MY PLATFORM: SENSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR ST. JOSEPH COUNTY
Since being elected in 2009 to the County Council, I have voted for and supported initiatives for a safe, healthy, and sensible St. Joseph County. The County Council performs the fiscal and legislative duties for St. Joseph County and it develops and maintains the County budget and all County ordinances (laws) are initiated with the Council.
The responsibilities of the St. Joseph County Council are vast and quite often new developments will require a shuffling of priorities, so I always work with a strategic approach towards providing the best possible services to all constituents with the resources we have available.
Supporting Safety & Security Professionals
I want to make sure that our public safety professionals, like Sheriff Bill Redman and Prosecutor Ken Cotter, are equipped to keep our communities safe and secure. I will continue to support finding better strategies toward fighting crime and developing effective community-police partnerships.
Promoting Healthy Communities
I want to continue to support our Health Department. Their extraordinarily successful COVID immunization program along with a realistic and moderated approach to restrictions and reopening was well orchestrated and saved the lives of many St. Joseph County residents. Additionally, St. Joseph County recently received a $3M federal grant that the Commissioners vetoed (and the County Council overrode) aimed towards outreach to minority communities that saw disparate impacts from COVID-19 and other health issues like high blood pressure and lead poisoning. The common sense decision by the County Council to accept the grant money to improve the health of our community rather than surrendering to extreme political rhetoric shows what a sensible, deliberative Council can accomplish.
Rebuilding Infrastructure By Utilizing American Rescue Plan Funding
I want to rebuild infrastructure and provide support for some strategic community enhancement projects in St. Joseph County that will provide improved services for our community for generations to come by efficiently and effectively using funds provided by the American Rescue Plan.