Thad Nearmyer sworn in as Jasper County supervisor

Thad Nearmyer has spent the past few months sitting in the spectator sections to watch the Jasper County Board of Supervisors meetings, but this past week after a successful election and subsequent canvass he took his seat at the board table, next to the chairman, as the latest county supervisor.

Nearmyer was officially sworn in at the start of the Nov. 19 board of supervisors meeting, taking over the seat previously appointed to Denny Stevenson after supervisor Denny Carpenter’s death a month after he was re-elected in 2022. Stevenson would serve until the next countywide election in 2024.

Previously serving as chair of the Jasper County Republican Party, Nearmyer officially announced his campaign in February 2024. He ran against independent candidate Randy Ray. Results from the county auditor’s office show Nearmyer earned 12,125 votes, or 66.81 percent of the vote. Ray earned 5,864 votes.

Upon his swearing in, Nearmyer was given a chance to say a few words. He thanked everyone who supported him, and he was ready to get to work.

“I’m honored to be here,” Nearmyer said.

Since Nearmyer was elected to fulfill the remaining two years of Carpenter’s term, he will have to run again in 2026 if he wants to retain the seat.

Newton News previously interviewed Nearmyer followed his presumed win against Ray. He told the newspaper he was feeling good about the results, but it was not a huge shock to him to see that he had won. He has seen how organized Republicans can be in Jasper County elections.

Still, it was a different dynamic to be waiting for the results to see if he had won.

“Throughout the campaign it’s been different because I felt like I was having a hard time adjusting to being a candidate and balance campaigning versus working,” Nearmyer said. “That was a challenge for me … But I’m ready for the challenge of being a county supervisor. I look forward to working for the people.”

Throughout his campaign Nearmyer praised the board of supervisors for working closely with the county engineer to address gravel roads maintenance. He also vowed to keep property taxes in check and to improve the county’s working relationship with city governments throughout the county to ensure future growth.