WINONA LAKE - Looking to give back to the community she and her family love, Sarah L. Hill, 40, has thrown her name in the hat for the open Winona Lake Town Council Ward 5 seat.
She’s the third person to file for the position after Rick Swaim resigned effective Oct. 1 to pursue other challenges. Previously, Paul Heaton and Scott Wickens filed with Kosciusko County Republican Party Central Committee Chair Mike Ragan.
In a telephone interview, Hill said she’s lived in Warsaw most of her life. In the 1980s, her father, Dr. Timothy Cook, brought the family here and their family has been an integral part of the community since, she said.
She graduated from Purdue University in 2006 and came back to the community to get married, live and work.
Her husband, Ryan, and she built up their business CrossFit Haymaker. Back in 2017, she started up a medical spa in downtown Warsaw, Warsaw Body Sculpting, which is going to be renamed The Refinery.
While the couple, who have been married since 2007, own businesses in Warsaw, she said they live in Winona Lake.
As to why she decided to run for the council seat, Hill said as they have been growing in the community and growing their businesses, they looked at how they can be more a part of the community. They also want their two children to love the community as much as they do.
“As we got older, we’ve been looking for opportunities to grow our community and we want to see the legacy of Winona Lake continue,” Hill said.
Winona Lake was built with a dream by Dr. Dane Miller, she said, and she would like to see that legacy continue.
While Ryan has been involved with the Kosciusko County Visitors Bureau to bring more events to Winona Lake, Sarah said she works more in the background, looking at things like how funds are being used and how grant dollars could be used.
She thinks one can’t really truly know how something functions until one is really involved with it, and that’s true of the town council. She’s had in-depths conversations with council members about the town.
The town of Winona Lake was not created in a box, she said, and the town may need some new perspective as it heads into the future. One has to appreciate what makes something successful, but sometimes things need to be re-evaluated to see how successful they are and look to see if any changes are needed.
The Republican caucus to replace Swaim is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Winona Lake Town Hall.
The next council person will be elected by secret ballot of the majority of the voting caucus members to fill the office vacancy. There are five precinct committee persons eligible to vote in the caucus: Travis Trump, Wayne 1; Kathleen Keirn, Wayne 2; Bruce Shaffner, Wayne 3; Lisa Sands, Wayne 4; and Joe Hawn, Wayne 10.
Candidates must reside in Winona Lake Ward 5 and be a Republican in good standing. Eligible candidates will be allowed a maximum of three minutes to address the voting caucus.
Declarations of candidacy for the town council seat are available at the office of Kosciusko County Clerk of the Circuit Court, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw, and must be filed with Ragan no later than 6 p.m. Oct. 18. Ragan’s telephone number is 574-265-1430.