Incumbents keep County Commission seats

Experience and name recognition proved to be key in the Monroe county commissioners' race, as incumbents Joyce Poling and Iris Kiesling defeated their opponents in Districts 2 and 3, respectively. Poling, a Republican, defeated her Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Feitl, by capturing 57 percent of the vote. Franklin Andrew, the Republican candidate in District 3, failed in his attempt to unseat Kiesling; the sitting commissioner captured 56 percent of the votes cast.\nA champion of correctional facility reform and the pursuit of economic equilibrium, Kiesling has served in county government for 13 years, and holds the position of president of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. She plans to turn her attention as commissioner to the management and allocation of country revenue.\n"I'm really pleased with the support Monroe County has given me throughout the last four years," Kiesling said, citing the "seemingly endless" stream of support for community improvement efforts. "We had a lot of good people working on this campaign, and I will continue to strive toward their goals of increased economic development."\nKiesling won the election by nearly 3,000 votes over challenger Franklin Andrew, owner of Clear Creek Farms. Andrew, admittedly disappointed with the results of the race, said he had no regrets about his campaign.\n"I did everything I knew to do to win," Andrew said. "There was no more money I could have spent; I couldn't have knocked on a single door more. I couldn't have worked any harder."\nAndrew, who said he thinks Monroe County should be more friendly to commerce, said he plans on running for county commissioner again and thinks running in this race will help him in elections to come.\n"What I have to do now is stay focused on getting my message out, and then get back on it four years from now," he said.\nPoling, a REMAX real estate agent, said she believed her experience in county government was a big reason Monroe County voters re-elected her as commissioner.\n"I think the fact that I have previously served two terms as commissioner in addition to three and a half years on the county council was a big reason I won the election," she said.\nAfter finding out she had secured victory, Poling turned her attention from the campaign to things she wanted to accomplish in her next term as commissioner.\n"We've begun work on the youth residential treatment center, and getting that finished is a top priority," she said. "One of our first big projects will be to find a building and get everything else worked out for the community corrections center."\nFeitl, who is the president of Communications Workers of America 4730, was running in her first race for public office. She said she plans to remain in the political arena, maintaining her dedication to workers' rights to unionize as well as local housing initiatives.\n"I plan to remain in the public eye," Feitl said. "I'm strongly affiliated to the issues of domestic abuse and affordable housing for Bloomington residents. I plan to continue my involvement with these issues"