Candidates who are running for office in the Nov. 6 general election were sent the following questionaire from the Times-Union: 1. What do you feel are issues important to the seat you are seeking? 2. Why are you seeking public office? 3. What do you feel you can contribute to the seat you are seeking? 4. What are things you would like to change or continue if elected? The candidates’ responses to the questions are listed below. In addition, several candidates are running for county positions unopposed: Judge, 54th Judicial Circuit: Michael W. Reed, Republican Clerk of Circuit Court: Jason F. McSherry, Republican County Coroner: Michael D. Wilson, Republican County Surveyor: Richard Kemper, Republican County Commissioner, Northern District: Brad Jackson, Republican County Commissioner, Middle District: Ronald Truex, Republican
McKinley Seeks Treasurer Position Sarah McKinley is on the ballot for Kosciusko County treasurer on the Democrat ticket. She has not recently responded to attempts to contact her by either the Times-Union or Kosciusko County Democrat Party officers.
Mitchell Incumbent For Treasurer Sue Ann Mitchell, Republican, is seeking re-election as Kosciusko County treasurer. Mitchell’s 36 years of experience include being responsible for property assessments and inheritance taxes as the county assessor; budgets, tax rates and property transfers as the county auditor; and the collection and distribution of property taxes and the investment of county funds as the county treasurer. She said she understands the “big picture” of taxation, having done all facets of the process and having attended training on current laws and procedures. She has also earned several awards from the Association of Indiana Counties. In her first term as county treasurer, Mitchell said she found additional ways for taxpayers to make payments including the use of credit cards, and noted that efforts to cross-train employees in the treasurer’s office have been successful, believing that “no one of us is as smart as all of us.” She said as chair of the Indiana County Treasurers Legislative Committee she is aware of legislative issues facing county treasurers, such as property foreclosure with banks not taking title to the properties; and remarked on issues related to tax sale to be considered in the legislature this session, such as laws that affect mobile home taxation. In summer she served on a committee to consider changes to the tax billing and budget timeline to ensure local governments have the most accurate assessed values and that taxpayers can receive property tax bills as early as possible. Mitchell said she loves the daily challenges that come with being a public servant, and continues to enjoy helping the taxpayer with whatever their issues are. Property taxes are complicated and many taxpayers have questions about the rules and regulations that muse be followed, she said, but “government offices are not like retail stores where if you don’t find what you want one place you can go to another store. The treasurer’s office is in many cases the only place where taxpayers can find the information they are requesting. Serving the public continues to be my reason for seeking public office.”
Bartman Seeks At-Large County Seat Joshua Bartman, Democrat, is running for an at-large seat on the Kosciusko County Council. He lives and works in Warsaw, has attended Ivy Tech for two years, and currently serves as president of the county’s Young Democrats. He oversees the organization and management of youth outreach for the Indiana Young Democrats for the second and third congressional districts, where he also served as a state officer and communications director. Bartman said while he thinks the current council is doing fine, he feels a large portion of the population is under-represented. “We need new and diverse blood injected into the council, people who bring a new perspective to the table and innovative ideas to promote growth within the county,” he said. “I believe that I would be that new perspective and the voice for those who feel their voices have not been heard.” He has also in recent years served as representative to national, state and local elections as county coordinator and consultant for nine different campaigns, and twice at state party conventions. “Over the last five years I have spent countless hours listening to the needs of the people of this county, I have stayed tuned in to how national and state politics effect us at the local level, I have made improving this county in the little ways I can a second full-time job and I am ready to take it to the next level,” Bartman said. He noted he brings the perspective of someone on the ground floor, who “sees firsthand the benefits and consequences of decisions made by the top, by people who may or may not be affected personally by such decisions. I believe I will be a true representative of the people of this county.” Bartman said he would like to improve county roads and infrastructure, believing that this will not only create good-paying jobs but also ease wear and tear on vehicles and make getting to and from work easier; and said he would like to work with the tax code to find incentives for companies to start here, move here or do business here. Also to attract business to the area, Bartman would like to create a film tax credit to entice filmmakers, and said the county should do better in diversifying its industries, especially retail. “While I’m all for healthy competition, we must realize that we are not Allen or St. Joe counties and do not have the population to support such business models,” he said. “We cannot put all our economic eggs in so few baskets.” Bartman also said he wants to work with the orthopedic companies along with the state and federal governments to find an alternative to the medical device tax before considering repealing it outright.
Sanders Incumbent For Council At-Large Robert Sanders, Republican, is seeking re-election to the Kosciusko County Council. He said he is concerned that the county receives less money from state and federal governments each year, and that the property tax cap and decreased home values are also affecting the amount of tax dollars available to pay county bills. “The difficult task before us is providing the level of services our county residents deserve and expect with a piggy bank that has less money in it,” he remarked. He said he has gained valuable knowledge during his eight years serving on the County Council, and that he decided to run again out of concern for the county. He observed that in 2011 two new councilmen were sworn in along with another after the death in April of council member John Kinsey. “It truly takes time to learn the mechanics of county finances, and I feel it is my duty to run again and share the knowledge and experience I have gained,” Sanders said. Sanders said he understand the financial struggles experienced by businesses and households because his family-owned title insurance business is still being directly affected by the real estate meltdown. “I have not been afraid to speak up and ask the tough questions, and I try to think creatively when solving our county’s financial problems,” he said. He also observed that, according to the 2011 Indiana Farm Bureau Report, Kosciusko County has the fifth lowest tax rate in the state. “We consistently hear that other Indiana counties are jealous of our county’s stability, diversity, and sound financial position,” he said. “I pledge to keep our taxes low and look for every opportunity to use taxpayer dollars wisely.”
