More Residency Games For Candidates Who Don't Get The Charlie White Treatment

A vacancy in the Union County Prosecutor's Office points up a common residency game played among attorneys and judges in that part of the state without risk of the Charlie White treatment. A deputy prosecutor applied with the local Republican Party to fill a vacancy in the office after the current prosecutor, Ron Jordan, submitted his resignation to Gov. Mike Pence, citing changes in the Indiana Criminal Code made by the legislature and a desire to spend more time with his family and to travel. Jordan recommended Republicans appoint a deputy in his office, Kathy Kolger, to fill his vacancy. She became the acting prosecutor upon Jordan's resignation at the end of October. There was only one problem. Kolger lived in Wayne County where her husband is a judge.

According to the Liberty Herald, Kolger established a new residence in Union County and registered to vote there in order to apply for the vacancy. Apparently, we are to believe that she no longer resides with her husband in Wayne County. Some Republican precinct committee persons thought her residency smelled and refused to support her appointment. Although she was the only candidate who applied for the vacancy, she failed to receive a majority of the votes at the caucus that was convened to fill the vacancy. Kolger insists that she complied with the residency requirement, and that she had obtained an opinion from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council that confirmed it was kosher. Besides, Kolger pointed out that others had done the same thing as her, including her predecessor. "Kolger also pointed out the last several judges elected to the Union Circuit Court were not residents of the county and moved into the county in time to establish residency to run for office," the Liberty Herald reported. "She added the candidate that challenged Jordan during his last run for office had moved into the county." I guess Charlie White remains the only candidate in the history of Indiana to be slapped with multiple felony charges for violating Indiana's residency law for voting registration purposes. We can presume that special prosecutors Dan Sigler and John Dowd didn't consult with IPAC before prosecuting White for seven felony offenses arising out of a single ballot cast by White in a single election.