Know your candidates: Howard County Council

Oct. 31—Each of the four Howard County Council races up for grabs this general election is contested.

Local Republicans are hoping to keep their super majority, while the Democratic Party is hoping to retain its one seat and gain others in the process.

The County Council's primary job is to handle the fiscal affairs of the county, including to approve the county's yearly budget, authorizing the borrowing of money, voting on transfers and additional appropriation requests and more.

Democrat Gary Rhinebarger

Qualifications and Experience: Proud Army veteran; Employed with Stellantis for 29 years, UAW 685 member, and formerly held leadership positions of Trustee and Recording Secretary; Licensed Indiana real estate broker, where I've worked for The Wyman Group and Heartland Real Estate Brokers for 16 years; Currently sit on the board of directors for Haynes Community Credit Union and Howard County Literacy Coalition and have served on the board of directors for Financial Builders Credit Union.

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

I believe in a well staffed, trained and equipped sheriffs department. We have officers that are retiring in the next couple years. And after the grant expires, I feel that it's the council's responsibility to budget that into the sheriffs budget.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

I think it's a bigger issue than just whether to expand the jail or build a new one. I think we need to really sit down with our community leaders, look at all the issues involved with the crowded jail. Whether it be court, work release, new jail or expansion, I think we need to bring everybody to the table and put all these issues out there. Together we can collectively find a solution that will solve the issue.

Incumbent Republican John Roberts

Qualifications and Experience: Have served District 1 since 2010; On the board of directors for the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance, Howard County Extension Advisory Council and county's Personnel Administration Committee; Employed as a skilled tradesman for 28 years at the Stellantis Kokomo Transmission Plant; Owned Roberts Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning from 1986-1994; rental property owner from 1992-2020; Bachelor's degree from Indiana University; Attended ITT Technical Institute for heating, ventilation and air conditioning from 1979-80; '78 graduate of Taylor High School; served on the Indiana Heights Community Association as a board member from 1988-2003 and as its president from 2003-2013.

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

I am for strong well supported law enforcement. Concerning the COPS grant and the five new deputies the COPS Grant partially funds, it's too soon to know whether or not to continue funding after the grant expires in December 2024. The Sheriff's intent for the extra deputies was to start a County Drug Task force. In my opinion the Drug Task Force is still ramping up so we won't have clear data of the effectiveness of the new Drug Task Force until sometime in 2024. We'll get a better look at this issue at that time.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

In Howard County there are two entities that show promise towards lowering the jail's overcrowding. First is the magistrate's court. Staffed with a magistrate judge, a prosecutor and a public defender, it is designed to speed up the processing of low level non-violent lawbreakers who are dealt with by the magistrate before they become a resident of the jail. The magistrate also assist the county's other courts with their backlog with cases caused by the disruption of COVID-19. The Court's backlog contributes to the overpopulation of the jail as many of the jail's inmates are awaiting trial. With the magistrate's help, I anticipate a slow but steady decline in the jail's population.

Secondly, the State of Indiana recently reversed its requirement that all level six felons be held in county Jails instead of the Department of Corrections (D.O.C). As of July 1, Judges are now allowed to sentence Level six felons with a known addiction problem or behavioral issue (most of them) to the Department of Corrections (state prison). With these two actions, the magistrate's court, coupled with the state allowing level six felons be housed in DOC should work towards lowering the jail population.

Democrat

Michelle Martin

Qualifications and Experience: Managed Kokomo Event & Conference Center; board president and secretary of the Kokomo/Howard County Convention and Visitors Bureau; past experience in economic development, event planning and fundraising; Associates degree in professional communications from Ivy Tech; Bachelors in general studies from IU Kokomo; Masters in public management from IU Kokomo.

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

Only if we are understaffed, per national guidelines. We must consider legacy costs such as pensions. I estimate it would cost at least $500,000 a year to keep those 5 officers. Budgets are always tight, so we must prioritize. Public safety and safety of our officers is a high priority. Low staffing contributes to fatigue, less coverage, and more danger to the officers.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

I would be against it. I have never seen or heard of a jail that was too empty. Buildings cost almost the same to manage empty or full. I have done some research on how the sizing of jail facilities is done. It is not a simple process at all. Our community should continue to expand outside services, such as mental health, addiction treatment and homeless resources. Jails are for criminals, period.

