In a news release issued on Monday, the Monroe County Democratic Party has announced that former Bloomington mayor John Fernandez will serve as David Henry’s replacement on the county election board.
On the three-member board, Fernandez will join the Monroe County Republican Party’s appointment, Judith Benckart, and county clerk Nicole Browne.
Browne serves on the election board in her role as elected county clerk.
As party chair, it was Henry who chose his own replacement to the election board.
Henry’s choice of Fernandez will not be considered a big surprise.
Fernandez served as Henry’s proxy during the spring 2023 episode when the residency of the Democratic Party’s nominee for Bloomington’s District 6 city council seat was disputed.
It was alleged that David Wolfe Bender did not satisfy the requirement that a candidate live in the council district that they hope to serve.
The board referred the matter to the prosecutor’s office and Bender wound up resigning as the nominee, which cleared the way for Sydney Zulich to be selected during a party caucus as the party’s candidate. Zulich was unopposed on the Nov. 7 ballot and is set to be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2023,
Fernandez currently serves as the vice president for innovation and strategic partnerships at The Mill, which is a coworking space in Bloomington’s Trades District. His public service includes a stretch working for U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. Continue reading “Fernandez tapped to serve as Democratic Party’s appointee to Monroe County election board”
