Finch Makes Third Run At Politics
January 14, 2019 at 6:31 p.m.
Finch Makes Third Run At Politics
By Dan [email protected]
Twice before, the 30-year-old Warsaw man threw his name into consideration when Kosciusko County Council experienced vacancies in recent years.
This time, he’s going the electoral route, choosing to run for Warsaw City Council District 2, currently held by fellow Republican Ron Shoemaker.
Finch grew up in Wabash, but spent summers during college at Chapman Lake, and the appeal of Warsaw – the lakes, the people and business environment – won him over.
He and his wife have one child and another on the way. They’ve lived in Warsaw about three years.
“Ultimately, this is the community I want live in for the rest of my life. My wife and I don’t want to go anywhere. If that’s the case, obviously, we’re going to be raising children here and I want to help keep this community great and make it the best it possibly can be,” Finch said.
His interest in running for political office has been festering for years, and he thought about it three years ago following the death of City Councilman Charlie Smith, who had represented the District 2. At the time, though, Finch had not met the one-year residence requirement.
In recent years, he’s been a familiar face at city council meetings and over at the Kosciusko County Courthouse where the commissioners and county council do business.
Twice, he sought a seat on county council through the GOP caucus process, but was passed over in favor of other people with more experience and name recognition.
In the meantime, he’s been active in party politics.
“I’ve tried to pick the brains of as many people as possible and have really gotten strong words of encouragement from just about everyone, which tells me now might be the right time to start this process,” he said.
Shoemaker has openly talked about challenging Mayor Joe
Thallemer in the Republican primary, and is expected to make an announcement within days.
Finch expressed indifference over whether Shoemaker decides to run for mayor or attempts to retain his seat on council.
“Either way, it does not really change my plans,” he said.
He said he doesn’t agree with everything that has happened in city government, but said it’s unrealistic to support everying.
“I do think Mayor Thallemer has a really great vision of what he wants Warsaw to be and he’s taken some really positive steps in getting there.”
He credits Thallemer and the administration for growing the tax base, which in turn has kept the tax rate flat in recent years.
Some of that has come from the city’s emphasis on developing industrial parks.
He said he considers himself to be a fiscal conservative, but says that does not mean opposing all spending plans.
One issue he said he’d like to get involved with is looking at ways to improve affordable housing and suggested that approach would likely involve a group of leaders from the city and the county.
Finch is a graduate of Taylor University where he majored in business management and marketing.
He’s employed as a salesman with UniFirst Fort Wayne, a workforce uniform rental company.
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Twice before, the 30-year-old Warsaw man threw his name into consideration when Kosciusko County Council experienced vacancies in recent years.
This time, he’s going the electoral route, choosing to run for Warsaw City Council District 2, currently held by fellow Republican Ron Shoemaker.
Finch grew up in Wabash, but spent summers during college at Chapman Lake, and the appeal of Warsaw – the lakes, the people and business environment – won him over.
He and his wife have one child and another on the way. They’ve lived in Warsaw about three years.
“Ultimately, this is the community I want live in for the rest of my life. My wife and I don’t want to go anywhere. If that’s the case, obviously, we’re going to be raising children here and I want to help keep this community great and make it the best it possibly can be,” Finch said.
His interest in running for political office has been festering for years, and he thought about it three years ago following the death of City Councilman Charlie Smith, who had represented the District 2. At the time, though, Finch had not met the one-year residence requirement.
In recent years, he’s been a familiar face at city council meetings and over at the Kosciusko County Courthouse where the commissioners and county council do business.
Twice, he sought a seat on county council through the GOP caucus process, but was passed over in favor of other people with more experience and name recognition.
In the meantime, he’s been active in party politics.
“I’ve tried to pick the brains of as many people as possible and have really gotten strong words of encouragement from just about everyone, which tells me now might be the right time to start this process,” he said.
Shoemaker has openly talked about challenging Mayor Joe
Thallemer in the Republican primary, and is expected to make an announcement within days.
Finch expressed indifference over whether Shoemaker decides to run for mayor or attempts to retain his seat on council.
“Either way, it does not really change my plans,” he said.
He said he doesn’t agree with everything that has happened in city government, but said it’s unrealistic to support everying.
“I do think Mayor Thallemer has a really great vision of what he wants Warsaw to be and he’s taken some really positive steps in getting there.”
He credits Thallemer and the administration for growing the tax base, which in turn has kept the tax rate flat in recent years.
Some of that has come from the city’s emphasis on developing industrial parks.
He said he considers himself to be a fiscal conservative, but says that does not mean opposing all spending plans.
One issue he said he’d like to get involved with is looking at ways to improve affordable housing and suggested that approach would likely involve a group of leaders from the city and the county.
Finch is a graduate of Taylor University where he majored in business management and marketing.
He’s employed as a salesman with UniFirst Fort Wayne, a workforce uniform rental company.
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