ISSUES AND PLATFORM

Fiscal Responsibility & Tax Relief: St. Joseph County residents deserve a government that lives within its means and works to reduce their tax burden. As Council President, I’ve focused on paying down long-term obligations, cutting debt-based spending, and renegotiating contracts where possible. These efforts, including those completed or still underway, are projected to reduce budgeted obligations by more than $5 million annually. I will continue pursuing every available tool to drive down the County’s property tax rate.

Strategic Investment & Quality of Life: Strong communities attract families and businesses. The two are inseparable, with quality of life investments driving economic development, and economic development funding qualify of life improvements. My focus is on creating conditions that make St. Joseph County a place people choose to move to, stay in, and build in. That means pursuing targeted investments in our community’s amenities, infrastructure, and livability rather than waiting for growth to happen on its own.

Principled Policy & Operational Discipline: Good governance rarely makes headlines. It happens through carefully written resolutions and ordinances that set consistent fiscal policy, streamline departmental operations, and plan for major capital expenditures years in advance. I’m committed to building the institutional frameworks that allow county government to find savings, reduce redundancy, and remain resilient through economic uncertainty – because the boring work of policy is what makes everything else possible.

A Competitive, High-Performing Workforce: County government can only serve residents well if it can attract and keep talented people. That means aligning compensation with private-sector market rates – not as unchecked spending, but as a deliberate investment in service quality. Turnover is expensive and disruptive. Getting the correct people in the correct roles, and keeping them, makes government more efficient and delivers better value to taxpayers.

Accountability & Trust: Everything above points to the same outcome: a county government that earns back public trust by delivering results residents can see and measure. That means improved bond ratings that reflect our financial discipline on a national stage, a declining property tax rate, and a community that experiences better services at a lower cost. I’m committed to transparent, respectful governance where every voice at the table is heard and every decision is made with the long-term interests of our residents in mind.