WARSAW — As of Monday, two people have filed for Clay Township Trustee. Those are Spencer Bartlett and Cheryl Thompson. 

The deadline to file is 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, said Kosciusko County Republican Party Chair Mike Ragan.

The vacancy was prompted by the resigationn of Stephanie Stutzman, effective Dec. 31.

The GOP caucus will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Claypool Lions Building.

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WARSAW — Kosciusko County Republican Chair Mike Ragan has overseen the annual GOP Hall of Fame dinner for the past nine years, but on Monday, he was unable to attend. 

Party Secretary Austin Rovenstine provided an update almost as soon as the huge crowd at the Owl's Nest in North Webster was seated for dinner.

Ragan, he explained, was diagnosed with leukemia a week ago, a declaration that drew a hushed sense of alarm from many of the guests, almost all of whom know Ragan personally.

"Now don't worry, he's not going anywhere. He's in good spirits and he's still able to execute his duties as chairman," Rovenstine said.

Ragan talked with News Now Warsaw on Thursday afternoon and sounded optimistic, but said he's also dealing with a case of Shingles, which can cause excessive itching and burning for weeks.

He said he decided not to attend Monday's political dinner because both illnesses can compromise a person's ability to ward off other types of sickness.

He said many people have reached out to offer support since Monday's party.

"I'm still getting calls and texts, so I really appreciate it," he said.

He said recent tests showed a "low blood count," which led to a bone marrow biopsy and the diagnosis.

"I really don't feel sick, other than the shingles," he said. "Hopefully, once I get past the shingles, I'll be more in the swing of things."

He spoke about having a good outlook.

"I feel really positive about things, and we're going to do everything we can to get past this," Ragan said. "

"I know I'm in God's hands, and wherever he takes me, of course, I'm all in," he said.

Ragan has served for more than a decade as chairman and said that he has no intentions of stepping down.

He said more tests will be taken before doctors determine how to proceed.

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WARSAW — Pierceton Town Council member Eric Trump has resigned and will be replaced with the help of a Republican caucus.

Plans for the caucus were announced Tuesday night by Kosciusko County Republican Party Chair Mike Ragan.

Ragan did not say in his news release why Trump chose to step down.

Trump was elected to town council in 2023.

The caucus will convene at 6 p.m. on June 20 at the Pierceton Town Council Chamber, 105 W. Walnut St., Pierceton.

Declarations of candidacy are available at the office of Kosciusko County Clerk of the Circuit Court, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw.

Deadline to file is 6 p.m. June 17.

Eligible candidates must reside in Pierceton, and be “a Republican in good standing.”

Ragan can be reached by phone at (574) 265-1430.

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WARSAW — Less than three months after winning the election for the Claypool Town Board middle district seat, Nate Morton has resigned.

Since fewer than two people would be eligible to participate in a precinct committeemen caucus to fill this vacancy, Mike Ragan, Kosciusko County Republican Committee chairman, will appoint a person to fill the vacated position for the remaining unexpired term.

Morton won the November general election against Democrat Elizabeth Heiman, 27 to 22 votes.

He had 30 days from the beginning of the year to take his oath of office, which he never did. Morton did not attend the council’s Jan. 17 meeting.

Ragan said Councilman Benny Stage became concerned and they were able to track Morton down. Ragan said Morton informed them he would probably be moving out of Claypool, and Morton provided a letter of resignation on Jan. 30, the last day he could have taken his oath of office.

Eligible applicants for the seat must be residents of the middle district,  and be a Republican in good standing.

The town council vacancy will be filled at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Kosciusko County Clerk’s Office, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw.

Declarations of candidacy and statements of economic interests are available at the clerk’s office and must be notarized and filed with Ragan no later than 72 hours before the appointment.

Ragan can be contacted by phone at 574-265-1430.

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WARSAW — With Monday’s selection of Barry Andrew as the new Winona Lake Town Council member, the Kosciusko County Republican Party reached a milestone in the number of caucus appointments made under GOP County Chairman Mike Ragan.

In Ragan’s seven years and three months as chairman, he’s now overseen 40 caucus appointments ranging from commissioner to sheriff to township representatives.

[caption id="attachment_85421" align="alignright" width="255"] Republican caucuses in Kosciusko County are overseen by GOP Chair Mike Ragan (R) and Party Secretary Austin Rovenstine. News Now Warsaw file photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Party officials believe the pace is bigger than normal, but can’t put a finger on the reason.

Most commonly, the need to replace an elected officeholder happens due to a death or when an official moves out of their district. That was the case when a county commissioner moved down the road to a new home and didn't realize it crossed a boundary line.

Rarely does it happen under a cloud of animosity, which was the case when Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Laurie Renier stepped down immediately last month.

Her resignation required a caucus to replace her and another for the seat of a council member (Heather James) whose seat was vacated when she moved into the clerk's job

The caucuses are overseen by Ragan and Party Secretary Austin Rovenstine. The votes used to determine who is selected are normally provided by precinct committee members who represent the unit of government from which the vacancy exists. In some cases, when there's a lack of available precinct committee members available, Ragan has stepped into that role himself.

Ragan disputes the contention made by some that Republicans use caucuses to line up  preferred candidates as openings become available.

"Other parties have their opportunities in their election times, and circumstances happen in people's lives and they leave office for numerous reasons. It's only natural that the party that loses the candidate gets to replace the candidate," Ragan said Tuesday night.

The need for caucus appointments often comes in spurts and sometimes Ragan has had to juggle numerous unrelated vacancies at the same time.

He currently has none that are in the works.

He said he doesn’t get tired of the work.

"No, it's one of my favorite things," he said.

Up until last month, Winona Lake and Sidney were tied for the most caucuses during Ragan’s tenure. With recent changes in Winona Lake, that town has now had the most appointments under Ragan with six, according to Rovenstine.

During his seven years, Ragan said every town in the county except Warsaw and Pierceton has needed a caucuses.

Monday’s caucus was also unique in that the new office holder, Andrew, was the first toof the 40 appointees to head directly into an executive session for their new board moments after the appointment was official.

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WARSAW — Randy Girod, a longtime leader of the Kosciusko County Republican Party and a former county prosecutor, died unexpectedly Friday in Michigan.

Mike Ragan, the party’s current county chairman confirmed Girod’s death.

Ragan replaced Girod after Girod had health issues a few years ago.

Girod was still serving on the county election board at the time of his death.

Other details, including funeral arrangements, were not yet available as of Saturday afternoon.

[caption id="attachment_83333" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Randy Girod, right, is pictured with former Vice-President Mike Pence in this undated photo made available by the Kosciusko County Republican Party. Girod died Friday.[/caption]

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Those include Mitchell “Mitch” Rader, Darrin Lincoln, and Amanda Brookins-Bibler. 

The deadline to file for the Republican caucus is Saturday. 

Kosciusko County Republican Party chairman Mike Ragan is expected to choose the replacement on Dec. 27.

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