Occupation/Current Position
St. Joseph County Councilman
Candidate video
I have been involved in and have essential knowledge of the workings of County
government, having served on the County Council for over 30 years, and 20 years as
President of the Council. This work has exposed me to the financial aspects of
providing police protection, secure and safe roads, health services, and many other
services to the residents of the County. Besides my experience in government, I have
spent a lifetime in a career in which communication is key. My approach in life is to treat
everyone with respect, listen, get input, and ultimately make a decision based on what
is best for our community, and I fervently believe this can be done without damaging
relationships with colleagues with whom I will need to cooperate with going forward.
Because the top priority is to serve the people, my priorities must serve the priorities of
our constituents. Having lived in this community for more than 60 years, it is clear to me
that our families care about raising their children in a safe environment. So, we have to
be supportive of our police, prosecutors and courts, as they deal with issues of crime,
including the proper handling of those having need of mental health services.
It is also clear to me that the public is concerned about having access to jobs which can
support raising a family. This means that we should support infrastructure
improvements and responsible development which brings those jobs to our area.
In both cases, our taxpayers need to see and know that we are not wasting tax dollars
as we respond to these priorities.
Our analysis should be guided by sound principles which are relevant to our current and future needs, and not limited by the past. This means we need an updated and flexible
comprehensive plan, but our analysis should also include scientific, sociological, and
environmental data, as well as input from the public. This means we consider the impact of projects on our water supply, as well as traffic patterns. It means we consider how neighborhoods will be impacted and whether our schools will be affected and whether our ability to provide services is stretched beyond capacity or not. It also means looking at whether we are hurting our environment with pollution. In order to promote and retain jobs, we need to create the conditions which make that possible.
I support the idea of having a low-barrier homeless intake center, but it is extremely
important to know the details of what that entails before committing to a specific center
and site. Where the center should be located is a function of knowing the details.
Knowing who will be housed there, for example, limits where it can be. Is low-barrier
meant to be short-term or does it mean, ultimately, another long-term homeless center?
That impacts the funding decision. What rules will be in place? Who is responsible for
accounting for money? Again, answers to these questions play a major part in making
such a center a reality. If all questions can satisfactorily be answered, then the County
should consider financial support for such a center.
Given the current demographics, there are strong arguments for keeping the districts.
In a county that is no longer controlled by a single party, the current districting allows for
participation by both parties in executive leadership; it also prevents a single area of the
county from dominating control of the Board of Commissioners. Districts, however,
should ultimately be drawn by a non-partisan, independent committee, and not by
elected officials.
The county was caught between a rock and hard place because the State Legislature
did not correct the funding formula for residential centers like Portage Manor. Faced
with ever increasing costs, demanding regulatory requirements, staffing shortages, and
knowledge that we could not continue to meet the needs of the Portage Manor residents
under those conditions, a difficult choice had to be made. I voted to keep Portage
Manor open, but the majority did not. I think better education and awareness of how
important Portage Manor was to our community, and better lobbying of State legislators
on both sides of the aisle could have made a difference.
I am 100% committed to transparency and obtaining public input. Having grown up in
the community, I have plenty of friends and acquaintances who are not shy about giving
me their opinion. I am accessible and willing to listen to anyone’s input. My long tenure
as Council President is proof of this.
