Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Richard Kemper, 52, Syracuse, announced Thursday he is seeking a fifth term as the Kosciusko County Surveyor.
Kemper, a lifetime Kosciusko County resident and father of a son and stepson, first took office as county coroner in January 1989. Before running for the political office, he was an employee of the county surveyor's office.
Asked why he is seeking re-election, Kemper responded, "I still get enthusiastic about the office. I still think it's interesting."
Plus, he still has some goals to meet.
The biggest is the acquisition of Geographical Positioning System equipment this year.
He said he wants to intensify the section corner perpetuation program. With Kosciusko County being one of the largest counties in the state, there are many corners to cover.
An ongoing goal includes the continuing work of maintaining and regulating county drains.
The county surveyor also sits on the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission. Kemper said this year and for many years to come, the work of the plan commission will be very important. He'd like to see another residential rezoning classification put into place that allows more density and maximizes the size of lots.
"I think we need that," he said.
Agricultural preservation is very important.
"There's things we need to look at."
The county needs to look at restoring the ability of property owners to deed property to their children as an exempted extra sell-off, he said.
With all that, Kemper said the county also needs to keep in mind property rights.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is proposing a lot of new administration rules that affects Kosciusko County in major ways with all the lakes and waterways there are here. Kemper said the surveyor's office needs to stay on top of those because IDEM may get more intensive with those rules in the next couple of years.
Along the way, Kemper said he's been fortunate to work with a great staff and drainage board.
Kemper is a licensed professional land surveyor and a Wawasee High School graduate. He attended Indiana University, Bloomington.
He is a member of the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors; Indiana County Surveyors Association; National Association of County Surveyors; Association of Indiana Counties; American Congress of Surveying and Mapping; North Webster United Methodist Church; and North Webster Community Center board of directors. He has served as a representative for the Indiana County Surveyor's Association to Indiana Geographical Imaging System.
In 1998, he was named the Association of Indiana Counties outstanding county surveyor and received the 1996 Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District environmental enhancement award.
