Anderson Mayor's Seat Still Up In The Air

Advertisement

(ANDERSON) - A day after Inauguration Day in Indiana, Anderson has two men claiming to be the city’s mayor.

Democrat Kris Ockomon beat incumbent Kevin S. Smith 50-to-45-percent in a four-way race, and has been sworn in. But Smith insists he's still mayor.

Five smith supporters asked a judge for an injunction to remove Ockomon from office on the grounds Ockomon wasn't a city resident for a full year before the election, as required by law. If Ockomon's not eligible, Smith would keep the job.

A temporary judge rejected a bid for a restraining order to stop Ockomon from taking the oath of office. Ockomon says he moved into a house in the city on November 3, 2006, three days ahead of the deadline. He says he made a point of making sure he was within the letter of the law.

The lawsuit contends utility service didn't start till November 14, and a private investigator claims he saw Ockomon's family at his old house as late as March.

Ockomon has moved into the mayor's office and says Smith's claim on the job isn't getting in the way of city business.

Print this story