2 More Candidates File For Pierceton Council
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Two more candidates are running for seats on the Pierceton Town Council.
Glenn Hall and Eric Trump filed at the Kosciusko County Justice Building on Wednesday, April 26. The two, both running as Republicans and who are married to sisters, join Gordon Baker and Chauncey Smith in trying for the three council seats.
Both chatted with media members before they filed.
This is the first time Hall, 63, has run for public office. He’s lived in Pierceton for more than 35 years.
“I just feel like it’s time for me to get more involved in my community, No. 1,” he said. “No. 2, there are a lot of things happening around us, and I want Pierceton to have strong leadership and a strong voice, particularly as we look at the ProPEL U.S. 30 initiative for coming years. I just want to make sure that we have a voice. I want to make sure that we can try to preserve our family-friendly environment, and at the same time, we want to help our businesses be successful.”
“I know I have a lot to learn about being an elected official for the town council, but I think sometimes that can be helpful because I have no preconceived notions. I just know what I want for our town,” said Hall. “I’ve been a member of the chamber, and as pastor of Harvest Community Church, our church is a member of the chamber. We want to be community-minded and involved in the community, so I hear a lot of things from the folks in the community, and I think I can just be a good voice for them.”
Hall, who also works for Stillwater Hospice and said he has a “background (in) finance and accounting,” is married to Teressa, who works as an administrative assistant in the Whitko Community School Corp. They have two children and five grandchildren.
“We just love the town. We love the people. It’s been such a great place to raise a family, and good, strong Midwestern values, and that’s what I love about it,” said Hall.
Trump, 51, said he’s running for a council position because he’s seeking “to build on the opportunities that Pierceton has being right on (U.S.) 30 close to Warsaw.”
“There’s a lot of businesses that I believe we can continue to bring into town, build that, maybe add some family restaurants too,” said Trump. “(I want) to help to get the town cleaned up with some areas and just try to build on that.”
“I’ve lived in Pierceton for 24 years, but my family … has been there for 200 years,” he said.
Trump previously served on the Whitko Community School Board for four years. He co-pastors Harvest Community Church with Hall and is an accountant for a South Whitley business.
“I’ve gotten some (financial) experience with the school board and then also I worked at the South Whitley library doing their accounting,” said Trump.
He said he was interested in trying to maintain “a steady tax rate.”
“We don’t want to see taxes go up a lot in any way and just continue to grow the town with whatever opportunities we have,” said Trump.
Trump’s wife is Angela, who works at Safe-Way Door. They have three children.
“We just have a real passion for the heart of the community,” said Hall of Trump and himself. “It’s really about the heart of Pierceton and making it a place where people want to come, not only to do business … but to live there to raise their family there.”
For the 2023 election, the filing deadline for positions for all towns in Kosciusko County, save for Warsaw, Winona Lake and Syracuse, is noon Aug. 1.