A little over a week ago County Commissioner Amanda Barge announced to the public that she was going to suspend her campaign for Bloomington mayor. Nonetheless, Barge disclosed in a recent interview that she would still like the job.
A little over a week ago County Commissioner Amanda Barge announced to the public that she was going to suspend her campaign for Bloomington mayor. Nonetheless, Barge disclosed in a recent interview that she would still like the job.
Since Barge decided to suspend her campaign after county contractor Brandon Drake claimed she sexually harassed him for over a year, many have been curious if her name will still be on the ballot this upcoming primary election. The answer is yes. According to the Indiana Election Code, since the time has passed for a primary candidate to voluntarily withdraw from the primary ballot, the candidate’s name will remain on the ballot. Since her name gets to stay and the public can still vote for her this means that Barge will continue to remain in the race for mayor if she’s the elected democratic nominee; campaign suspended or not.
As of now, Barge claims she still wants the job but hasn’t made the official decision whether or not she wants to stay in the race yet. She says she is it will be a decision she is going to make with her family as well as her campaign team and is something she’s “discussing with her closest confidant” to weigh out the pros and cons. Barge says she did make the decision to suspend the campaign for her family.
“My husband and I felt like it was the right thing to do for our kids and we had a lot of concerns for their safety and well being,” Barge said during a phone interview.
However, the ultimate question is, if elected can she take office after sexual allegations have been made against her? Election supervisor, Karen Wheeler states that by law the only way Barge would not be able to take office is if she moves out of the city of Bloomington or is convicted of a felony.
If Barge does decide to withdraw from the mayoral race before the final election in November, she will have to do so before the deadline on July 15th, Wheeler says. Barge says she will make that decision before early voting opens on April 9.
In the meantime, Barge says she remains focused on her family and her job as commissioner. She says she and her team are currently working on projects involving the jail, convention center, and the opioid summit.
“We got a lot of important things going on so I really don’t want this campaign to distract from county government,” said Barge.
