Education
Some college
Occupation
Laborer
The scope of the responsibilities of office are pretty large.Townships provide emergency assistance, fence line disputes, cemetery maintenance, burial, some medical procedures and emergency response to “emergency events.”, like tornados or floods.This township also works very closely with other agencies to combat homelessness, provide housing, and protect low-income people.
The bulk of the work the Perry office does is in the form of casework. Cases are seen for emergency assistance daily. This assistance is provided for rent and utilities mainly, as other types of assistance might be requested. This assistance helps when a family becomes overwhelmed financially. This assistance keeps people in houses.
My father, Dan Combs. He made a massive impact on Perry Township and the entire community. I’ve spent my entire life watching someone build something incredible. I am motivated by a need to make sure Perry remains as impactful as it can be in helping those in need. I want to help people be housed and fed, while tackling other similar issues in the community.
I spent 19 years working for the City of Bloomington, serving the community. I was also the union President of AFSCME 2487, with the city.
I would like to help people through critical moments and provide opportunities to continue to better themselves. I would like to work with agencies to continue to help our community.
My priorities would be to make sure the township continues to focus on emergency assistance and other daily activities. The need for assistance is definitely going to rise. The number of people requesting food is going to rise. The township must meet the needs of those seeking help.
Diminished revenue greatly impacts how the township is able to invest directly into the community with grants to local not-for-profit agencies and groups. I think the township needs to work closer with these agencies to provide the ways to provide for the community.
The township runs a food pantry. This pantry was hit very hard when the government shutdown, and SNAP was withheld. I imagine continued policy will only hurt it more.
Townships are able to help. Perry Township isn’t really well prepared for coping with natural disasters. But it’s still able to help. Perry experienced a tornado event on May, 16, 2025. The township and Red Cross were the only agencies that showed to help those devastated by the storm.. Perry got 18 families under roof after their homes were destroyed. The office then continued with help for on the.
Perry was able to help because most of those hit hardest definitely were eligible for assistance anyway. Had this tornado been a mile north, the destruction would have been far too great for the Perry office. Perry will always try to put people under a roof if they’ve lost theirs.
Education
Indiana University PhD Learning Sciences (ABD); Northwestern University, Masters Degree in Learning Sciences; The University of Chicago Bachelor's Degree (English, Pre-Medical Studies)
Occupation
Township Trustee (Incumbent)
The Trustee's office is responsibile for the oversight and provision of emergency assistance for township residents experiencing financial hardship in meeting basic needs like rent, utilities, food, medical expenses and burials. Additionally, the office handles fence disputes and the upkeep of township parks and historic cemeteries. The Trustee is the chief financial officer responsible for managing the tax dollars received by the township to carry out these functions, including preparing the annual budget and reports on the provision of services to state-level offices and the Township Board. The Trustee is also responsible for the oversight and management of the Township's capital assets and service contracts with community non-profits.
My desire to be Trustee stems from a life-long commitment to serving my community: this has been the entirety of my life and professional career here in Bloomington for 16 years. I have a very nuanced and in-depth expertise: having spent time as an affordable housing, development, & supportive service programs administrator with the Bloomington Housing Authority; and an emergency shelter director and fervent direct service professional with New Hope for Families. I knew that my skill-set and knowledge would be well situated at the office of the Trustee. Several community leaders approached me and encourage me to run when they learned that the late Dan Combs planned to retire. In being made aware, I began taking steps to launch my campaign.
Since being caucused into office, I am working with our finance personnel and township board to fully evaluate & plan for our financial future by making necessary adjustments in light of the fiscal limitations of recent legistative changes. With budget cuts experienced prior to my arrival, the township had to make reductions in financial support to some community partners. This was to ensure our continued provision of the core emergency financial relief we're required to provide by statute. I will ensure this continues to happen and work to "do the most good" in fortifying existing (and pursuing new) service partnerships with local non-profits AND exploring novel funding opportunities like CoC grants to strengthen our capacity to serve.
As Trustee, my office will serve as an immediate safety net when natural disasters strike. We have capacity to provide rapid-response emergency assistance, including temporary shelter vouchers for displaced families, utility support, and emergency food relief through our pantry and food vouchers to replace lost groceries. The township office can also serve as a local coordination hub when disasters strike (engaging with County Emergency Office, COAD, Red Cross, City/County officials and local non-profits) to advocate and make aid available to our hardest-hit neighborhoods. Township staff can also be a source of referral and direct support by maintaining knowlege and distributing information on other substantive forms of relief available.
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