By Caleigh Byrer
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — The deadline to file for the Wawasee School Board of Trustees passed on Friday, Aug. 26. There are now five overall candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot, resulting in a race for District 1 and District 3.

The last to file were Neil Likens, 8163 E. Backwater Road, North Webster, who has filed for the District 1 seat; and Brian E. Weideman, 2968 E. LaPoint Drive, Milford,who has filed for the District 3 seat.

Likens will be running against Heather Coy for the District 1 seat.

Weideman will be running against Steven Baut for the District 3.

Andy Cripe, District 2

Andy Cripe will be unopposed for the District 2 seat.

Likens filed for the District 1 seat on Aug. 26. He is a husband and father of three Wawasee School Corporation students. Likens and his wife, Megan, are also small business owners within the school district.

Likens himself was born and raised in the Wawasee community, as were many generations of his family. He has dedicated his life to public service as an EMT and fireman and he is currently a Detective Sergeant with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.

Likens currently serves on the Board of Directors for Lakeland Youth Center and recognizes the importance of what they are doing for the youth in the community. He believes that, for the youth of today to succeed, they need to be taught strong family values, provided with a quality education and have a community of strong leaders standing behind them. Likens is also conscious of the financial aspect of the board and plans to work hard to conservatively spend school tax dollars.

With Likens’ experience in law enforcement, he is confident he can provide practical solutions to keep children safe within community schools. Likens presents his candidacy and future plans through the statement, “investing in today’s youth for tomorrow’s leaders.”

Weideman filed for the District 3 seat on Aug. 23. He and his wife, Theresa, have been a part of the community for 19 years. Weideman has two children who attended Milford School and graduated from Wawasee High School. They have now graduated college and started their professional careers.

He is very involved in the community, as he is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion in Syracuse, two organizations that provide donations and scholarships for Wawasee students. Over the past year, Weideman has been attending the school board meetings to understand the inner workings of the board and their relations with the Wawasee superintendent and administration.

Weideman’s goals are to be a part of the responsible distribution of taxpayer dollars and improving standardized testing scores. “We need to make sure the Wawasee staff have the resources that will allow the students to grow and be a part of the community and eventually be a part of the workforce.”