Howard County General Election Guide
Candidate:
Age: 70
Education: I graduated with honors from
Work: Currently in my third term as
Family: I was married to
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
Stabilize city finance: We must know exactly where the city stands financially. This would be accomplished by conducting a complete audit examining all city bank accounts, department budgets, contracts, leases, agreements, etc. in existence between the city and individuals, businesses, agencies, entities, etc. City government allocates money for trustworthy services and economic development. We have some very large, new and some unfinished projects in progress. The city incurred new 2014 debt in an amount over
Some of the debt will stretch out as far as 2034, being paid by our children. We must insure financial control, accountability and sustainability. We do this by putting together a strategic plan to stabilize our financial future. Before we make promises to revise spending or promote new expenditures, we must know that our actions are financially responsible. The city receives approximately
Other important issues of focus are public safety and drug treatment and enforcement; sustained economic growth and stability with a skilled and educated work force; street, sidewalks, and infrastructure repair; and better provisions to deal with mental health issues.
The solution: A city administration, given the right leadership, can solve the problems that it has the authority to manage. Otherwise, city leaders must help create dialogue, ongoing communication and partnerships between all of the stakeholders in the community who can coordinate efforts and find realistic solutions. These stakeholders include: government agencies, including the police; all educational institutions; healthcare providers; mental health care providers; churches/religious organizations; all social service agencies; state and federal legislators/officials; and all interested, caring citizens.
By establishing determination and focus, and combining and coordinating resources, success will be realized. I will promote motivated leadership by incentive, encouragement, and appreciation.
Position: Mayor
Candidate:
Age: 50
Education: Graduated from
Work: Incumbent Kokomo mayor, formerly worked at Haynes and served as
Family: Wife, Kelli; children, Brody, Devon, Alek and Ava
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
The biggest challenge facing our city is that 9,192 people travel to
These workers obviously know
You spend most of your income where you work. Our small shops, dentists, furnace repair businesses and other services are losing customers because those 9,192 people take their paycheck to a different city. Our top economic development goal must be to make
We do that through multiple avenues. First, we maintain a clean and safe city. We've done that through enhancing our code enforcement and removing blighted properties as well as improving curb appeal. We've reorganized our police department to get more officers on the street. We have seen these efforts pay off as major crime has dropped 24 percent since 2008. Even total calls for service are down 9 percent.
We need diversified housing choices. We've worked towards creating walkable, urban housing for those who seek that lifestyle. At the same time, we have encouraged single-family home construction and helped develop opportunities for new senior or assisted living facilities.
Great housing means we also need good schools. We work side by side with our local schools and universities to create the best environment for our students to thrive. We have seen that pay off in multiple ways including the development of International High School Student Dorms, collegiate athletics at Indiana University Kokomo, and innovative partnerships with the Career Center.
Everything we do, we do with a purpose. That can be seen in how we constantly seek to maintain a sense of authenticity and preserve the history of our community. We know that it is often less expensive to restore a property than it is to create a new one.
Our goal is to make the city inviting to our current residents but also attract new residents. Whether redesigning roads to increase safety and save taxpayer money or trimming our budget to match the size of our city, our purpose is to make
Position:
Candidate:
Age: 71
Education:
Work:
Family: Wife, Joanie; daughter,
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
First and foremost, I am committed to the service and representation of the people of my district. I am available at all times to listen to their concerns and to assist in helping resolve issues that matter to them. I am not a politician, but a common citizen of
Secondly, I want to assist in the continued revitalization of
Lastly, in pledging to strive for a safer
Position:
Candidate:
Age: 69
Education: Master's degree in social work
Work:
Family: Wife, Jeanie, who passed away; one son; and five grandchildren
What's the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
In the 1960s, one in three workers were in a union; today it's one in 10. As a consequence, our middle class is sinking into poverty and income disparity has multiplied. We must invite and do whatever is needed to bring in union friendly industries. Until then, government must act at all levels.
To illustrate with our stats,
I would like to follow
Please join the coalition to establish an increase in the minimum wage. Our citizens need and deserve a living wage, pride and independence.
