Randy Cassady announced on Tuesday that he will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot as a Republican candidate for District 2 Monroe County commissioner.
Cassady, owner of the local electrical company that bears his family’s name, will be competing for the seat with incumbent Democrat Julie Thomas, who is seeking her fourth term as a county commissioner.
Cassady currently serves as a member of Bloomington’s redevelopment commission as well as Monroe County’s redevelopment commission.
Thomas won her party’s primary by a three-point margin over Peter Iversen, who currently serves on the 7-member county council.
Even though the three county commissioner seats are numbered based on a geographic area of the county, all registered voters countywide can cast a ballot for all three county commissioner seats.
Reached by The B Square, Thomas texted: “We will see him on the campaign trail!”
Cassady’s announcement
Cassady’s Tuesday announcement came in the rotunda of the Monroe County courthouse, the same place where a few of months ago, he announced the merger of his electrical contracting firm with Huston Electric. The firm was founded by Cassady’s mother, Mae Cassady.
In a written statement distributed on Tuesday by campaign manager Mary Catherine Carmichael, Cassady wrote, “Mom taught me the value of a dollar, the rewards of hard work and the importance of giving back to my community. We run a union shop, and I’ve helped create over 150 well-paying local jobs.”
Carmichael served as deputy mayor of Bloomington for John Hamilton’s administration from January through June July of 2023, having previously served in the role of public engagement director for the city.
In his written statement, Cassady said that urgent issues are mired in “indecision and a lack of progress.” One urgent issue highlighted in the written statement is the planned new jail. “We need a corrections facility that is safe, but won’t put an undue burden on taxpayers, many of whom are already struggling with cost increases from taxes, groceries and utilities,” Cassady wrote.
In his remarks delivered on Tuesday in the Monroe County courthouse, Cassady sounded similar themes: “This county has some urgent needs that have been over-thought and under-actioned.”
About the planned new jail Cassady said on Tuesday: “I’m going to move the jail project forward.” About the fact that no location for the new jail has yet been decided, Cassady said, “No land, no plan, equals no solution.”
Also on the topic of the jail, Cassady said, “I won’t seek a huge tax increase to fund the overly extravagant corrections center.” He continued, “It’s important to be fiscally responsible for our citizens. I won’t forget the struggles of the folks who are unable to find well paying jobs, affordable housing, childcare and health care in our community.” He added, “And I won’t forget that we must protect our precious natural resources.”
Cassady said the election should be less about party lines and more about “making common sense decisions on behalf of Monroe County residents.” He continued, “So I’m asking Republicans to support me. And I’m asking Democrats to split their ticket on November 5, and vote for me.”
Cassady alluded to requests over the last few years from incumbent county commissioners for more compensation, given the amount of time they put into the job. He said, “I won’t seek this position and then complain about the hours or the compensation.”
Cassady pointed to the outcome of the Democratic Party’s primary election races for county commissioner—which saw incumbent Penny Githens defeated by challenger Jody Madeira, and incumbent Julie Thomas prevail in a tight race against Peter Iversen.
The primary results show that voters have concerns about the way the county has been led, Cassady said. He put it like this: “It’s clear that the voters of Monroe County see that we desperately need a change in the leadership, if we are truly to be the welcoming, safe, affordable, accessible place to live, work and recreate that we all aspire to be.”
Monroe County Democratic Party chair David Henry—who along with incumbents Cheryl Munson and Trent Deckard are the Democratic Party nominees for the three at-large county council seats—responded to a B Square request for comment on Cassady’s candidacy.
Henry wrote that “Republicans chose to recruit another disgruntled Democratic voter in a closed door caucus to pass off in the general election.”
The reference to a “disgruntled Democratic voter” was to Cassady. He needed an approval from Monroe County Republican Party chair Taylor Bryant, because “on paper” he was a Democrat, based on his voting record in recent primary elections. Bryant used the authority given her by the county committee to put Cassady on the ballot.
Henry also wrote: “Our voters expect [a commissioner] to represent our community values. I look forward to hearing how their pick will fight for LGBTQ rights, counter domestic violence, address harm reduction, demand and demonstrate environmental stewardship, and grow community investment among other issues while signing onto the same slate as Mike Braun, Jim Banks and Donald Trump.”
Asked by The B Square on Tuesday if he would be supporting the “top of the ticket” for the Republican Party, who is likely to be presidential nominee Donald Trump, Cassady replied, “I’m gonna have to think about that!”
