Starke County Republicans Sworn In To Office Monday

Commissioner Kathy Norem recites the Oath of Office in the Starke Circuit Courtroom.

Three Republican officials elected to office in Starke County were sworn into office Monday by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall.

Kathy Norem was sworn in once again to the seat of county commissioner, alongside Kent Danford, who has also performed the role of county commissioner in the past. Danford said he’s looking forward to being back on the board of commissioners, and one of the big issues he plans to address involves keeping roads safe and open for travel.

Kent Danford signs the Oath of Office to take his seat as Starke County Commissioner.

“We’ve always had issues with our money – spending it wisely, improving our roads, getting our bridges fixed – and when I was in the last time, to my knowledge, we did not have a bridge out in the four years that I was in more than a couple weeks, which I was very proud of. So that’s one of my big issues is to keep our roads open and safe for the public,” said Danford.

Danford also said he is looking forward to dealing with the new county jail project, and he boasted he will be available for contact by anyone interesting in speaking with him.

Judge Hall also swore in Bryan Cavender to the Starke County Council – Cavender’s first time elected to office. He said he’s going to focus on controlling spending, and while it’s a tough job, he’s ready for the challenge.

Bryan Cavender is sworn in as to serve on the Starke County Council.

“We gotta look into all the things as far as our spending. We’ve gotta keep an eye on how we’re spending all our money; it’s gonna be a tough struggle, going to have to do a lot of decision making,” said Cavender.

Cavender said it was a great feeling to be sworn into a public office, and he’s ready to get to work.