Biographical Information
First and Last Name
Nate Uldricks
Campaign Address and Email
www.nateuldricks.com and nate@nateuldricks.com
Campaign Phone
2198146283
Social Media and Website Links
https://www.facebook.com/nateuldricksportercountycouncil
YouTube Video
What experience, education and personal characteristics qualify you to serve on the County Council?
I am a 3rd generation county citizen raising my own young family here–I am deeply vested in its long-term success. I serve as the Pine Township Board Chair, the township's fiscal body; a Volunteer Firefighter; and on the Parks Foundation Board. Previously, I served in finance and management roles at the US Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. In my day job, I help run a small business that builds digital technologies for small to mid-sized businesses and non-profits. Now we’re building an app to help survivors of human trafficking. I am a graduate of Portage High School and have a BS in Engineering from Purdue University, MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University, and a MBA from the University of Virginia.
If elected, what are your top three priorities and what will you do to address them?
As Porter County Councilman, I would like to craft a long-term, forward-looking vision for the county that sets the course for us to build a place that we love and that we can be proud to leave to future generations. 1. Build a strong, innovative, high-wage economy–this is how we will afford everything else while keeping taxes low. With our deep history in manufacturing, I want us to be the “Workshop of America” of the 21st Century. 2. Strengthen and broaden public safety in fire protection, law enforcement, first response, and safety on roads and rails. 3. Build the safest, nicest, and cleanest roads in the state by reducing traffic accidents, improving traffic flow, increasing “Adopt a Road” clean-ups, and quickly fixing potholes
Transparency, accountability and access to the Council’s actions and decisions is
essential for the public. How will you ensure up-to-date access to Council proceedings
and keep your constituents informed, engaged and involved in local government?
Being a Councilman means you’re obligated to listen fairly to all sides, to make decisions based upon facts and data, and to have the courage to publicly explain your rationale. That is how I have run my Township Board and will continue to operate as Councilman. We give every citizen who attends meetings the time to give remarks and have learned a great deal from them and have taken their comments seriously. As Councilman I want to de-mystify county spending and outcomes. I want to use simple data visualizations to easily show where their tax dollars are being spent and the return on investment. Ultimate transparency and accountability lies in being able to see if your elected officials are doing a good job based upon true results.
If elected, what will you do to ensure easy access to your office for county residents?
One of my favorite things about being an elected official serving the people is to regularly meet with citizens and help solve their problems. As Councilman, I will maintain an open-door policy and offer citizens my email and cell phone. We can set-up a formal meeting or something less formal like a coffee to talk through the issues of the day. The best ideas and solutions to problems often come from the citizens themselves, so I would like to create regular workshops, brainstorm sessions, and opinion surveys to solicit feedback, suggestions, and ideas from the citizens. That said, my email address is nate.uldricks@pinetownshipin.org and my personal cell phone number is 219-814-6283.
Affordable housing is a growing need in Porter County. What are your priorities for
meeting these challenges?
When I think of the American Dream, I think of a family owning its own home. Porter County needs to be–above all else–a great place to raise and support a family, and that means being able to afford and own a home. As mentioned above, my top priority is to grow our economy with innovative, high-paying, family-sustaining jobs so that people can afford a home that they love while also enjoying top shelf amenities and great roads. In addition, we should redevelop and repurpose abandoned buildings to something productive, including housing (where safe). As Councilman, I will collaborate with not only the county but also the municipalities to explore all options to safeguard the American Dream in Porter County.
What is your position for the role of the Council in the environmental protection efforts
within Porter County and NWI?
For over a hundred years, Porter County (and NWI) have had to strike a balance between its industrial economy and its natural beauty and resources. As an Industrial Engineer as well as a Master Naturalist, I deeply appreciate this balance. I believe as a county we can have both and maintain that balance. In my work as the Chair of the Pine Township Board, I’m helping with efforts to clean-up the coal ash from the NIPSCO power plant to ensure township safety. In addition, my family and I adopted a county road and are on the hook to clean it 2-3 times a year. As Councilman, I will find creative solutions–such as increasing Adopt-a-Road projects–to protect our beautiful natural environment while striking a balance with our industrial economy.
What else would you like to tell voters?
I love this county. I consider myself blessed to grow up here and now raise my own family here. I love that we can drive for five minutes in any direction and be on some county road in the middle of cornfields, or that we can awe at the colossal industrial might on the county’s north end, or stroll along cool little downtowns and shops, or take in the beautiful lake and sand dunes. Very few people in the country have what we have. However, without farsighted leadership, we are a few bad decisions away from losing it. This is why I’m running for Porter County Council: to provide a long-term vision that sets us up for generational success. I want us all to get in the same boat and row in the same direction and build a great future together!