Warner selected to replace Burton
Norm Warner was selected by the Owen County Republican Party to fill the seat vacated by previous commissioner Gary Burton.
Warner will represent district one for the remainder of the term which runs through 2026.
Each candidate was given five minutes to introduce themselves and then answer questions from the precinct committeemen. In addition to Warner, Barron Barnett, John Hunter, Jeff McMillian, Bob Morris and Bret Stutsman also submitted their names to be considered for the vacant spot.
"I will say one thing, when we went to buy our first house, I got a second job because that was the only way I could come up with to generate more capital to put our down payment down. And that's kind of how I operate," Warner began.
Warner noted that the commissioners do not have a budgetary role in county government.
"But they're overseeing everything, and they see everything," Warner said. "I've spent... Since 2019 immersing myself in what goes on in the county, how this affects that, and one thing I can tell you is it's all interconnected."
Warner said that the county desperately needs a human resources (HR) professional.
He also said he is concerned with the changes at the state level that will result in Owen County needing to trim its budget.
"We have obligations based on what we do every day that we have to meet. So that's where the rubber hits the road. That's why these positions are tough. That's why folks are in these positions that are hopefully level-headed enough to make those kinds of decisions," Warner said. "I think what I bring to the table is the ability to look at all of it. I'm not going to argue. I'm not going to yell at you. I'm going to listen to you, but we will have some frank conversations because that's what we have to do."
Warner served as chair of the county plan commission, during which time, the county's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) was considered, filling the Owen Valley High School auditorium with concerned citizens. Warner pointed to how he handled that situation.
"You want to see a calm, cool, collected guy with a lot of people that weren't very happy with me, tune in to one of those meetings. But to my knowledge, I never raised my voice at anybody. I told them exactly what I was going to do, and I did, no questions asked," Warner said. "It's not popular. Nobody wants it, but we have to have something, or we'll have a free for all, and we do not want that. That will not help our county at all."
Warner then went to the experience he has working for Spencer-Owen Community Schools. He noted that in that situation, like the county, pay is dictated by the budget, which sometimes leads to turnover.
"Turnover is an issue because of what we're allowed to pay. What we're allowed to pay is dictated to us by our budget. It's nothing personal. It's what we can afford to pay. So the only plus you can give those individuals is make it as pleasant as you can here within reason. You're not going to bend over backwards and let them not do their job, obviously, but you can make the work environment as pleasant as possible. And you also you need to get people that are vested in Owen County, because now they have a vested interest in staying with Owen County," Warner said.
"There's folks that have been working here for a long time, for pretty much the same amount of money. Those are vested individuals."
Warner said that working in school corporations has prepared him for understanding how government budgets work.
"I think I'm approachable. I think I'm willing to listen. At the end of the day, we may disagree, but I don't think I'll ever make you feel like you're less of a person because I disagree with you," said Warner as he ended his speech.
