Timeline From The Past: Election Controversy, Clay Township
From the Files of the Kosciusko County Historical Society
Editor’s note: This is a retrospective article that runs a few times a month on InkFreeNews.
May 8, 1975 — Ex-mayor Joseph J. Johnson today painted Mayor Paul E. (Mike) Hodges as a liar and a poor loser and strongly urged Hodges’ primary election challenger, Lawrence Butts, to demand an immediate recount.
Butts announced today that he will file a petition this week in Kosciusko Circuit Court demanding that the 2,274 ballots cast in the Tuesday primary election be recounted by hand.
Computerized election returns gave 966 votes to Hodges and 960 to Butts in the Republican mayor’s race.
Johnson contacted the Times-Union last night and minced no words stating his resentment and refuting a post-primary election statement by Hodges that implied that a special recount commission had conspired to rig a second tabulation of mayoral race votes in Johnson’s favor 12 years ago.
“Hodges is a damn liar and a poor loser. Mr. Butts should demand an immediate recount, and I want this published,” Johnson told a reporter.
“I had to beat Hodges three times — in the 1963 primary, in the general election and again in the recount. I beat him fairly and squarely, and he knows it,” Johnson concluded.
May 8, 1972 — Charging bias, prejudice and conflict of interest, two area men have filed lawsuits against the Hospital Authority of Kosciusko County seeking removal of the five directors.
Five separate complaints were filed in Kosciusko Superior Court Saturday against authority members Jerry Helvey, Leesburg, president; Dr. William C. Parke, Warsaw; Mrs. David (Carole Sue) Delp, Warsaw; Loren Miller, Warsaw; and Byron (Cork) Doran, Burket.
A sixth action was filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court against the authority as a board, asking for judicial review and a ruling declaring null and void the authority’s action naming Kosciusko County Hospital as the participating hospital for this community.
The legal complaints were brought by Eldridge Sheetz, Rt. 3, Warsaw; and Loren Kruger, North Webster.
May 10, 1873 — Claypool is the largest village in Clay Township and was located by John and Nelson Beigh on May 10, 1873.
The first lot disposed of was donated to Capt. John Wells, who erected the large two-story frame building later used as a hotel.
This was occupied for some time by A.J. Whittenberger, who opened an extensive stock of general merchandise as soon as the store was completed.
– Compiled by InkFreeNews reporter Lasca Randels