BROWNSTOWN
When Bethany Brewster began serving with the Brownstown Town Council, she was working part time at her own daycare and spent the rest of the time at home with her two young children.
That allowed her to attend council and parks board meetings two nights a month with no problems.
But a couple of years ago, her schedule became a little tighter when she began a full-time teaching job at Brownstown Elementary School.
“I just started praying for God to alleviate some of the stress and to help me just to not feel so stretched out,” Brewster said.
Four days later, someone contacted her about purchasing her home. She and her husband were planning on building a home on property they own outside of town limits once she fulfilled her four-year council term.
But the offer to buy their home was one they couldn’t refuse.
That, however, meant she would have to resign her Ward 2 council seat.
“After saying that prayer, mountains moved,” Brewster said. “It’s very bittersweet because I’m not ready to give up my seat, yet I’m just trusting that that is God’s plan and his will. I’m also grateful that I’m going to be able to focus on my family more and focus on our farm because we do own 30 acres and we’re going to start raising livestock.”
At 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Jackson County Courthouse in Brownstown, the county Republican Party will conduct a caucus to fill the Ward 2 seat. Eligible precinct committeemen for the town will be voting.
Anyone interested in filling that seat has until 4:30 p.m. Friday to submit the required paperwork to Jackson County Republican Party Chairwoman Amanda Lowery. She can be reached at 812-216-4872.
The person chosen will finish out Brewster’s term through the end of 2019. That seat will be on the municipal election ballot in November 2019.
From April to December 2015, Brewster finished out Ben Lewis’ term after he had to resign his Ward 2 seat when he moved out of the ward. Brewster defeated Democrat Jim Weesner Jr. in the 2015 general election and started her four-year term Jan. 1, 2016.
During her tenure, Brewster helped the town achieve several accomplishments.
One was setting up a pension fund for the full-time police officers. To become a member of the 1977 Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Pension and Disability Fund, a police officer or a firefighter must pass a baseline physical, a psychological evaluation and an aptitude exam and be less than 36 years of age.
The fund consists of member contributions, employer contributions and earnings, which all are used to make benefit payments to fund members and their survivors as specified by Indiana statutes.
Brewster also voted to establish zoning for the first time in the town’s 200-year history. Every property in town was zoned according to its current use and size of the lot.
Since the beginning of 2016, building permits must be obtained for construction, addition, alteration, removal or demolition of a building or structure. The town makes money when people purchase commercial and residential building permits.
“With zoning, (the town) now has authority to go in and make changes if necessary,” Brewster said. “It’s just to ensure that people that are building are doing it the right way.”
Brewster also served as a liaison between the council and the parks board. That allowed her to work with the board members and Brownstown Pool managers, including helping make renovations at the pool.
“There is so much work involved in it, and I’m just happy to help in that aspect and to come back here and report and just help them get projects done and repairs that are needed,” she said.
She also was on the council when Heritage Park was established at the site of a former feed mill on the courthouse square. That green space now has a stage that can be used by the public and for events.
“This year will be our first run on it where we’ll get to see a lot of people will want to use it,” she said. “That’s exciting for the town.”
Serving on the council has been rewarding, Brewster said.
“It has been a key experience in my life,” she said. “I feel like it has helped build my character. You get to see different aspects of people, different aspects of government. When I came into town council, I thought I knew what it entailed, but then I really didn’t know. I really didn’t know that it would be so involved.”
Brewster said she soon found out how some issues take time to resolve, and there are some that are out of the town’s jurisdiction.
“You have to really love this town to want to come in here and listen to people’s concerns, to help with projects, to be involved in projects and to attend all of these events,” she said. “In the same sense, it has been very rewarding meeting all of these people, and it has been rewarding seeing the projects come to fruition. It has been educational.”
Brewster hopes her successor will be involved, listen to people and not be afraid to ask questions.
“I just want the progress of Brownstown to continue in a positive way,” she said. “I feel like we’ve got the ball rolling, and the ball has been rolling for a few years now. It’s not just me. This was before I came on the board. I feel like we’re really starting to get going and build some steam, and I just want the next person to come in and just continue that. I kind of have an energetic side, and I hope the next person continues that.”
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The Jackson County Republican Party will conduct a caucus to fill the Brownstown Town Council Ward 2 seat.
Eligible precinct committeemen for the town will be voting at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the clerk’s office inside the Jackson County Courthouse, 111 S. Main St., Brownstown, to replace Bethany Brewster, who recently resigned from the town council because she is moving out of Ward 2.
Anyone interested in filling that seat has until 4:30 p.m. Friday to submit the required paperwork to Jackson County Republican Party Chairwoman Amanda Lowery. She can be reached at 812-216-4872.
The person chosen will finish out Brewster’s term through the end of 2019. That seat will be on the municipal election ballot in November 2019.
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