Washington County Assessor Jason Cockerill made his first official public announcement on WSLM’s Coffee Club this morning that he intends to file to run as a Republican candidate for the Mayor of the City of Salem in the upcoming primary election.
Mayor David Bower is the current City of Salem Mayor. His second term of office will expire at the end of this year. He has indicated during his run for Sheriff this past year that he would not seek a another term as Mayor.
Cockerill said Salem was going to face a lot of changes in the coming year. “Mayor Bower has done a lot of positive things,” Cockerill said. ” The city is in a good spot…better than it was 12 years ago. Mayor Bower stated he was only going to serve two terms. I want to be a proactive mayor and see things Mayor Bower has done move forward.”
Cockerill said he wanted to run for Mayor because of his love for Salem and his proven leadership in the assessor’s office.
“First and foremost, I love being county assessor,” Cockerill said, who was named Indiana Assessor of the Year in 2013. “I enjoy it. The thing is…I’ve always had the outlook that I didn’t want to be a placeholder. I want to be in a position where I can make a difference. The city has always held a special place for me.”
The first day to file is coming up on Wednesday, January 7 and the last day to file to seek party nomination is Noon on February 6.
Other City of Salem positions up for election will be clerk/treasurer and all five seats on the city council in the election to take place on Tuesday, May 5.
