ELWOOD — The vote may have been a formality with only one candidate, but Don Tucker was nevertheless affirmed and sworn in as the new mayor of Elwood, taking over for the resigning Ron Arnold.
Nine precinct committee members unanimously chose Tucker during a Monday night meeting at the Elwood Public Library. He will serve the remaining seven-month term of Arnold. Arnold, who was elected in 2011, resigned amid an Indiana State Police investigation looking into allegations of illegal campaign finance spending.
After being elected by the committee members, Tucker was sworn in as mayor by city attorney Jim Wilson before acknowledging those who had come out to support him.
"I want to thank all my family, friends and supporters today as we take this important step towards turning the corner and begin the healing process for Elwood," Tucker said.
Tucker was the likely choice to serve as interim mayor because he was the only Republican who filed to run for mayor this November. Russ Willis, Madison County GOP chairman, said he had heard names of people who were interested in the interim position but nobody filed with Tucker. If someone else had been appointed to fill the vacancy, the person would not have been able to run for mayor in the May 5 primary because the filing deadline has passed.
Tucker is a 25-year veteran of the Elwood Police Department. He said his experience as a police officer gave him the opportunity to work with many different people, which he thinks will help him going forward as mayor.
"I'm confident I can reach out and pull the community together," he said. "I know I can't do it alone. The city council, community and city employees will all have to work together to move Elwood forward."
Tucker also said he wants to build off of Arnold's success in bringing companies and jobs to Elwood. He said creating new jobs will be a top priority during his administration.
Tucker's first official day will be Tuesday, with Arnold officially out at midnight Monday. Arnold announced he would be resigning in February with an initial last day of March 27. That date was moved up after Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said there was no need for a transition period from the caucus on Monday to March 27.