Now that the dust has settled a little bit from the primary, I think now is a good time to start talking about myself and what I think I bring to the table that would be beneficial to this position.
First and foremost, I am proud to have served my Township since 2022 on the Union Township Advisory Board. This has been a great introduction to the world of small county government, primarily as it deals with many of the same issues as the County Council, just on a smaller scale. The Union Township Advisory Board helps maintain fiscal responsibility alongside with the Township Trustee, much in the same way the Council and the Commissioners work together. On the Board, we make decisions with monies allocated to the Township in a manner that must be ethical, purpose driven, and without waste. We work closely with the Kewanna Fire Department and the Town of Kewanna to ensure that our emergency services do not face any unnecessary challenges. They have enough to worry about, funding should not be one of those challenges. My position on the Union Township Advisory Board as the secretary has helped me gain a bigger understanding of the ins and outs of handling tax payer money. I am very thankful for my time on the Board and look forward to helping where I can in the future.
On a larger scale, our County is facing some extraordinary challenges when it comes to emergency services. Oddly enough, I feel that my former life as an helicopter EMS mechanic may lend itself to helping find a more permanent solution for our County EMS. I have had the fortune of working with all three of the main hospitals that provide services to our area – Parkview, Lutheran, and South Bend Memorial, and also with IU Health LifeLine in a lesser capacity. Being immersed in the world of EMS and Helicopter EMS has helped me to understand that world from an “outsiders” prospective. Having this prospective can be an advantage as sometimes it can be helpful to understand how these entities work all while viewing the overall situation through an unbiased lens. I feel that there is a good solution out there for our County EMS, the trick is to find a solution that benefits both parties.
On the topic of aviation, I am most excited to lend my expertise to the airport. Having worked closely with the Fulton County Airport Authority for almost a decade, I understand how fortunate we are to have an airport of this caliber in a community as small as ours. Of all places where we can grow in the County, I feel like the airport is a great asset to allow our County to grow and prosper. I look forward to working with Matt to see how we can take our fantastic airport to the next level!
There will be more to come, I’m going to try and keep posts like this short so as to not throw too much at you at one time. Stay tuned for more posts like this over the next days, weeks, and months. Thanks again for all of your support!!