The Town of Winamac is mourning the death of a longtime public official. Town Council President Kenneth McFarland died at his home Saturday evening at the age of 79.
Before he was an elected official, McFarland was a town employee for nearly three decades, first in the Electric Department and then as Winamac town manager. He also served as a volunteer firefighter for many years.
The process of filling McFarland’s seat on the town council is in the beginning stages, according to Pulaski County Republican Party Chair Blair Todd. “Essentially, the town is going to get me a copy of the death certificate, and then I’ll send notice to the Clerk’s Office that there is a vacancy on the town board,” Todd says. “Then I will call a caucus. The caucus needs to be held within 30 days of the vacancy happening. People who are eligible to vote in the caucus are the precinct committee for the Republican Party who make up the at-large district for the board, and that would be the four Monroe precincts.”
A specific date for the caucus has not yet been set. Todd says anyone interested in filling the vacancy should file a form with both himself as Republican Party Chair and with the County Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours before the start of the caucus.
Meanwhile, funeral services for McFarland are Friday at 10 a.m. at Frain Mortuary in Winamac, with visitation there Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. According to the Town of Winamac’s Facebook page, the town offices will be closed on Friday for the funeral. The town will reopen on Tuesday, July 5.
