Commissioners of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners serve as the executives of Monroe County. The commissioners’ resp onsibilities include maintaining county parks, buildings and roads.
Unlike a city mayor, a three-person board holds the executive powers of Monroe County, where decisions are made by majority vote. Each commissioner serves one of three districts in Monroe County for a four-year term, with District 1 being the open seat this ?November.
District 1 encompasses the west side of Monroe County, including the southwest portion of ?Bloomington.
Here are the three men aiming to represent ?District 1.
Patrick Stoffers (D)
Patrick Stoffers, originally from Terre Haute, Ind., was first elected as a commissioner in 2006.
“I absolutely love the gig,” Stoffers said. “There’s no job like it anywhere else in county government.”
Stoffers has a background in finance. He has worked as a financial analyst for the City of Bloomington’s Controller’s Office and now works as the finance manager for the City of Bloomington Utilities Department.
Stoffers, a 1998 graduate of IU, is seeking his third term on the board of commissioners.
Dave Nakarado (L)
Real estate agent Dave Nakarado is the only Libertarian running for a Monroe County office in this year’s midterm election. Nakarado ran for the District 3 commissioner’s seat in 2012 but lost to Iris Kiesling.
Nakarado said his libertarian ideology suits the residents of Monroe County.
“I think Bloomington is ideal for Libertarians because we are socially liberal and fiscally conservative,” Nakarado said. “It’s a good match, for this area being a university town and the town of mixture we have.”
Nakarado, originally from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, majored in education at Northern Michigan University. After college, he worked several jobs, including being a prison guard and selling snack foods as an independent distributor for three different companies.
Nakarado has lived in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis and now resides in Bloomington.
Bob LaGarde (R)
Born in Louisville, Ky., Bob LaGarde has spent most of his life in Monroe County. For the past eight years, LaGarde has worked as a caseworker at the Van Buren Township Trustee’s office.
He said his involvement in local government qualifies him for the county commissioner’s seat.
“My casework at Van Buren has meant a lot to me,” LaGarde said. “I got to meet a lot of great people and been able to help a lot of people. I just would like to continue on doing that.”
LaGarde spent about 10 years living in California with his family but has lived in Monroe County since 1990.
