Traditional Biography

How can you know me and what sort of county councilor I would be?

Maybe my "history" will help answer those questions. I'll tell you about myself as a member of the community, and also about my personal and professional work that relates to the job of councilor.

First, my history of community service shows my long commitment to Monroe County. A year after buying our farm in 1972, my husband and I learned that the MCCSC was going to close our local school in Kirksville. I jumped into community issues. That venerable old school was one of the reasons we moved to Indian Creek Township, and our young daughter, like the other children of our area, would be sent to a distant school after a very long bus ride. Many people were hesitant to speak up about the impact this change would bring to families and the community, but I was not at all reluctant to speak out. Others soon joined in! While we were not able to keep our school in Kirksville, we did ensure that our voices and concerns would continue to be heard in the planning for the new school.

I was on the PTO at Lakeview and served on the county-wide PTO Council. I worked with Girl Scouts, was on various MCCSC Board committees, and advised County Parks about the former county-supported park in Kirksville at the site of the closed school. In our rural community, I was appointed to the Board of the Volunteer Fire Department in 1986 and served terms as President and Secretary. I continue to serve the Indian Creek Fire Fighters Volunteer Fire Department as a member of the auxiliary.

My first local "political experience" came in 1994. I had become concerned about the turn of township government and ran for and was elected to a seat on the Township Board. I have served in this capacity ever since, being reelected in 1998, 2002, and 2006. I helped develop the Community Association that sponsored events for all ages (Easter egg hunts, a summer community festival "Good-Neighbor Day," a Trick-or-Treat Village, and "Santa in the Park"). Township government changed in the last election with new elected officials. For me, it has continued to be an interesting experience as I work to achieve good things for our rural area: our own township-supported park, and above all, centrally based fire protection and fast response for medical emergencies.

More than 15 years experience on the Township Board has taught me that listening to constituents is the key to good governance. My service on the Township Board has provided me with a solid knowledge of government budgeting and fund accounting. This budget experience augments my decades of research project-budgeting and management. I know how to analyze pertinent data, select the course of action best supported by research, scope out the personnel costs and ancillary expenses that are needed to meet goals, and balance the equation.

As a Monroe County Councilor, I will continue to advocate for open, transparent government, citizen participation, and a local government that is accessible to the public, because I know how important this is to residents. At times my commitment to accessibility has entailed tracking down and making available government records to which other community members who feel they have been denied access or made uncomfortable because of their request. This led me to put up a Web site to post township government records that people could not get copies of from the township trustee.

Beyond the township, I have served the public at the county level for more than nine years. I am on the County Historic Preservation Board, where I continue to serve as chairman. This Historic Preservation Board has a number of achievements: promoting long-term protection of historic districts, taking diligent steps to protect some of our most important historic sites from impacts that I-69 will bring, promoting tourism in the county, and working to educate our community and young citizens about their cultural heritage.

I have decided to expand my role in public service and seek a seat on the County Council because I finally have the time to handle the extensive reading, consulting, and analysis required to be a councilor. Recently, my professional work has become more focused on writing and far less on out-of-town research. I now have time to attend the many meetings required by the council and to talk with the people of our district. The important job of councilor deserves no less.

On a personal level, my biography is basically a chronology. I grew up in southern Arizona, graduated from the University of Arizona, then went to graduate school at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), where I met my husband, Patrick. After Illinois, we briefly lived in Pittsburgh, had a daughter there, and then moved to Bloomington in 1971. With much hope, and of course some trepidation, we purchased our farm in the spring of 1972, moving to Indian Creek Township to live the "good life" in one of the most beautiful places in Indiana and the whole of the Midwest.

Like many young couples, Pat and I both worked to buy our property. We grew almost everything we ate (also feeding some of our students and the needy) and, being just amazed by all the grass that grew and grew, I started a herd of whiteface cattle, beginning with five old cows. For a time, I even milked a Hereford–until Pat got me a more cooperative Holstein!

Our family grew with the birth of a son. The number of cows grew, too, but after several years my work often took me out of town and made it hard to balance home and farm. The cattle went away, replaced by 4-H projects (horses, sheep, and swine), Girl Scouts, choir, children's theatre, basketball, and football.

Both of our children went through school at Lakeview, Batchelor, and Bloomington South (classes of 1988 and 1992), and then IU and University of Indianapolis–respectively, Jennifer and Ted. Years later, some people still know me only as 'Jen's mom,' or 'Teddy's mom,' and I treasure these connections. Jen and Ted no longer live in Bloomington, but keep connected to many friends from their youth. Recently, our family has grown again; we now have two granddaughters (and we're not done yet)!

In 2007, I was appointed to the County Plan Review Committee, which examines new developments that require zoning changes. This committee works with project sponsors to resolve issues that could impede development. We also consider changes in plans and statutes. One of our most controversial issues involved vacation-rental homes, and how best to balance business interests with the needs of neighbors living near these short-term rentals.

My professional work as an archaeologist has focused on prehistoric Native American cultures and the eastern U.S. My favorite research topic is the peoples and cultures of Indiana just before the disruptions brought by European settlement. Much of my work, however, has involved identifying, evaluating, and rescuing significant archaeological sites of all time periods from 12,000 B.C. to A.D. 1900–that would be by modern developments or other forces (looting, erosion). This work has given me decades of experience planning and managing grant and contract budgets, and working within budgets.

As part of service in my profession, I have testified on multiple occasions to federal and state government committees and advised on details of legislation protecting archaeological sites, cemeteries, and burial grounds, as well as preservation of historic buildings.

My community and professional experience makes me well prepared to be an advocate for the citizens of District 2 with the county, and for the county with the state. I am ready to make the tough budget decisions required of a councilor. I would be honored to receive your vote and serve you on the County Council.