Occupation/Current Position
Attorney and Director of Immigration Legal Services, La Casa de Amistad
Education
University of Notre Dame B.A. 1995, Notre Dame Law School J.D. 2001, Notre Dame Law School LL.M. 2002
Campaign Email
Trustee@clayfd.com
Over the past four years as Clay Trustee, I have modernized our public assistance program to ensure that it is accessible, efficient, and fair. Our public assistance coordinator has nearly two decades of experience and uses her network of relationships with local churches, charities, and non-profits to accompany and assist our neighbors in need with respect and compassion. By connecting those in need with existing resources in our community, we ensure that our township dollars are always available to respond to true emergencies.
Maintaining the excellence of township services in the face of decreasing State resources continues to be the biggest issue facing Clay Township. Like many families in Clay Township, we have learned to do more with less through creativity, experimentation, and hard work. For example, recent changes in State law have drastically reduced the funding available for Clay Fire. Nonetheless, we have maintained our international accreditation and recently raised salaries for all of our firefighters to ensure they are fairly compensated. Furthermore, after a year and a half of detailed planning and careful negotiation, Clay Fire has laid the groundwork for long-term success through a recently passed merger with Penn Fire, leveraging the excellence of two area fire territories to create new efficiencies and increased service for our taxpayers.
Clay Township is the Provider Unit for Clay Fire, which provides fire and ambulance service to Clay Township, German Township, Harris Township, Roseland and Indian Village. Under the recently passed merger between Clay Fire and Penn Fire, our Township will remain the Provider Unit for the expanded territory. Our role as Provider Unit allows us to monitor and steward tax payer dollars to ensure that the excellent service our residents have come to know and rely upon will remain the standard for the newly expanded territory.
My experience as a former elected Clay Board member as well as my experience as the incumbent Trustee have both prepared me to continue as a responsible steward of township resources. With the assistance of my first-rate professional staff, I have prepared these reports and presented them in public session each year. My experience in preparing the nearly $18 million dollar in a way that is clear and accessible increases transparency, accountability, and public trust.
As a Clay Board member, I worked with the previous Trustee to promote accountability. As the current Trustee, I have built on this experience to lead our township with transparency. All township records are available for public inspection at our Clay Township offices.
For over 21 years, I have called Clay Township home. It is where my wife and I have raised our family and where we will remain. Therefore, my service to the township goes beyond my statutory responsibilities of maintaining our parks and cemeteries, ensuring fire protection, and providing emergency public assistance. As Trustee, I have been an advocate for our community at both the county and state level. Because of this engagement, Clay Township is known throughout the state for the quality of its township services. I take this advocacy role on behalf of our township very seriously, and I welcome constituent visits, calls, and emails about issues of local concern. If I can not provide the answer or the solution because of our limited township powers, I connect our residents with county officials who can.
Trustees are tasked with maintaining our parks and cemeteries, ensuring fire protection, and providing emergency public assistance. State and federal funding cuts have required townships to do more with less, which is the same challenge being faced by many families in Clay Township. Nonetheless, during my four years in office we have increased pay for all of our first responders, secured the title to Clay Park while building four new pickleball courts and other amenities at this township treasure, and stretched our public assistance budget by leveraging our relationships with local churches, charities, and non-profits. We collaborate with these valued private-sector partners in our community who have the expertise and experience to complement our governmental efforts. This collaboration ensures that our limited tax dollars are maximized.