We have over 9,000 veterans in
I would like to lower property taxes for the lower-valued homes and provide tax credits for all homes for repairs and improvements only when the work and supplies are provided by
I believe we can find a private solution to recycling. We owe it to our children's children.
I would like to see an expansion of senior services and special needs children. I am developing an entertainment program and just need the music. I have purchased the sound system.
Position:
Candidate:
Age: 55
Education: High school graduate, attended IU-Kokomo
Work: Public relations at
Family: Single, with seven brothers and sisters.
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
Continuing the progress the city has made over the last few years. Now is not the time to slow down or stop. It required bold action to stop the bleeding from the recession, and it will require just as bold action to continue moving
I would continue to invest in our city. This means building relationships with private businesses and when possible use city resources to jump start private investment in
The decisions we make in the next few years will be critical. We must take bold action to ensure
As mentioned above, we must work to build wealth and improve quality of life without raising taxes. If we can continue to do these two things, skilled people will want to live here and businesses will follow that field of talent. We already are seeing this. Unemployment is at a 15-year low, and billions of dollars in private money have flowed into
Position:
Candidate:
Jones did not submit a response.
Position: Kokomo Common Council At-Large
Candidate:
Age: 64
Education: Bachelor's of general studies from IU Kokomo.
Work:
Family: Wife, Reba; six children; and 14 grandchildren
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
Neighborhood blight and neighborhood development: I plan on continuing to support the administration in its effort to clean up blighted areas of the city by supporting our code enforcement department through continuing funding. I would like to have city council meetings throughout the city at least once a quarter. This way we can make it easier for citizens to come to the meeting and express their concerns. As a city councilman I will continue to support and budget the needed funds to bring about new development in blighted areas. It is not enough to just tear down blight but we need to replace it with new housing and/or business. We have already several new developments that have been supported and assisted by Mayor Goodnight, the administration and the city council. We can work together on more.
Public safety: I am proud to say we have seen crime down 24 percent since 2008 in
Smoke-free
Position: Kokomo Common Council At-Large
Candidate:
Age: 33
Education: Master of Education, Indiana Wesleyan, and Master of Arts in Adult, Community and
Work: Assistant Professor; Program Chair for the
Family: Wife, Leslie; and son, Jonathan.
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
I feel that the biggest issue facing our community is the continued diversification of our local workforce. We have been very fortunate to have industry like
Position: Kokomo Common Council At-Large
Candidate:
Age: 65
Education: Bachelor's and Master's degrees from
Work: Employed at
Family: Wife, Susan; two children; and 5 grandchildren
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
I believe the biggest challenge facing our city will be to continue the progress that has taken place over the last eight years. By being progressive and aggressive toward economic development,
Position: Kokomo Common Council At-Large
Candidate:
Age: 61
Education: Bachelor's degree in chemistry from
Work: Six years as a chemist at
Family: Wife, Janine; two children,
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
There are several issues facing
Second, the issue of following the rules. The stadium is a perfect example of not following the rules by this administration. While the result is a really nice stadium, the ends don't justify the means of getting there. It was well known that there were
Lastly, only because of limited space allowed, is the focus on downtown at the expense of the rest of the city. The mayor actually communicated to an individual that he really didn't care about anything south of
Position: Kokomo Common Council At-Large
Candidate:
Age: 56
Education: Some college
Work: Owns and operates Jim's Pizza since 1999,
Family: Son,
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
Position: Kokomo Common Council At-Large
Candidate:
Age: 68
Education:
Work: Retired Kokomo firefighter and deputy executive director of public housing. Currently serves as housing quality standard inspector for the
Family: Wife, Peggy; two children, Laney and
What is the biggest issue facing your city and how do you plan to address it?
There are a couple of issues that come to the forefront when talking about issues facing the city. With all the new construction of apartment complexes and the renovation of the downtown area, I feel that sustainability is crucial. Many small businesses have opened but cannot sustain the economic burden. A couple of industries have opened which is a very positive move. If we were to lose either
Our streets and some of the infrastructure appear to need serious repair. I would encourage the administration to move in that direction. Every candidate who is running for office currently talks about street repair. We have had a couple of harsh winters and our streets have taken a beating. We need to look at this issue. The streets are part of the focus needed for neighborhood beautification.
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