Councilwoman Kitts-McKibben files for relection

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

Jan. 25—Kokomo City Councilwoman Kara Kitts-McKibben, R-at large, is running for reelection.

Kitts-McKibben filed Tuesday to run for the Republican nomination for the Council's Fifth District, according to the Howard County Clerk's office.

"While great things have been accomplished during this trying economy, it is now time to get us back to where we were years ago," Kitts-McKibben said in a press release posted to her campaign Facebook page. "Our financial resources must be directed towards our city departments. Streets need paved, police and fire need updated equipment, along with more manpower, and the families of Kokomo are consistently requesting park upgrades, allowing them more affordable entertainment."

Kitts-McKibben is currently in her first term as a city councilwoman. During the last three years, she has pushed the city administration on seeking more firefighters and police officers and for more park amenities. She was a proponent of the creation of the Kokomo Ordinance Violations Bureau, which was created to streamline the collection of fines and improve the efficiency of the collection process.

Kitts-McKibben's filing for the Fifth District means she will face Councilman Greg Davis, R-Fifth District, in this May's Republican primary. Davis was chosen by Howard County Republican precinct committee members in August 2021 to fill the vacancy left by Cindy Sanders' resignation after she suffered a stroke.

The contested primary race is so far the third contested Republican primary. Kevin Summers and Crystal Sanburn are both vying for the Republican nomination for the Council's 6th District, and current Councilman David Capshaw will face Jason Acord in the Republican primary for the 1st District.

As of Tuesday, no Democrat has filed to run in the primary for either mayor, city clerk or city council. The deadline to file one's candidacy for any of those races is Feb. 3.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.