Disclaimer: I’ve routinely registered as a Republican in the primaries but do not vote a straight-party ticket. I advocate for a nonpartisan political platform.
Mr. Biddle is a recent Republican appointment (April 2019) to the county election board. He made comments on the Brown County Matters (BCM) facebook post referring to the “5-minute crowd” and “Brown County Lifers.” I asked for his definition of these terms and he did not respond. (References below).
He did provide clarification on his personal Facebook page where he associated the “five-minute crowd” with new residents to the county. He stated: “Of course relative new comers have a voice – from the BACK of the bus.”
Political Context. Mr. Biddle is the husband of Commissioner (R) Diana Biddle. Mr. Biddle along with his proxy and former county commissioners John Kennard (R), was selected by the Republican County Party Chair – Mark Bowman to serve on the county election board. Mark Bowman and his wife Robyn are realtors and owners of Tramcore Realty. Robyn Bowman is a Vice-Precinct Committeeman.
Opponents to Mr. Biddle’s nomination cited a conflict of interest that was determined not to be sufficient to prevent his appointment. Commissioner Diana Biddle was accused of an electioneering violation during the 2018 primaries and due to a conflict of interest, the complaint was referred to a special prosecutor in Jackson County. Reference: Sept 25, 2019, BCD, Special prosecutor to investigate election complaints by Sara Clifford.
John Kennard is a former Republican commissioner and was appointed in 2019 to the Parks and Recreation Board. Mr. Kennard was nominated to the Parks and Recreation board by Councilman Bill Hamilton whose wife Judy is the GOP county party secretary. Mr. Kennard also applied to serve on the Brown County Regional Sewer District Board but was not selected by the county council. One of the reasons that was given was that he was too controversial.
REFERENCES
April 11, 2019. BCM Facebook Post – Screen Shot of Mr. Biddles post: in which he states: “Of course relative new comers have a voice – from the BACK of the bus.” This statement contradicts his earlier posts that stated that he plans on representing all the voters.”
April 5, 2019. BCM Facebook Post – Joint Meeting – Commissioners and Council – Proposed Justice Center and Five Year County Financial Plan
- Brent Lee Biddle … no the Brown County lifers would win by an even larger margin over the 5 minute crowd.
- Tim J. Clark Brent Lee Biddle How do you define a “Brown County lifer” and how do you define a “5 minute crowd”?
April 10, 2019. BCM Facebook Post: Sewer Assessment Equals $$$
- Brent Lee Biddle Once again the 5 min crowd and other take up the cause—-
- Tim J. Clark Brent Lee Biddle “There you go again”. How do you define “5 minute crowd” and the term “Brown County Lifer” that you have also used.
Independent Voters of Brown County IN 