Dems apply for reelection

Mayor Sharon McShurley was sworn into office last week, but Democrats continue to challenge her victory.

Delaware County Clerk Steven Craycraft said Michael Quirk, attorney for the Democratic Party, filed a petition for election contest on Dec. 27.

Quirk is asking for a reelection in Precinct 46, where the ballots were not included in the recount last month because they lacked the required initials of a Republican clerk, Craycraft said.

McShurley's attorney David Brooks said he filed a motion to dismiss the petition.

Brooks called Quirk's petition "one of the most frivolous and groundless actions" he has seen in his career.

Quirk's petition was filed more than a month after the deadline, which is two weeks after the election, Brooks said.

Quirk said he filed late because he found out about the distribution mistake during the recount, which took place after the petition deadline had passed.

Brooks said "late is late" when it comes to a situation like this.

"Regardless of when [Quirk] found out about the distribution mistake, the deadline is clear," he said. "This is a specific statute of procedures that has to be strictly complied with."

Quirk said the ballots are an important part of the election.

"When you're talking about 19 votes in a race that was very close, mistakes make a big difference," he said.

Quirk requested a change of venue for the reelection, he said.

"There has been a lot of political pressure in this election," he said. "We know that [McShurley's] husband works for the courts that would preside over this case, and we want to make sure that has no influence on the results."

Brooks also requested a change of judge, which means both parties will remove one judge from a panel of three, he said.

Both parties will wait to hear whether Judge Wayne Lennington decides to dismiss Quirk's petition, Brooks said. If the judge decides not to dismiss, the details of the reelection request will be discussed at a hearing on Jan. 11, he said.

New mayor plans to bridge gap in community

Mayor Sharon McShurley said she plans to bridge the gap between Ball State University and the Muncie community, as well as improve the quality of jobs and life in Muncie.

Ball State and Muncie can seem like two different cities, she said.

"We want to continue to work on building relationships and working with the university to bring the community together," she said.

A Ball State alumnus and former university employee, McShurley said she cares about the university.

"It's an important part of the community and should stay that way," she said.

The wife and mother of four is proud to be the first female mayor of Muncie, she said.

"It's an opportunity to set an example for young girls," she said. "It says to them that you can attain your dreams and reach your goals."

But running for mayor was less about dreams and more about service for her, she said.

"It's something I felt I could do to provide a service to the community," she said.

McShurley said she plans to bring jobs to the Muncie community, which would be beneficial to students looking for local internships.

"I will work with state and local officials to attract high quality jobs to Muncie," she said.

Other issues, such as the broken sidewalks in town are going to be examined also, she said.

"As soon as we look at the budget and make sure we have the funding, we will work on these concerns and do our best to improve the quality of life in Muncie," she said.

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