Jason Zaugg, right, was selected in a GOP caucus on Monday, Oct. 21, to replace Rick Swaim, who stepped down from his Ward 5 seat after more than eight years. Shaking Zaugg’s hand is Kosciusko County GOP Chair Mike Ragan.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — Jason Zaugg is the newest member of the Winona Lake Town Council.

Zaugg, 45, was sworn onto the council on Monday, Oct. 21, after being chosen by a GOP caucus at Winona Lake Town Hall to replace Rick Swaim.

Swaim opted to step down from the governing body after more than eight years, with his resignation official on Oct. 1.

Zaugg is representing Ward 5, which covers the Southtown area of Winona Lake.

Also running for a chance to replace Swaim were Paul Heaton, Sarah Hill and Scott Wickens.

Each candidate spoke for three minutes Monday on why they were running and what their qualifications were.

Zaugg noted he moved to Winona Lake when he was 5.

“I’ve lived here 35 of my 45 years. I left briefly for work and came back to raise my family,” he said.

Zaugg has been married to Jen Zaugg for 22 years, and they have two kids: an Indiana Wesleyan University freshman and a Warsaw Community High School senior.

“I am very aware … of what Winona Lake has been and what it has grown into and what it has the potential to be moving forward,” he said.

Zaugg said he never considered running for office before.

“I had to prayerfully consider this particular situation,” he said. “I felt like the timing was right, and I want to be a part of the solution. I want to help our town moving forward.”

Zaugg previously served on the local United Way’s Vision Council, helping decide how money should be distributed, and was a Kosciusko Leadership Academy board member.

He is a volunteer worship leader at his church, Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, and is involved with Kosciusko County Velo and 2nd Mile Adventures.

Zaugg works for Community Health Systems and got his Master of Business Administration from Grace College.

“I care about people. I see the best in people, and I want to bring out the best in people,” he said. “I’m a developer … I care about our community. I feel that my nonprofit experience has helped me learn to be a good steward of the limited and valuable resources that people contribute, including our tax dollars.”

“I care about character. Respect, honesty, humility and integrity, those are the ways that I strive to conduct myself and how I try to interact with others, and my faith compels me to do that,” said Zaugg.

It took several rounds of voting for Zaugg to be selected. Those voting in the caucus Monday included precinct leaders Travis Trump for Wayne 1; Kathy Keirn for Wayne 2; Bruce Shaffner for Wayne 3; Lisa Sands for Wayne 4; and Joe Hawn for Wayne 10.

Zaugg ended up beating out Heaton in the last round of voting with the other candidates eliminated in prior rounds.

He told media representatives after the caucus he was “excited” to join the council.

“I know there’s a lot of work that the town has to do. I’m looking forward to learning very quickly and being able to offer a lot of support to the rest of the council members and doing what I can to contribute,” said Zaugg.

“There’s a generation of people that have kind of started stepping back from leading the community, and I felt like it’s time for people in my generation to step forward and really do their part to support the community and be engaged,” he said.