Seven individuals will be running unopposed during the November elections, and they are:

State Senator District 9
Ryan Mishler was born and raised in Bremen and spent most of his summers in Syracuse. Mishler is a graduate from the University of Southern California, where he received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration. He has been with Mishler Funeral Homes in Bremen and Milford for 21 years.

Mishler was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 2004 and currently serves as the Majority Whip. Mishler has also been involved with the following committees: chairman of the Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee, ranking member of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, ranking member of the Health Committee and has served on the Appropriations Committee.

Mishler has one son, Grant.

Judge 54th Judicial Circuit
Michael Reed, 55, has lived in the Warsaw area since 1960. He and his wife, Kathee, have two grown children, Lara and Brooks. He graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 1974, and the University of Notre Dame BBA, Summa cum laude in 1978.

Reed is a partner in the Warsaw law firm of Reed & Earhart Attorneys at Law P.C.

Reed is a second-generation lawyer who practices law with his father, Max Reed, practicing in almost every area of the law. Reed also currently serves as a member of the Wayne Township Advisory Board and Warsaw-Wayne Township Fire Territory Board.

Reed has extensive experience including criminal, municipal, administrative and family law.

Clerk of Circuit Court
Jason F. McSherry was born and raised in Kosciusko County. McSherry graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 1997 and then graduated from Grace College, Magna cum laude, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business.

He and his wife, Allison, have three children, Madelynn, Charles and Elizabeth. They live just outside the town of Burket in southwest Kosciusko County. In their spare time, they enjoy everything outdoors.

McSherry also enjoys being involved in the Republican party, where he serves as Mike Pence’s county coordinator.

County Coroner
Michael D. Wilson currently works as a prearrangements specialist and after care counselor for McHatton-Sadler Funeral Home, Warsaw.

He has served as deputy coroner and investigator with the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office and has been with the coroner’s office for 17 years. Overall, he has 36 years of investigative experience.

In the past, Wilson has also served as Warsaw’s fire marshal, a canine handler with the ATF/NRT response team, and Kosciusko County Fire Team’s chief investigator.

Wilson’s education has included Introduction to Criminal Justice, Vincennes University at Indianapolis and military police criminal justice training at Fort McClellan, Ala. He is a graduate of Warsaw Community High School.

County Surveyor
Richard Kemper grew up in the North Webster area, attending school at North Webster Elementary School and Junior High as well as Wawasee High School. Kemper then went on to graduate from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Kemper holds a Professional Land Surveying license and is currently serving his sixth term of office.

Kemper is married to wife Debra and has a son, Kyle, and a stepson, Craig.

County Commissioner — Northern District
Brad Jackson is the owner of TL Jackson Construction. He has been at TL Jackson Construction for over 30 years.

He has also been the Northern District Commissioner for 16 years.

Jackson is active at the North Webster Church of God where he teaches their Financial Peace classes.

County Commissioner — Middle District
Ronald Truex is a lifetime resident of Kosciusko County in the greater Atwood area.

Truex began working for Creighton Brothers in 1970, where he started at the bottom hauling manure and picking up floor eggs in the hen houses for his dad. Since getting his start, he was promoted to Operations Manger and then in 1998 became President and General Manager of Creighton Brothers.

Truex was first elected to serve as the Middle District Commissioner in 2000. With this office, he also served the Drainage Board, Kosciusko Development Inc., Solid Waste, Child Protective Services and Lakeland Regional Sewer District. Truex was also elected in 2010 to the Board of Lakeland Financial and Lake City Bank.

Truex is involved in the local Elks Club, Masonic Lodge and Shrine Club. He is married to Mindy (Creighton) Truex and has two daughters, Heather (Jake) Grillo and Tracy (Jason) Nichols, and four grandchildren.

Q: During your term, what do you hope to accomplish?

Mishler: “Most of my time will be spent working on fiscal issues. I am very concerned with the mandates as a result of the new federal health care plan. This increase in spending will have a negative impact on other programs, such as education. My goal is to minimize the impact of the new health plan, and continue to try and opt out of some of these federal mandates.

“Also, there are many inequalities in the method we use to distribute funding to public schools. I want to continue to work on a more equitable school funding formula, treating all schools equal regardless of their geographic location.”

Reed: “As the circuit court judge, I believe it is important that we continually look to improve not only the operations in the courtroom, and of court business, but also the outcomes for those cases handled in the courtroom. I intend to review all procedures, information and document availability as well as the availability of adequate forms. I also intend to meet with the Clerk of the Courts, Bar Association representatives and law enforcement representative to discuss possible changes and improvements to the court.

“I have several ideas to enhance the court efficiencies which will make the court more user friendly for both attorneys and litigants. These changes include potential modifications for the dates and times for the scheduling of matters and fixing more specific times for certain court proceedings.

“I intend to make sure that the court stays abreast of technological advances and that court work is done in accordance with the most efficient and modern technology. I also want to make sure that the court has the best information available to it during court proceedings through the use of courtroom technology.”

McSherry: “In my next term as clerk, I will continue to improve the office by implementing technology that will not only boost efficiency but make the office more user friendly to my constituents. I will also continue to work with the county council to make the Clerk’s Office less costly to the taxpayers. In the last four years, I have cut the office budget by 12 percent, and I look forward to doing more with less in the future.”

Wilson: “I want to bring education of the coroner’s office to all emergency service personnel and to educate the public. We want to provide education on death scenes and what the Coroner’s Office does as well as provide more care and counseling to families dealing with the loss of a loved one.”

Kemper: “(I hope to) expand the process of restoration and perpetuation of section corners established by the original Public Land Surveys for Kosciusko County as well as continue the process of digitally preserving all county surveyor/drainage board records.

Kemper added he would also continue to be a voice in Area Plan Commission issues involving lake access vacation petitions, participate in the APC Technical Review Committee, cooperate with the County Drainage Board to prepare a public hearing on implementation of a future maintenance plan for Turkey Creek, and continue a reasonable partnership with county lake associations, NRCS, Nature Conservancy and IDNR to minimize flood damage and protect water quality by implementing reasonable erosion and storm water control projects.

Jackson: “We currently receive approximately $1 million less from the state for roads than we did 12 years ago. This, coupled with increased fuel, asphalt and equipment prices, is making maintaining our roads nearly impossible. I want to continue to find ways to maintain and improve roads without increasing taxes.”

Truex: “I have enjoyed serving the people of Kosciusko County over the last nearly 12 years and am looking forward to my next term. I have found that local government is a process where you have certain beliefs and principles that guide you in the daily activities.

“I believe that government has a responsibility to provide services that can’t be done individually. We should maintain the roads; provide police, emergency services and a justice system; and be available to help others when they have issues with county government. I also strongly believe that these services should be provided at the lowest possible cost.

“In my next term, I will continue my efforts to provide these things at the lowest possible tax burden to the people of Kosciusko County.”