Incumbent Republican Frank Faulkner

Qualifications and Experience: Served on the Howard County Board of Zoning Appeals from 2017-22; active member of First Evangelical Presbyterian Church; school board member for Western School Corporation from 1989-2002; active member of the Russiaville Lions Club since 2011; worked 34 years at Delco Electronics/Delph; served in the US Air Force from 1970-74.

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

During our September County Council review of the 2023 budget request for the deputy sheriff positions covered by the general fund, the council budgeted for 23 Sheriff deputy positions. We also considered the recommendation to convert one deputy slot to a task force coordinator (supervisory) position but have not yet approved that recommendation until that specific proposal is presented to, reviewed and approved by the County Personnel Administrative Committee (PAC) Team. The 2023 funding for these 23 sheriff deputies, (or possibly 22 deputies plus one task force coordinator) is basically in accordance with the request from Sheriff Jerry Asher.

I believe Sheriff Jerry Asher has appropriately and sufficiently identified the total number of deputies needed for the 2023 budget year. Regarding future deputy staffing decisions, I will continue to learn from and rely on Sheriff Asher's experience and judgement in conjunction with the experiences of other County Council members and the staffing recommendations from the county PAC team. I believe public safety and a positive sense of personal security are important and highly valued quality of life factors for the citizens of Howard County and for the people who visit and work in Howard County. In short... public safety, personal protection and the security of personal property are important concerns and definitely matter. I believe in analyzing county government needs carefully and typically following the PAC team recommendations while keeping budget approvals within our means.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

The average ongoing jail population and the gender mix of the jail population is a very important issue for all of the Howard County Criminal Justice stakeholders. It is an important subject for many Indiana counties. I've recently learned (from Sheriff Jerry Asher) the county jail, which is approximately 30 years old, now has 364 fixed beds and the jail population in mid-October is approximately 459 people. Of that 459 total population approximately 109 (24%) are female. So various criminal justice stakeholders in Howard County are well aware of this situation and several temporary measures have been applied — including developing procedures and a facility for people sentenced by the courts to work release programs.

Any future decision(s) about expanding the county jail or building a new jail must be driven by current and appropriate data which addresses a variety of factors including:

* Mental health or drug addiction issues of county jail "frequent fliers."

* Delays in pre-trial detainee processing.

* Delays in processing cases through the courts.

* Root causes for individual recidivism.

Incumbent Democrat

Donnie Haworth

* Qualifications and Experience: Currently a member if the Howard County Council; 10 years on the Kokomo Common Council; 4 years on the Center Township Board; 40 years as an employee at Dan's Donuts and Bakery

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

I am very aware that adding these positions means less money for other county expenses. However, nothing is more important than the safety of our county residents. When this issue comes before the council I will have an open mind and listen to the sheriff's recommendations, then work with my fellow council members to plan how we can meet his department's needs.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

We cannot just build a new jail every 40 years. For every person we put in our jail, the taxpayers assume the cost of their food, housing and healthcare. I think we need to explore other solutions for nonviolent criminals. Things like drug treatment, mental health interventions, work release programs, and cash bail options might be a more effective way to reduce our jail population. If after considering other options we still have a need, I would favor adding onto the existing jail before building a new one.

