Stocks, Doyle retain central committee posts
From:  Herald and Review, Thursday April 2, 2002

By H&R Staff Writer Ron Ingram

Decatur- Macon County Republican Chairman Jerrold Stocks, and county Democratic chairman Maurice Doyle won new two-year terms Monday evening as their respective central committees met and elected officers.
      An announced challenge to Doyle from party Vice-Chairman James Underwood failed to materialize during the central committee meeting at the Macon County Office Building.
      Underwood confirmed he decided not to seek the top post but declined further comment when asked whether a failure to garner enough support among precinct committeemen caused him to back off.
      The central committee of both parties is composed of the precinct committeemen, who are elected every two years during the general primary election. In a contested race for any post, each committeeman is entitled to cast a weighted vote to the number of Republicans or Democrats who voted in his or her precinct during the primary election.  Underwood's failed bid for chairman also cost him his vice-chairman's post. Ed Crabtree, committeeman in Hickory Point Township Precinct 5, was uncontested in winning the post.
      Whitmore Township Precinct 1 Committeeman Ron Abel was made an honorary party vice- chairman because he garnered the highest vote total, 239, among committeeman countywide in the March 19 primary election.
      Other Democratic central committee officers are Daniel Ellis, secretary; Amy Stockwell, treasurer; and Nora Hunt, Ryan Marucco, Terrance Peters, Ronnie Ballad, and Gordon Brenner, sergeant-at-arms
 The Macon County Republican Central Committee re-elected the remainder of its officer during a meeting at the Decatur Public Library. They are William McNutt, vice-chairman; David Cooprider, secretary; J. R. Ohmen, treasurer; and David Williams, sergeant-at-arms.
      Appointed to run for the Macon County Board on the Nov. 5 GOP general election ballot were Linda Little former assistant to the county board chairman in District 1, and Tom Durbin, President of Firefighters Local 505, in District 4.
      Stocks urged committee and other Republicans at the meeting to help find candidates to run for Macon County clerk, sheriff, and auditor in the November election. The GOP did not field candidates for clerk of sheriff in the March Primary and the auditor's post has only recently become open with the resignation of Democrat David Sapp. While the party has until Sept. 6 to name an auditor candidate, Stocks said the GOP will try to have a person announced as soon as possible after the county board appoints someone to the post. By law, that appointee must be a Democrat.
      Doyle said the Democrats will meet soon to determine who they would like appointed to the November ballot to run for auditor and county treasurer.