Wabash Township Trustee
The trustee is the chief executive officer of the township and must reside in that township. Residents of the township elect the trustee for a term of four years. The trustee’s salary is established by the township board. The trustee prepares the annual township budget for submission to the township board and has general control over all property belonging to the township. Where applicable, the trustee also serves as chief administrative officer for township schools. Other responsibilities of the trustee relate to poor relief, recreation, cemetery maintenance, and fire protection.
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Angel Valentin
(Dem)
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John W. Wilson
(Rep)
What qualities and/or experience do you have that make you the best candidate for this office?
Identify an important challenge facing township government in Tippecanoe County and how would you meet this challenge?
What steps will you take to improve relief services provided in your township?
Campaign Phone
787-399-5604
Education
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering; Certificate in Entrepreneurship; Minors in Political Sciences & Intellectual Property Law
Experience in Leadership and Management
Wabash Township Trustee (2022-Present); Wabash Township Board (2020-2022), Board President (2021-2022); LUM Financial Assistance Program Director (2022-2025); CityBus Board of Directors (2022-Present), Board Secretary (2026); Wesley Foundation at Purdue Board of Directors (2022-Present), Board President (2023-2026), Board Treasurer (2026-Present) Awards: Indiana Township Association Rising Star Award (2024); Greater Lafayette Young Professionals Top 10 Under 40 (2024); Leadership Lafayette, Class 53 Graduate (2024)
As the current Trustee, I have worked hand-in-hand with the leadership of our fire department to accomplish our shared vision for improving fire protection & emergency medical services in unincorporated Wabash Township, which has led us to increase career & volunteer staffing as well as establishing a fire-based ambulance service that is improving response times. I have also managed the assistance programs in Wabash Township & LUM, helping our community members as they face an affordability crisis. Lastly, I have worked with the Indiana Township Association's legislative committee & our local statehouse officials to pass critical legislation that will improve our Township's ability to effectively deliver services to our residents.
One of the biggest challenges that our Township faces is the limited funding for our rapidly growing jurisdiction's fire protection & emergency medical services, which has been made more pressing by the State Legislature’s efforts to reduce local funding & shift the burden of taxes from corporations to working class families. I remain committed to working with our state legislators to attain a level of funding that is comparable to similarly sized communities in Indiana; and as the income tax structure changes over the coming years, I will continue to work with our County & City councilors to gain access to existing Public Safety tax reserves and ensure our access to funding from the Fire & EMS tax that will take its place in 2029.
As our residents continue to face an affordability crisis and our local relief agencies see their budgets stretched to their limits, Wabash Township has increased the amount of direct assistance that it provides per year from $32,000 in 2022 to a forecast $130,000 in 2026. As our Township office building is completed in the coming months, our office will work to strengthen and expand partnerships with local non-profits and communities of faith that provide direct assistance to residents, so that we can become a hub for essential services in our Township. Additionally, we are working with local non-profit partners to establish a food pantry in our facility, which will provide essential food resources to families & neighbors in need.
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