General Election Candidate Forum draws voters to Spencer Tivoli Theatre

Contested races for the 8th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and Owen County prosecutor highlighted a candidate forum in Spencer Monday night, Oct. 19.

About 50 people gathered at the historic Tivoli Theatre to hear from candidates on the local ballot in the Nov. 3 general election. The forum was sponsored by The Owen News and moderated by Interim Executive Editor Tyler DeFord.

Incumbent U.S. 8th District Rep. Mark Messmer, a Republican, joined his opponent, Democratic challenger Mary Allen, on stage to kick off the event. After shaking hands, Allen and Messmer each had two minutes to introduce themselves before answering two questions posed by DeFord.

During their introductions both spoke about their backgrounds. Allen, a member of the Evansville City Council, said she is a small-business owner and wants to get to know district constituents. Messmer said he is a business owner in Jasper and served as a state legislator before being elected to Congress in 2024. He emphasized his faith and a desire to protect the founding principles of the U.S. Constitution.  

Both candidates were asked what they will do for Owen County if elected. Messmer said he will strive to lower taxes and give more freedom to constituents. Allen said she will work to address the major issue of high costs in rural communities. She said she also supports investment in local economies and businesses.

In response to a question about current issues, Allen said she opposes the Iran war, which was launched by President Donald Trump in February. She said she believes the war is wrong and that she would always favor diplomacy first in such instances. She also said the war is having a negative effect on fuel and other costs.

Messmer defended the war, saying it is necessary to address threats posed by Iran and it will benefit the U.S. and the world in the long term. He also said high costs can’t be blamed totally on the Iran war and that prices will come down eventually.

In the contested race for prosecutor, Republican Ashley Fleetwood was joined on stage by Democrat Kristin Szczerbik. Fleetwood defeated the incumbent prosecutor in May’s Republican primary election.

Both candidates talked about issues they would address if elected. Szczerbik said mental health is a major issue confronting the criminal justice system that needs attention locally. She also said she would work on rehabilitating juvenile offenders to give them a better future. Fleetwood agreed that mental health is a big issue and added she wants to put more resources toward felony cases with victims.  

Owen County has several contested races on the ballot, but not all candidates attended the event. Some who did not attend submitted written statements which were read by DeFord when their races were featured. Candidates who did attend took their turns on stage to give an introduction and answer questions. Uncontested candidates were also invited to participate.

Anton Neff is an uncontested candidate for county council in district 2. Although unopposed, he still decided to attend the forum and speak.  

“I love interaction with the public, so for me attending this is definitely a yes,” Neff said. “No way around it whether I have an opponent or not.”  

During his time on stage with Norm Warner, an unopposed candidate for county commissioner, Neff addressed the upcoming county jail project. Following the forum, he said the project is one of the main focuses for the council right now as it will be a big financial commitment.  

School board seats are also on the ballot. Candidate Jacob Zeunik is running for the district 5 seat on the board of the Spencer-Owen Community School Corp. He is an Owen County native and has two children attending schools in the district.

Zeunik said he came to the forum to get his name out more. He also said he was seeking an opportunity for people who he may not already know in the community to learn what he is about and how he will approach school matters.  

“Number one, the top priority is the students … that’s why we’re here, that’s why we’re doing this,” Zeunik said. “Second is to take care of our teachers, take care of staff, you know, do whatever we can for the longevity of the corporation itself.” 

Attendees of the forum heard many topics discussed and heard candidates’ opinions on issues such as data centers and Flock cameras.  

John Shrock attended and said he appreciated hearing Sheriff Ryan White’s opinions on Flock cameras, which photograph license plates at several locations in the county and are used in criminal investigations. He said he liked knowing why the sheriff wanted the cameras, especially due to recent controversies surrounding the surveillance technology. Shrock said he ultimately came to the event because he finds it important to know the candidates running for different races. “We need to be more informed, and that’s on us,” he said. 

The candidate forum was video recorded and is available on Facebook for anyone to view. Early voting started Oct. 6 and will run through Oct. 30, with additional early voting opportunities taking place on Oct. 24, 31 and Nov. 2.

Stella Klaus is a student reporter with the Indiana Newsroom, a learning lab designed to give Indiana University students practical experience in community journalism and provide news coverage to areas where reliable local news is limited or nonexistent. It is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington & Monroe County and housed at The Media School in Bloomington.

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