Fussle Challenges For Council At-Large Jonathan Fussle, Republican, is seeking one of the three at-large seats on Kosciusko County Council. He said he is seeking public office out of a passion for service, and that as a professional pilot, local businessman and potentially the youngest member of the council, he hopes to bring energy, experience, and perspective to the table. “I often refer to our elected officials as public servants, and I hope the public grasps that every government employee or elected official is their servant,” Fussle said. “It is the duty of the people to hold their elected servants to keep government small, efficient, effective, and representative of the values the community. I want to serve the people of Kosciusko County by doing just that.” He sees the top complaint the council and commissioners hear as the condition of county roads. Kosciusko budgets about $1.5 million toward maintaining those roads, he said, but over the past few years the state has only allowed about $0.5 million. Fussle said that gives the council three options: maintain fewer miles of county roads, raise taxes to keep revenues, or find the money from other departments in the budget. “Clearly, the best solution would be to ‘find’ the money elsewhere in the budget, but that is easier said than done,” he remarked. Fussle said through running his own business, he knows what it takes to make sacrifices, what it means to cut costs, and the consequences of those cuts. “I know the effects that good government can have on a business as well as overbearing and poorly run government,” he said. “I hope to make Kosciusko County government the best deal in the state for our residents.” He said as a professional pilot he has a unique perspective on the county: “From the air, I can see the foresight a lot of communities are blessed with, and it makes the lack of planning in the Warsaw/Kosciusko County area readily apparent.” He recalled campaign activities such as meeting every month with supporters and opponents to clean up roadsides and public land in the county. He said that’s something he would like to continue and invited residents to join in. If elected, Fussle said he would like to get a close-up of each department, and has already spent time in a few departments getting to know the people council depend on. He said he looks forward to contributing to the effort to look into the future and make Kosciusko ready to grow when the opportunity comes, “to improve on our strengths, work on our weaknesses, and to make this the best community to work, play, and live.”
Brown Runs For Council At-Large Lee Ann Brown is a Democrat hopeful for Kosciusko County Council at-large. The co-chair of the Kosciusko County Democratic Party said she is seeking office because she sees a need in the county for new voices. “We can't expect new ideas from people who have been in for the past 20-plus years,” she said. “We’ve had the same voices on our council for decades, (but) sometimes with new eyes we can get better results.” She said she’d like to offer a different perception. “I also feel we need a feminine voice on the council. I'm running to offer a choice to the citizens of our county,” Brown said. “Like many of the families in Kosciusko County, I've had to decide what is more important for the budget I have, how to make those dollars stretch and to work for what is needed.” Brown said the important issues facing the county are the same as it has been facing: How do we make our town more inviting to businesses for more jobs, while keeping our taxes down and making it inviting for tourism and families. “I'm not saying this hasn't been going on, but we can do more,” she remarked. Something she said she’d like to see more of is contracting with nearby businesses. “I think that sometimes even if it costs a little bit more, staying local will help our county in the end,” she said. “I would like to see more of our local businesses bidding on and winning jobs we have been hiring out for. We only hurt our local economy by hiring out.”
Teghtmeyer Runs For Another Council Term Longtime local business owner and council member Larry Teghtmeyer is running for reelection as a Republican. He said having lived and managed a business in the county for years, he has a longstanding interest in the economic health and wellbeing of the county along with what he described as “the delivery of quality government services at a reasonable cost.” Teghtmeyer was a district county councilman from 1975 to 1995 and is currently serving a third term as councilman at-large. He said with his private and public experience and history of studying issues carefully, he feels prepared to make the important decisions which are critical to the county. “I have promoted prudent use of taxpayers’ money which has resulted in Koscisuko County having one of the lowest property tax rates in the state while maintaining a healthy financial condition,” Teghtmeyer said. He considers the role of the county council not to dictate the use of taxpayer funds but to act on budgetary requests presented to it. He said his goal has always been to carefully consider the value of all financial requests as they relate to the wellbeing of the county. Teghtmeyer said he also has a stake in the economic wellbeing of the county as an appointee to the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commissionn, working with local communities to maintain and improve the availability of good careers for citizens. He said he has also encouraged the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Commissionn to provide funds for walkway and bike path projects, which he wants to see continue. Teghtmeyer sees four main challenges to the county, from budgets to drugs. Budgeting for government services during poor economic conditions and uncertain revenue streams, requires attention, innovative ideas, and continued cooperation from county office holders, he said, while an increasing cost of maintaining the county’s 1,200 miles of paved roads with decreasing revenue from the gas tax means supplementing the budget from other revenue sources He also said with Kosciusko’s lakes and agricultural and industrial heritage, officials shouldn’t become complacent about economic development. And he spoke of the burden on the county sheriff’s department and courts from illegal drugs, a fight that he said needs council support.
