By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Two candidates are vying to represent Kosciusko County Council District 3 in the upcoming election. Republican Anthony “Tony” Ciriello is going up against Libertarian candidate David Lewis.

Ciriello currently serves as the elected coroner of Kosciusko County. In addition to his coroner duties, Ciriello is the business manager for Mishler Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Milford, as well as the business manager for Heritage Monument Company. He holds an Indiana insurance license in life insurance and assists families with funeral pre-planning.

Prior to joining Mishler’s, Ciriello retired from a 34-year career in law enforcement, most recently serving as chief of police for the Syracuse Police Department. He started his law enforcement career as an arson investigator for the State of Indiana before joining the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, where he served in numerous capacities during his tenure, including patrol officer, supervisor, detective, narcotics officer, D.A.R.E. officer and field training officer.

Ciriello holds a certification as a medicolegal death investigator and is also a Center for Disease Control certified infant death investigator/instructor. For the last 23 years he has served as director of training and education for the Indiana State Coroners Training Board and for 24 years served as a deputy coroner.

Lewis and his family have lived in the Warsaw area for about 10 years. His youngest son was born in Kosciusko County and he and his wife, who is a local real estate agent, enjoys serving on the PTO, the local Optimist club and coaching youth sports.

Lewis served in the military for four years, with tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he served as an artillery officer.

After moving to Warsaw, Lewis entered the orthopedic industry. He is a Certified Lean Practitioner and has run successful businesses for various sized industries for well over 15 years.

Lewis sees politics as not something to take an interest in, but something that is a part of everyone’s duty to the community. He believes people don’t really have the right to complain about the political circumstances if they are not willing to participate in the process. He decided to run for county council because there is a revolving door of the same faces serving in local government, but very little seems to be improving over the years.

Both candidates were asked “What is the biggest challenge currently facing Kosciusko County?”

Ciriello: “The biggest challenge we face today is economic uncertainty and rising inflation. With rising inflation both consumers and country government suffer. Material cost increases make it impossible to accurately budget for capital improvements, infrastructure projects, the purchase of needed vehicles, heavy equipment, road repairs and resurfacing.

“Additionally, the rise of inflation has brought the cost of housing to an all-time high, which in turn hurts the consumer as it has caused a rise in assessed value of homes, which increases the burden of property taxes paid by the taxpayer.

“The Federal Reserve’s attempts to quell inflation has resulted in a significant raise in interest rates. While the prices in the housing market are dropping slightly, the sharp rise in interest rates are causing homes to be more expensive than ever and properties to be on the market longer.

“Economic indicators point to another recession which could lead to a downturn in property tax collection. This has a direct impact on county budgets and its ability to provide the services to which citizens are accustomed.

“All county departments should be expected to live within the means of their respective budgets. This is something your county council is charged with monitoring to ensure you as a taxpayer are not overburdened. We all feel the pain of inflation and we all must adjust to cope with rising costs. County government must be no different.”

Lewis : “To me, the largest challenge we face in the county is slow growth tied with aging infrastructure. We are not seeing the growth we should for a county with the industrial base we have. Our year-over-year growth rate barely keeps up with the loss rate in a 10-year data period. We need to attract more industry by creating an economic development zone over the whole of Kosciusko County.

“This involves lowering taxes across the board, investing in infrastructure businesses need now and in the future (hi-speed internet, uncongested road systems, improved electric and water grids, etc.) and options to invest in Opportunity Funds; these defer capital gains and other taxes depending on the level of investment. This solution sees us invest in the very things businesses need, all while attracting further industry to our county. Residents win with increased wages, increased retail options and increased property values.”