The Action Plan

Every pledge here exists for one reason: to help keep your taxes low, your government honest, and your family's future in Huntington County secure.

Transparency

Quarterly contract summaries: I will ask the County Auditor or Administrative Coordinator to pull all vendor payments over $10,000 each quarter. I will personally compile those into a one‑page PDF or simple spreadsheet showing vendor name, purpose, award date, and whether competing bids were considered. That summary will be posted on the commissioner page on the county website (or my campaign site if the county won't host it), and I will share a link on my social media pages each quarter.

Plain‑language agendas: As a new commissioner, I will introduce a resolution requesting that every agenda item over $5,000 include a one‑sentence plain‑English description and an estimated cost. I will work with the county attorney to draft a template so staff aren't overburdened.

Meeting recaps: I will push to enable automatic transcripts on the county's YouTube channel so anyone can search, skim, or share specific moments without watching the full meeting. Until that is in place, I will send a simple recap email after each meeting to anyone who opts in, no jargon, no spin, just what happened, what it cost, and what comes next.

No corporate tax breaks without public review: Any abatement request gets a plain‑language summary posted online before the vote.

Housing & Farmland

Partner with Thrive35 to turn planning into action: They have launched Phase II of their housing program, unlocking new funding. I will work with them to ensure that funding translates into clear, public targets for new workforce housing units, actual shovels in the ground, and a published timeline for their countywide strategic plan.

My qualifications: Commissioners have legal authority over housing standards. I will complete Purdue Extension's "American Citizen Planner" training and lead with data, not guesses.

Semi‑annual housing briefings: Public updates every February and August, starting with the 30‑plus unit proposal with MBN Properties LLC. If Thrive35 already does semi‑annual reviews, I will add a commissioner work session within 30 days to vote on action items, plus a quarterly permit and pipeline report.

Protect farmland & local control: Any large‑scale solar or wind project goes through the full Plan Commission and public hearing process. I will not support state mandates that override local zoning. Neighbors get a voice; farmers get a fair hearing.

Data centers: Large‑scale data centers raise serious questions about electric grid capacity, water usage, and the loss of farmland. I am not convinced Huntington County is the right place for them. If a proposal ever moves forward, I will make sure it goes through the toughest possible local review, full infrastructure studies, public hearings, and neighbor notification every step of the way.

Smart Spending & Accountability

Here is what I discovered reading through county meeting minutes: residents keep asking for the same information over and over. Not because they are difficult, because the county is not publishing it in the first place.

Every public records request costs staff time and legal review. Getting ahead of those requests saves money. That is smart spending.

Here's what else I will do:

Share services to lower costs: I will initiate regular meetings with city officials, township trustees, neighboring counties, and community stakeholders to identify shared services, equipment purchasing, road salt contracts, IT support, or fleet maintenance. Where one government already buys in bulk, others should be able to buy off the same contract.

Support for fire departments: Many Huntington County townships rely on volunteer fire departments with tight budgets. I will work with township trustees and fire chiefs to explore shared training facilities, joint equipment purchases, and county‑administered grant writing for fire protection grants. No more small departments competing against each other for the same limited dollars.

Work across every level: The county does not work in isolation from townships, cities, or schools, and neither will I. I will work with anyone willing to put residents first: public works, libraries, health departments, and local nonprofits. If working together saves money or improves service, I am at the table.

Public comment follow‑up tracker: After each county meeting, I will publish a one‑page summary of public comments received and my follow‑up actions. When residents speak, they deserve to know what happened next, without having to file a records request to find out.