Martha for Mayor!

From the very first time I met Martha Lake, I was struck by her upbeat, optimistic attitude. I was only a kid and I had no idea how much she was doing here in Kokomo. All I knew was that she was an incredibly kind person with a sunny personality.

Today as we talked, I was thankful that a woman who values her duty to God and country, has taken fiscal accountability seriously, and has actively supported our community would take the plunge and run for Mayor of Kokomo. Martha knows Kokomo extremely well, having spent all but 9 months of her life here. She’s served as Howard County Auditor for 11 years and has enthusiastically supported the local prolife cause.

She is an incredible role model and a fantastic choice for Kokomo’s next mayor!

To learn more about Martha, check out the Tribune’s coverage of her campaign announcement as well as her announcement itself:

Good evening: I am Martha Lake and I am declaring my candidacy for Mayor of Our City of Firsts, Kokomo, Indiana. I believe that a great city is measured by the quality of the lives of the people who live in it.

Now is the time for proven leadership to take on the City’s toughest challenges and win! That’s what I will do if elected your mayor.

I grew up in Alto, Indiana, which in the last few years has been made a part of the City of Kokomo thru annexation. I have lived all but the first nine months of my life, right here in Howard County. I have lived on the southwest side of downtown Kokomo since 1976. I love this town and every neighborhood in it.

Here I learned that what matters is not your name, or how much money you have, but what you get done and, especially, how you do it. It’s where I have learned that you get more done when you work with people rather than against them.
But… it is where I also learned that you must be prepared to take on tough fights, and make a real difference in people’s lives, when it matters most.

My dad worked at Continental Steel for 35 years. I learned something very fundamental from my dad… hard work matters, people matter. I am proud of my siblings and I honor my parents and all they taught me. My children live in this town as well as my grandchildren. I have a vested interest in making sure we not only survive, but we thrive! Most of you have that same vested interest!

Five times, the people of this city and county have by their votes entrusted me with two of the most important jobs of this community. Currently, I am serving my third term and starting my eleventh year as County Auditor. Auditor comes with the title and responsibility of the Chief Financial Officer of Howard County. I take this position very seriously, as I should! Over the years we have maintained perfect SBOA audits and made timely property tax distribution to all Howard County taxing entities.

I have also served eight years as County Treasurer, billing and collecting property taxes and working with our tax payers. I have many contacts statewide who are always available to help us with local issues. They are just a phone call or email away. In 2011 I was also chosen by my County Treasurer peers across the state to be County Treasurer of the Year. Both positions have given me unique preparation for the position I seek today.

As both Auditor and Treasurer, my proudest accomplishment has been to stand up for Kokomo property owners and try to stop the city from raising property taxes. I was also instrumental as treasurer in giving money back to our taxpayers almost $900,000 when we received an unanticipated refund, due to a state error on our local income tax distributions.

My service as both Auditor and Treasurer has taken on powerful interest on behalf of all of the people of Kokomo. I am proud of my record….but I can’t be finished yet! As mayor I would work harder than ever in an exciting new position which offers new opportunities to bring new ideas and positive changes to this community.

Also, as mayor, my highest priority is the safety of our people. This starts with establishing respect and appreciation for our police officers, fire fighters and all public safety personnel. It means that all necessary and involved parties are brought to the table when community decisions are being made. It also means making sure that our newly annexed areas are protected as was promised… And… as is required by law. Having sufficient emergency manpower and equipment is essential.

Emergency vehicles must be easily available, well maintained and dependable. We are blessed with professional, dedicated law enforcement officers, fire fighters, dispatchers and EMA volunteers. These people need to receive the right tools, trustworthy support, and positive reinforcement and recognition to help them do their jobs effectively and efficiently. They do not take their responsibilities lightly and neither should we. Every day, their lives are at stake and so are the lives of our loved ones and even our own lives as well.

Next, we need to provide a secure and varied foundation for our young people. We need to help them flourish as they grow up and provide a stable base so that they have the option to continue to live, work and play right here when they become adults. We have the best youth in the state of Indiana. These students are prize winners and scholars. They are smart, talented, hardworking and motivated. We need to offer them the opportunities and challenges that they are moving elsewhere to find. We have great educational facilities. We need great jobs. We need to grow our population from within, not artificially by involuntary annexation of outer county limits. We need to be so attractive to those living outside our community that they want to come here to live.

Many new small businesses have been started here and we are proud and appreciative. However, we need to go after larger businesses too. Those which involve and/or explore technology, research and development, production, manufacturing, service and professional jobs and other new solid entrepreneur opportunities. We have empty buildings that need to be filled and others that need quality renovations. Surely with the right initiatives we can resurrect and bring back to life these needy areas of our City. And, fill them with permanent jobs or make them permanent homes for our people.

We have beautiful trails and we are proud of the quality of life they bring us. However, what is missing is better sidewalks around our schools for our children to walk on. We need better sidewalks in our residential areas as well. Badly cracked, broken sidewalks are dangerous and can easily be the cause of falls and serious accidents. The same is true of our City streets.

We have the hardest working, most dedicated citizens that a community could ever be blessed with. Look at what has happened in Kokomo in the last five years. The mountain top that we are on today, compared to the valley that were headed for five years ago is as different as night and day. Things did not change because of one person or one idea. Our situation has drastically changed from a dark place to a “light on a hill” due to the united efforts and unfailing spirit of all of us living and working in our community. All who have refused to allow Kokomo to be anything other than the very best it can be! I am so proud to be a part of this community and so proud of what this community stands for and has accomplished.

We stand for God and family; we stand for friends and co-workers; we stand for transparency, ethics and morals, integrity and dignity. We take care of each other. We are supernaturally bound together through both the easy and the difficult. Our community is strong, but only because our commitment to each other, to our health, our success and our prosperity is strong. We are united and committed to provide a stable and secure present and future for all who live and work here.
I am determined and dedicated to work hard to keep us on track to grow and thrive financially. I am also determined to work well with all taxing entities in Howard County, our leaders at the state level, our workers in business, our professionals and all taxpayers and citizens. City government is not about separation; City government is about unity, mutual cooperation, respect and appreciation. When working together, all things are possible. So… let us enthusiastically move forward together.

Thank you.