Robert Orman, the former District 7 board president, finished comfortably clear of his Democratic challenger despite resigning from the board last month.

And Mark Bennett, the former District 2 board vice president, won a resounding victory over his Democratic rival, although he also resigned before Tuesday’s election.

The two men, who said they left the party after clashes and disagreements over board policies and the actions of other elected officials, told the Herald & Review they were willing to heed the will of voters and to continue.

“What happens next is I take the oath of office and take my seat, and then we can address some things afterward,” Orman, 40, said.

When asked if he would serve his full term, however, he wasn’t so sure. “I will make a decision later,” he said.

Bennett, 64, was equally cautious. “I will accept the nomination and take the oath of office,” he said. “After that, it’s a good question.”

Both men said they did not take formal steps to withdraw from the ballot and watched what happened next. Now, they said, the voters had spoken and it was time to see whether the board’s checkered history, with its infighting over policy, decisions and basic operations, would improve.

Orman had few illusions about how easily the board would move in a united direction, given this history of contentious infighting.

“The last four years have been just a movement to get the county to comply with policy, correct procedures and the law and make improvements,” he said.

“Before this, it was ‘We can do whatever we want,’ every man for himself… just a complete mess. We need to fix this.”

And there was also a lot of talk about a new hope for unity throughout Tuesday evening, at a watch party hosted by the Concerned Citizens group. Shelby County United. Three key words kept coming back and becoming a sort of mantra: “People before the party.”

“In our small community, it shouldn’t be about partying,” said newly elected board member Austin Pritchard Jr. “Let’s find what’s best for the county and use it.”

THE newly created organization gathered at the VFW Hall in Shelbyville with voters and candidates supporting each other, regardless of political affiliation.

“We don’t care about your party,” said Chris Boehm, president of Shelby County United. “We really wanted people who were good people, good neighbors, who would take care of our community and make their own decisions.”

Some of the candidates available won their bids. In District 9, Democratic challenger Chrissy Grant defeated Shawne Martz to fill an unexpired two-year term. Martz was appointed to fill the seat following the departure of Dave Ogden.

Although more Republicans were elected in Shelby County, many watch party attendees weren’t focused on that outcome. “We put those differences aside because the county comes first,” Grant said.