Republican Tim Cuthbert

Qualifications and Experience: More than 20 years' experience managing people and budgets

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

I strongly agree with having the correct number of law enforcement officers. We need to figure out a way to absorb the cost. We can expect some growth and the battery factory coming is going to work in our favor. I think it is simply how we disperse the budget, no different than your home budget. If you have an appliance failure, you may need to make priorities and adjustments to what is most important. What needs to be moved around in order to achieve the goal, that goal being able to keep our community safe. Our area like most other areas have a drug problem. That problem is not going away, and we need the appropriate number of deputies to keep themselves and our county safe.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

Incarceration is a result not the problem. The problem is making bad decisions. We are all one bad decision away from being an inmate ourselves. Law enforcement's job is to arrest people that break the law. You can't tell them to stop arresting people. I know there has been some added personnel to hopefully expedite the court process but I think we need to dig into what is causing the problem, why did they make the bad choice. In order to change a behavior, you need to change the environment. We can dig into our existing programs, explore others, promote and educate about our current organizations and identify the largest reasons people are committing crimes. If it's a mental health issue, then we need to engage with the state for funds to be appropriated to mental health issues.

I heard recently the jail peaked at 493 inmates in a 362-bed facility. I don't believe the inmates should feel like they are at the Hilton but we owe them a safe clean environment, and an overcrowded jail is not a safe environment for inmate or our employees. Is overcrowding a problem? Yes. Should we add on or build new? The answer will be learned when the due process of research is done and evaluated to see what the best option is. In the meantime we should be working on the problem (why did you choose to break the law) and help change the environment for them and their generations to come.

Democrat

Cidnee Ward

Qualifications and Experience: Over a decade working in public education, many committees, including budgeting and bargaining. Work in our local union and recently more exclusively with the ISTA. LIFE Event Board, budgeting and planning meetings and events multiple times a year. Recovery Ministry leader, balancing people, budgets and programs.

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

I think we should use our best efforts to keep our newly hired officers and continue to hire more if we are able. Whether that means finding money in the budget or applying for another grant, we need to ensure we are keeping public safety a priority. Not only does it strengthen our community, but we need to be able to take care of our public servants as well.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

Working in recovery, we hear a lot about the current jail situation. What we're hearing is that the condition itself is not bad, just that they need more space. I don't think that it would be in the community's best interest to build a whole new facility. Funding should be put towards expansion and some upgrades. By doing this, there could be funds reallocated for "wrap-around care" to address the cycle of our inmates. We could help provide preventative care, in-house rehabilitation and transitional programs. We need to see people getting better, not just cycling in and out. Additional funding could help put us on this route. Just jailing someone for their offense doesn't fix the problem.

Incumbent Republican Bryan Alexander

Qualifications and Experience: Over 38 years as a high school English teacher; Eight years (two terms) on the Northwestern School Board; Currently finishing first term on the Howard County Council

In 2020, the county council approved the hiring of 5 new deputies through the COPS grant. Soon, the council will have to decide whether or not continue funding those positions. Should it and why?

When I ran for this office four years ago, I stated that public safety would be a priority for me, so when we had the opportunity to hire up to five new deputies through the COPS grant, I argued for hiring all five because we could hire these officers for a lower cost to the county than what we otherwise would have been able to do.

By taking complete advantage of the COPS grant opportunity, we were able to maximize savings to county taxpayers while increasing the number of deputies that we can put on the streets.

We hear so much today about "defunding the police," and we can see how that's been working out. Crime is completely out of control in many parts of the county, but I will always support law enforcement, and when this grant runs out, I will absolutely support continuing to fund these positions.

The Howard County Jail is consistently above its bed capacity. The idea of expanding the jail or possibly building a new one has been floated but has not gained any traction. What is your opinion on the issue?

This is an issue that we've been facing for some time now. Building a new jail is obviously expensive, and it's not my preferred option, but it is an option that must remain on the table.

We've been working hard to find ways to reduce the jail population. Those with addictions and mental health issues account for a huge percentage of our jail population, and as a community we have developed both public and private programs to provide addiction and mental health services for those struggling with those issues. Our problem solving courts are doing excellent work, as are the various treatment facilities we now have in the county.

We also have both the male and female work release programs up and running, and we have added a magistrate court designed to move people more quickly through the system after they are arrested.

All of this has helped to keep the jail population from completely exploding. Unfortunately, it has not reduced the jail population.

So while we will continue to work to find ways to try to reduce the jail population, building a new jail remains on the table. Unfortunately, I think it's something that we are going to have to take a very serious look at.