Gunter Seeks 4th Term As County Commissioner
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Avis Gunter is seeking her fourth term as commissioner of the southern district in the May 2 primary election.
Gunter, 78, is the first woman to serve as a county commissioner, an office she's held for three terms.
As of today, she faces no opposition for the office.
Steeped in local and state history, Gunter is no newcomer to public office. She was county assessor for 22 years and served as a deputy assessor for nine years, beginning in 1964.
Following a promotion to first deputy, she was appointed assessor in April 1974, completing the unexpired term of Carl Zimmer, who retired.
Assessor duties took her all over the county, initially measuring buildings with a yardstick and jotting down figures in notebook.
She recalls seeing the county's first set of aerial photographs and focusing in on a tall building in the corner of a field. She just knew the property owner hadn't reported the structure.
"They turned out to be stacked bales of hay," she said, rolling her eyes.
But her vision for the future is quite clear: To continue following a fiscally responsible path to have Kosciusko County meet today's requirements for government while encouraging the private sector to grow and expand the economic opportunities in the county.
"I see the redevelopment commission really benefitting the county," she said of the reformed group.
"The commissioners have always been conservative so when we do need to spend money, we can do it."
She complimented former commissioners for their freethinking. "Prior to my coming on the board, Freddy Gilman was buying the shops and houses on Lake Street, paving the way for the Justice Building construction."
Of her recent appointment to the Area Plan Commission, Gunter said, after reading the manual, "It says to me, over the years, we've cared about how the county has developed. The APC was started by Jim Baker and Judge (Robert) Burner. That was forward thinking. We're not in the position of counties without planning.
"Kosciusko County has always been considered a leader for other counties. Some of our office holders and employees are really great people."
Gunter keeps office hours at the courthouse and is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays unless she's attending a meeting on behalf of the county.
"Brad (Jackson) works with the highway department and Ron (Truex) with the jail. We divide duties so everyone doesn't have to do it all."
The southern district begins just south of Warsaw and includes Franklin, Seward, Clay, Lake, Monroe and Jackson townships.
She is the commissioner's representative on the Kosciusko County Foundation board, the Warsaw Community Development Corp. board, the Kosciusko Community Hospital board, the county drainage board, the Solid Waste Management Board as well as the Area Plan Commission.
She also serves on several state-level agencies and is a member of the Indiana County Assessors' Association executive board and will be president of the association next year; Association of Indiana Commissioners executive board, where she is the current vice president and past president, a member of the local governmental advisory council, and is an appointed advisor to the State Board of Accounts and the Governor's Task Force.
She is a former member of Business and Professional Women and Altrusa.
She lists completion of the Justice Building expansion, renovation of the courthouse and the current addition to the Work Release Center as accomplishments by the commissioners.
Gunter is a 1946 Claypool High School graduate.
She is the widow of Everett "Red" Gunter and mother of two children, son Hal and daughter Ava, and five grandchildren.
She lives on a farm that has been in her family (Kimes) for more than 100 years. [[In-content Ad]]
Avis Gunter is seeking her fourth term as commissioner of the southern district in the May 2 primary election.
Gunter, 78, is the first woman to serve as a county commissioner, an office she's held for three terms.
As of today, she faces no opposition for the office.
Steeped in local and state history, Gunter is no newcomer to public office. She was county assessor for 22 years and served as a deputy assessor for nine years, beginning in 1964.
Following a promotion to first deputy, she was appointed assessor in April 1974, completing the unexpired term of Carl Zimmer, who retired.
Assessor duties took her all over the county, initially measuring buildings with a yardstick and jotting down figures in notebook.
She recalls seeing the county's first set of aerial photographs and focusing in on a tall building in the corner of a field. She just knew the property owner hadn't reported the structure.
"They turned out to be stacked bales of hay," she said, rolling her eyes.
But her vision for the future is quite clear: To continue following a fiscally responsible path to have Kosciusko County meet today's requirements for government while encouraging the private sector to grow and expand the economic opportunities in the county.
"I see the redevelopment commission really benefitting the county," she said of the reformed group.
"The commissioners have always been conservative so when we do need to spend money, we can do it."
She complimented former commissioners for their freethinking. "Prior to my coming on the board, Freddy Gilman was buying the shops and houses on Lake Street, paving the way for the Justice Building construction."
Of her recent appointment to the Area Plan Commission, Gunter said, after reading the manual, "It says to me, over the years, we've cared about how the county has developed. The APC was started by Jim Baker and Judge (Robert) Burner. That was forward thinking. We're not in the position of counties without planning.
"Kosciusko County has always been considered a leader for other counties. Some of our office holders and employees are really great people."
Gunter keeps office hours at the courthouse and is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays unless she's attending a meeting on behalf of the county.
"Brad (Jackson) works with the highway department and Ron (Truex) with the jail. We divide duties so everyone doesn't have to do it all."
The southern district begins just south of Warsaw and includes Franklin, Seward, Clay, Lake, Monroe and Jackson townships.
She is the commissioner's representative on the Kosciusko County Foundation board, the Warsaw Community Development Corp. board, the Kosciusko Community Hospital board, the county drainage board, the Solid Waste Management Board as well as the Area Plan Commission.
She also serves on several state-level agencies and is a member of the Indiana County Assessors' Association executive board and will be president of the association next year; Association of Indiana Commissioners executive board, where she is the current vice president and past president, a member of the local governmental advisory council, and is an appointed advisor to the State Board of Accounts and the Governor's Task Force.
She is a former member of Business and Professional Women and Altrusa.
She lists completion of the Justice Building expansion, renovation of the courthouse and the current addition to the Work Release Center as accomplishments by the commissioners.
Gunter is a 1946 Claypool High School graduate.
She is the widow of Everett "Red" Gunter and mother of two children, son Hal and daughter Ava, and five grandchildren.
She lives on a farm that has been in her family (Kimes) for more than 100 years. [[In-content Ad]]