Bette Conroy advanced through the ranks of government in LaPorte County, Indiana for 34 years. But this week voters there dealt her a serious blow.
In March, local Democratic leaders overwhelmingly picked Bette Conroy to serve as interim clerk of the LaPorte County Circuit Court. So Conroy thought she had it made in the primary election for a full term, until the results arrived late Tuesday night.
CONROY: I was really kind of devastated.
Conroy finished third—a distant third.
CONROY: I have given my life to this county government. And I feel that I have done a good job and try to be the person that the public could appreciate as an officeholder.
Conroy says she accepts the election result, but rejection still stings.
CONROY: If that’s what they choose to do, the voter has the prerogative to vote for who they want, but they have to live with that decision.
The voters chose Lynne Spevak. She still faces an opponent in November. If she wins, Spevak says she’ll consider asking Conroy to keep working in the office. Conroy says she might accept.