ............................. B4-6 Deaths ................ A3 Sports .................. B1-4 Classifieds ..................... B8-9 Church .................. A7 Bus/Ag .................... A8
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