My Statement Following the December 18 Recount
December 20th, 2015I am thoroughly honored and delighted to be re-elected Mayor of Jasper. I respect Special Judge, the Hon. Dean A. Sobecki, and all members of the recount commission for the job they performed in accordance to Indiana law. Since November 3, I’ve learned a great deal about election law and a little about Indiana history, including the fact that a tie election is very rare, especially when nearly 4,000 votes were cast.
I want to thank my wife, Deena Lewis, and my daughters, Kristen Ruhe and Lori Werner as well as their families for being with me every step of the way. Thank you to our legal team of David Brooks and Samantha DeWester and those citizens who agreed to play a role when we asked: Merrill Osterman, Melissa Osterman, Stan Jochum and John Snyder. I also wish to commend the professionalism of Dubois County Clerk, Bridgette Jarboe, her staff, and our County Election Board. Finally, thanks to those who provided financial and spiritual support.
I extend my best to Mr. Schuetter and expect him to continue to serve as my appointee to the Jasper Utility Service Board. The one common thread in all that has happened is that your vote matters. Please vote in 2016 and beyond. One vote can make a difference.
In closing, I find the words of the past are often applicable to current circumstances. I have a quote for today about the events which have occurred since Election Day. The author is unknown:
“I can choose to let them define me, confine me, refine me and outshine me – or I can choose to leave them behind me.”
I am choosing the latter and ask the people of Jasper to join me in building upon the framework of success we’ve established the last four years, the actions already underway and new opportunities ahead.
I wish to add the prayer Deena offered at the close of this monumental day for it expresses how we feel:
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” — Melody Beattie, In the Company of Prayer