Who I am and what I want to do:

I want to restore our ability to be heard by county government. This has been declining for decades.

I was born and raised in Indiana. Ancestral family names have included Spencer, Montgomery, and Hazard. My family members have worked in farming, auto racing, manufacturing and education here in south-central Indiana. I returned from the Cleveland VA hospital after many years as a psychologist serving our Veterans. I’ve been asked to run for County Recorder.

The Job:

One party has run all our county positions for over 40 years. This lets politicians take our votes for granted and invites corruption, like we have seen with several local township trustees. Our County Recorder’s Office has a record of competent management. The County Recorder requires sharp attention to detail, processing property transactions, rights-of-way, and veterans' discharge papers to protect accurate ownership and confidentiality. The Recorder and their team must also prevent fraud and uphold state laws. If elected, I will protect the continuity of these vital records and processes, while adapting to new challenges.

When the same party network controls every branch of county government for decades, operational decisions occur within a closed circle. Bringing in new officeholders from the outside prevents stagnation. It ensures a local government that answers to our entire community, not just a one-party structure. For example, our current tech vendor, Doxpop, gets our property records for free, then charges local title companies to look them up. This corporate fee is passed directly to local property buyers in their closing costs. We need a better approach in our next contract.

We can keep our relationship with Doxpop while making a better deal modeled after other Indiana counties. If elected, our next contract will use two simple steps: First, we will ensure Doxpop pays a fair price for bulk access to our taxpayer-funded public files under Indiana law. Second, we will use those contract updates to negotiate a special discount on monthly search fees for registered Bartholomew County businesses. This practical plan protects our local companies, cuts down unnecessary business overhead, and keeps our hard-earned tax dollars working directly for our own community.

With one-party rule for decades, no one in county office has been truly accountable for how they run things. With better balance across parties, this WILL CHANGE.   

Nancy Merbitz, PhD, HSPP

Democratic Candidate for Bartholomew County Recorder