How do you plan to reach out to constituents about what their needs are?

I’m involved with several community organizations and I attend nearly all of their respective meetings and events. Further, I’m in the Trustee’s office most every day, all day — accessible and responsive to the people of of the Community.

What is the top issue your township is facing and how would you address it as a trustee?

The growth of the Township. The Township sees multiple requests, and approvals for, new development. I’m a member of the Decatur Township Civic Council, and its Land Use Committee. This allows me to be aware of these potential developments at a very early stage. I provide concerns of township government, such as from the fire department to developers to address. Likewise, I provide the information to the respective staff of the Township, so that we can plan and prepare for the development coming to the Township.

Should township government be consolidated, or should specific services be consolidated, to better manage resources and save taxpayer money?

We’ve proactively taken steps to improve the services that we provide. The Wayne and Decatur Township fire departments have partnered to share resources in many ways. One example is the the sharing of duties of the departments’ fire investigation units. However, forced consolidation of government almost always results in increased bureaucracy, inefficiency, and lessened services. I recall Senate Bill 54, 2024 (SB 54, 2024) that, if passed, would have meant the forced consolidation of some governmental services provided by Pike, Wayne, and Decatur Townships with other governmental entities. As a result of the public’s input at the bill’s hearing, by people from all three townships, SB 54, 2024 didn’t even receive a vote by the Senate Committee which heard the proposed legislation. That testimony made it clear that the citizens of these townships recognize that forced consolidation results in lessened services. Additionally, forced consolidation of government too often results in the removal of local elected officials that should serve as voices in government for the constituents of their communities.

Considering the expected declines in revenue because of property tax cuts, how would you manage your office’s budget?

As we’ve always done: we make sure purchases are for needs and not just wants; we ask, will, and if so, how, the purchase will be a benefit and/or save money; we proactively seek cost savings such as requesting rate guarantees in service agreements; and frankly, as we look to revenue streams being lessened, we’ve explained to employees that lean times are expected and that they need to be prepared for further tough decisions that result because of those times.

How would you improve residents’ access to township assistance?

We’ve implemented online submission of township assistance applications as well as the required supporting documentation of those applications.