By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — The race for Fulton County Council is contested for the Tuesday, May 7, primary.

Four GOP candidates are seeking to be elected to the three available at-large seats.

Incumbent Steven Fishburn is running alongside three newcomers: Patty Geier, Matthew Finke and Barry Baldwin.

Each provided some background information on themselves and the answers to two questions posed by The Shopping Guide News of Fulton County.

Barry Baldwin — “I’m a 36-year resident of Fulton County. I’ve been married to my wife Linda for 39 years and have one son, Bryce, who lives in Chicago. We are members of the Fulton Baptist Temple and truly love Fulton and the people who live here.

I graduated from Ball State University in 1983 with a degree in corporate finance and a minor in accounting. I am the owner/CEO of Baldwin and Company (a tax, accounting, payroll and business services company) where I have worked all of my career.

Baldwin Accounting began in 1963 with my father, and I assumed ownership in 1999. We currently have offices in Rochester and Logansport.

My 41 years of experience working with diverse individuals and businesses in all aspects of tax, accounting and finance will make positive contributions to the financial health of Fulton County. I know that my experience and knowledge in these fields will be a beneficial contribution to the council, and I look forward to helping out with what I am most qualified to do: finances and problem solving.”

Matthew Finke — “I was born and raised in Columbus and graduated from Columbus East High School in 2000. I went on to enroll and graduate from Purdue University in 2006, during which time I would meet Renell Calloway, whom I have been fortunate to be married to for almost 21 years.

We moved back to the Macy area after I graduated, and in 2013, we moved to Fulton County and have called it home ever since. Together we have four children: Marshall, who is 19 and studying to be a machinist at Ivy Tech in Kokomo, Alexa, who is 17 and a Caston senior who has been accepted to Purdue to study pharmacy in the fall, Kane, who is almost 16 and a sophomore at Caston, and Deacon, who is 8 and a second grader at Caston.

We have always been exceptionally family-oriented, and you can usually find us at one Caston sporting event or another. Our family is also very active in Fulton County 4-H, where we have been fortunate enough to be able to interact and grow with some of the best families Fulton County has to offer.

I currently work as a field service engineer for Garmin International where I support RV manufacturers who use Garmin digital switching equipment in their campers. Prior to Garmin, I was a helicopter mechanic for Memorial MedFlight, Lutheran Air and Parkview Samaritan. I am also currently serving in my first term as an advisory board member for Union Township.”

Steven Fishburn — “I am Steven (Fish) Fishburn and running for reelection for Fulton County Council At-Large. I was raised on our family farm a couple miles west of Argos. I graduated from Argos High School.

After graduation, I was employed by the Town of Argos’ Utilities for 15 years, and for 13 of which, I was superintendent of the water department, giving me a lot of experience with local government finance and budgets.

My wife Cindy and I will have been married for 43 years in June. We have three wonderful kids, 10 grandkids and eight great-grandkids. I am a firm believer in family values and supporter of Right to Life!

In 1986, we moved to Fulton County where we have resided ever since. From 2010 until 2020, I was employed with the Fulton County Highway Department, giving me a lot of knowledge about how the county works. In 2020, I ran for and was elected to the Fulton County Council.

I am a lifelong conservative Republican. I love my country and am a firm believer in our Lord Jesus and the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States of America.

I am a lifelong supporter of our service men and women, first responders and their families, and I believe in honoring all our veterans and fallen heroes. I am a proud member of the Fulton County Veterans Honor Guard.”

Patty Geier — “I grew up in the Fletcher’s Lake area. I attended Caston and graduated with honors in 1994. I went on to obtain my bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University.

I have worked in banking and management. I previously worked for the Caston School system and for the past six years have worked as a bus driver for Rochester Schools. My family and I reside on our family farm just outside of Grass Creek where my husband and I own and operate a small retail business.

My qualifications for county council are: I have business budgeting and management experience through past jobs and now with my own business. Since January, I have attended every council meeting so that I can gain first hand experience and be knowledgeable on current county issues. I have also attended the commissioners’ meetings, including the special meeting called for the publication of the last four numbers of county employees’ Social Security numbers. I attended the meeting with the attorney general to discuss county matters. I attended tax increment financing training and have attended legislative breakfasts.

This is a role that I would be dedicated to for the progression of Fulton County.”

The following are candidates’ responses to questions:

“What areas do you feel the county could reduce expenditures?”

Baldwin — “I would have to give the same answer that I give to all tax questions I receive. That answer would be ‘depends.’

I am not specifically aware of any programs that need cut or reduced. I would say that current programs should be evaluated and their value or importance to Fulton County as a whole should be a deciding factor on any possible cuts. I am opposed to waste or funding a project that does not benefit the majority.”

Finke — “I think this is a much more complicated question to answer than what it initially appears to be. In order to say where expenditures should be cut, I think you need to closely look at where money has been increased or allocated over the past couple years.

We need to look at expenditures line by line and see the percent increase of each of those line items in relation to previous years. If an expense has grown disproportionately in relation to the amount of revenue the county has brought in, then those items should be the first ones looked at to possibly reduce.

I am under the impression that any budgeted money a department receives that goes unused is returned to the county’s general fund, so encouraging departments to spend money wisely to leave that extra at the end of the fiscal year could be beneficial in funding the ambulance service.

Most departments are responsible and do put off making a big purchase of something they need or something that will help their department until the end of the fiscal year, and that is perfectly acceptable, especially if the purchase helps improve the way the department can perform its function.

However, if there is money allocated that is being spent recklessly, that’s an area we can definitely reclaim. If the citizens of Fulton County are expected to tighten their belts, then so should the county government, and expenditures need to be examined a little more closely and not just rubber-stamped.”

Fishburn — “We, the county council, do our best to keep county expenses (taxpayer dollars) as low as possible while keeping our roads in good shape and our first responders equipped and funded to keep our county as safe as possible.”

Geier — “Without having knowledge of working budgets, I don’t feel that this is a question that I could answer with any accuracy. I can tell you that I would look at the budgets and the needs of the departments and work with department heads to reduce expenditures and prioritize needs to keep departments running smoothly.”

“What are your thoughts on implementing a special LIT (local income tax) to pay for EMS in Fulton County?”

Baldwin — “Any increase in taxes is always the last consideration for me. I believe that other solutions are available if you look hard enough.

It is my understanding the immediate EMS problem has a temporary solution on the table. However, a more permanent solution needs to be found, and this is one major issue that I would concentrating on if elected.”

Finke — “Generally speaking, I’m opposed to tax increases, especially if there aren’t offsetting tax decreases somewhere. In this instance, however, I do feel like a LIT to cover EMS coverage for Fulton County is necessary.

While not every resident of Fulton County may ever need emergency medical services, it needs to be there if they do. Accidents do not discriminate, so whether you need it or not, it needs to be available. I firmly believe in the concept of neighbors talking care of neighbors, and this is one of those cases.

The cost of the LIT increases is way cheaper than the loss of a loved one. Additionally, we should be doing our due diligence to research, find and exhaust every available grant that may be available to help ease the financial burden of covering the county’s ambulance service.”

Fishburn — “No one on the county council ever wants to increase taxes, but we want every citizen of Fulton County to have access to quick medical emergency response. We sometimes have to make hard decisions for the good of all.”

Geier — “Nobody likes having taxes raised, including myself. With that being said, going off of what the current council has stated, they have no choice but to increase local income tax to pay for a service that is a need for the community.”