Bartholomew County candidate seeks special election, sues incumbent for defamationLeah Beyer and Mark Bense, who faced off in the May primary election for the Bartholomew County Council District 2 seat (Photos provided/ Committee to Elect Leah Beyer & Mark Bense)COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) – A tightly contested primary race is now at the center of a petition for a special election and defamation lawsuit. Since the primary, Bense has made sweeping, unsubstantiated claims of a coordinated effort to prevent him from winning the election. On June 30, Bense filed a petition for a new or special election to determine the Republican candidate for the November general election. A hearing on Beyer’s request to dismiss the petition for a special election is scheduled September 18.