Republican caucus selects Tapia as county treasurer, Compton to District 4 county council seat

The Marshall County Republican Party conducted two caucuses on Tuesday, one to elect a new county treasurer and the second to elect a new District 4 representative for the county council.  

The caucuses were held in Republican Headquarters at the corner of Garro and Water Streets in Plymouth at 6 p.m.

Republican Chairwoman Deb VanDeMark said she received notice that Sandra Dodson resigned from her elected position on May 14^, with an effective date of May 23. Dodson was elected in November and began her elected position on January 1.

Four candidates filed the required paperwork and were determined to be eligible candidates by the party.  Each candidate was given 3 minutes to speak.  After their speeches, the precinct committee members voted by paper ballot.  There are 29 precinct committee members, and 26 attended the caucus to vote, so a majority would be 14 votes to win.

The four candidates were Wendy Tapia, Anna Buffy Daniels, Jill McKinney, and Molly Fuchs.  Following the first round of voting, the new county treasurer, Tapia, was announced. Tapia was sworn into office following the caucus to immediately take office.  

The second caucus was to fill a vacancy for the District 4 seat on the county council.  Steve Gorski was elected in November and took his seat on the council in January.  He issued his notice of resignation because he accepted a position in the County Recorder’s Office and couldn’t be an employee and serve on the council.  Gorsky had announced this spring his intention to run for county recorder in the 2026 election and felt working in the office would be a huge benefit for him. His last day on the council was May 15.

The precinct committeemen of Center Township were the only ones to vote for Gorski’s replacement.  There are five precincts, and all five were present for the caucus.  A majority vote to win would require three votes.   

There were two candidates: Greg Compton and Travis Schieber.  The interesting thing was that neither candidate was able to attend the caucus.  Compton was in Florida for a family reunion, and Schieber is in the Army Reserves and was required to be away for training. 

County Chairwoman VanDeMark permitted each one to have someone speak on their behalf.  Heather Johnson read a letter from Greg Compton, and Ashley Lowe read a letter from Travis Schieber.  After hearing their letters, a vote was taken by the precinct committee members, and Greg Compton was selected to be the new County Council District 4 representative.