Cassady added that for him, the top of the ticket is Monroe County. Cassady cited a phrase often associated with Tip O’Neill, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987: “All politics is local.”
Asked about his views on abortion, Cassady said, “As a man, I’m not qualified to make those decisions.” He added that the decision should be left to the woman.
District 3 county commissioner race
The addition of Cassady to the candidate mix means that both of the races for Monroe County commissioner will be contested this fall. The District 3 race on Nov. 5 will feature Democrat Jody Madeira and Republican Joe Van Deventer.
In the Democratic Party primary, Jody Madeira prevailed in a three-way race over Steve Volan and incumbent Penny Githens. In the Republican Party primary, Van Deventer prevailed over Paul White, Sr.
Asked for comment by The B Square on Cassady’s run, Madeira texted, “As a public servant who seeks the best for our county and community members, I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with my fellow commissioners—whatever their party affiliation—after taking office.”
Madeira continued, “Although I am proud to be running as a Democrat on a platform of respect, communication, and collaboration, those principles are integral for every elected official.”
This is Cassady’s first run at elected office.
Electoral history of Julie Thomas
Thomas has a string of local electoral victories stretching back to 2008 when she ran for one of the three county council at-large seats. In her party’s primary that year, Thomas was the top vote-getter in a six-way primary for the three at-large county council nominations. Rounding out the field for the at-large county council seats for the Democrats that year were Geoff McKim and Warren Henegar. In the 2008 general election, the three Democrats made up the top three, with Thomas as the top vote getter.
In 2012, Thomas repeated as the top vote getter in a six-way Democratic Party primary, with Sophia Travis and Geoff McKim rounding out the top three.
But in spring of 2012, when Vi Simpson left the state senate to run for lieutenant governor, Mark Stoops was caucused into the state senate spot, which meant that Stoops resigned the District 2 county commissioner nomination that he had won in the primary over Randy Paul. Thomas then resigned the at-large county council nomination and was caucused in as a candidate for District 2 county commissioner.
Thomas won the 2012 general election for District 2 county commissioner over Republican Nelson Shaffer.
Thomas was unchallenged in the 2016 Democratic Party primary. In the 2016 general election Thomas again prevailed over Shaffer.
In 2020, Thomas was again unchallenged in her party’s primary, and prevailed in the general election over registered write-in candidate Randy Paul.
Nuts and bolts of appearing on the ballot
Cassady can appear on the ballot, even though he did not stand as a primary election candidate. That’s because either the Republicans or the Democrats can fill a vacancy for their party in any race on the ballot, if it is due to a lack of any candidate in the primary—as long as it is done by noon on July 3.
The Monroe County Republican Party gave chair Taylor Bryant the authority to appoint candidates to fill vacancies on the ballot—which is allowed under state law. That’s the authority that she exercised in Cassady’s case. On Tuesday morning, as part of the paperwork filed for Cassady’s campaign, Bryant submitted the minutes of the county committee meeting when she was given the authority to fill ballot vacancies, and the official CAN-29 form.
The other way to go about filling a vacancy is through a ballot vacancy caucus. The Democrats fielded a full slate of county-level candidates, so there will not be any ballot-vacancy filling scenarios for the Democrats.
A second issue that required some paperwork from Bryant was the fact that the most recent two primaries Cassady voted in were not the Republican primaries. That meant he was not a Republican “on paper.” That’s a circumstance that can be overridden, if the party chair submits the GOP’s CA-1 form.
Responding to a B Square question on Tuesday morning, Bryant said she is not planning to fill any additional vacancies on the Republican Party’s ballot for the Nov. 5 election.
The number of signatures required for an independent to qualify for the ballot depends on the number of people who voted in the most recent Indiana Secretary of State’s race—2 percent of that figure is the required number of signatures.
A total of 39,884 Monroe County voters cast a ballot in the Secretary of State’s race. Two-percent of that translates into 798 signatures for an independent to qualify for the ballot as a candidate for Monroe County office in 2024.
It’s by noon on July 1 that independent candidates have to submit enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Photos: Randy Cassady candidacy filing June 25, 2024
Is the Democratic Party chair trying to nationalize a county commissioner’s race?
It’s their go-to strategy. When I ran for city council no one opposed or challenged my ideas for Bloomington, they smeared me based on the actions of Donald Trump and Mike Braun. Not a word locally, just tying people to nationally despised political figures. Almost makes you think they don’t really have a clue…