Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rob Parker filed Friday for the county council at-large seat vacated Monday by attorney John Barrett.
He is the third person to file following attorney Will Stockdale and local businessman Kyle Tom.
The position became open Monday, Jan. 12 after Barrett’s resignation due to the number of conflicts of interest he would have as a public defender. Barrett was elected by a Republican caucus Jan. 6 to serve on the council after the resignation of DeLynn Geiger, effective Dec. 12, due to his desire to spend more time with family.
In a telephone interview Friday, Parker said he decided to run because, “I believe very strongly that government and democracy runs best when people are willing to step up and lead. It just felt like the right time for me and my family as both of my kids have moved out of the area and that gives me a little more free time, and my commitment and love for this community runs deep and I want to continue to make it the very best community that I possibly can.”
He said it aligns very naturally with his current position at the chamber.
As for any conflicts of interest that may arise, if they do, Parker stated, “The way I see it is I am pro-business and anybody that has a job is business, the way I look at it, and I’m pro everybody in our community, so I don’t see that as a conflict, personally, because we have so many members. We (the chamber) represent probably 93% of the workforce in the county, so from my point of view, I am pro-business.”
He continued, “We serve on different boards and in different capacities, and you need to be able to say, ‘Here is my conflict of interest, here it is,’ and move forward. I think it’s very important to be able to take one hat off and one hat on as you move from one organization to the next. We just live in a community that needs multiple people to step up and lead and I’m willing to do that.”
Serving at the chamber and on numerous boards, Parker said he “absolutely” can put in the time required to serve on the county council.
“In my conversations I believe that there will be time for me to do that without harming my other organizations or other boards. I may have to step back from one or two that are outside of the community, but overall I don’t think that will be a problem at all,” he said.
A lifelong resident of Kosciusko County and a Warsaw Community High School graduate, Parker has been married to Renee for over 30 years and they are parents of two grown, married children. Before joining the chamber 10 years ago, Parker had been with CenturyLink for about 10 years.
He is a Christ follower and attends Warsaw Community Church. He identifies as conservative and pro-life.
He knows everyone else serving on the county council, and while there may be times when he and another member don’t agree on an issue, he said he gets along with all six of them.
“I think being in my role as a chamber (president) gives me the perspective of what we need to help grow this community, grow this county. I may not agree with everyone, but I respect everyone. And hopefully the feeling is mutual,” Parker said. “And I will say this: If the caucus believes the other two candidates are the right ones, I have no hard feelings and I will be 100% behind them because what I want is what’s best for this community and if that’s not me, that’s fine. I want what’s best for Kosciusko County.”
In a provided news release later, Parker said his focus will be on responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, fiscal accountability and sound decision-making that supports families, businesses and future growth across the county.
The Republican caucus for the council seat will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 10 in the old courtroom of the Kosciusko County Courthouse.
The council member shall be elected by a secret ballot of the majority of the voting caucus members to fill the office vacancy. Candidates must reside in Kosciusko County and be a Republican in good standing.
Declarations of candidacy are available at the office of the Kosciusko County Clerk of the Circuit Court, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw, and must be filed with Kosciusko County Republican Party Chairman Mike Ragan no later than 72 hours before the start of the caucus. Ragan’s phone number is 574-265-1430.
Eligible candidates will be allowed a maximum of three minutes to address the voting caucus.
