Jon Fussle, current Kosciusko County Councilman and candidate for southern district county commissioner, is flanked by volunteers who helped clean up CR 100 East in an effort to give back to the community. (Photo provided)

County Councilman and commissioner candidate Jon Fussle hosted a county-wide clean-up effort on Earth Day called “Campaign Clean-Up.”

Fifteen supporters and volunteers worked in Silver Lake and in Warsaw along a stretch of County Road 100 East on Tuesday. Almost 1,000 pounds of trash were collected in a 3-hour period.

“It is amazing how much trash is along this stretch of road,” said Fussle, referring to 100 East. “Some of the litter is inadvertent, but a large majority of it is intentional carelessness.  Beer cans, soda bottles, plastic bags, cigarette boxes and butts are all tossed out the window and forgotten. That saddens and angers me. We are stewards of this land and we’re doing a terrible job of taking care of it.”

Fussle said he came up with the idea of the clean-up after seeing all the trash a few years ago and deciding that it would take a leader to spearhead an effort to correct this problem in Kosciusko County. He chooses high-visibility roads so that commuters see them cleaning the roadsides and, perhaps, think twice about littering.

He said it’s important to lead by example, and hopes others will do the same. “I feel that part of being a leader is stepping up to do what you expect of others, and I expect people to start taking responsibility for this land.”

He continued, “We had people of all ages working with us, the youngest being 16 months old. It’s great to show people that we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty and show the younger generations why it’s important to take care of our community!”

Fussle believes it’s important to preserve the land in our County and plans to continue the Campaign Clean-up this summer. He encourages individuals to visit his Facebook page or website, JonFussle.com for details on the next event. He wants to give special thank you to the volunteers and Tractor Supply Company for donating trash bags, gloves, and grabbers for this County-Wide event.

Fussle is currently running for County Commissioner in the May 6 primary. For more information on his experience, family and platform, visit his Facebook Page www.facebook.com/FriendsOfJonFussle or his website JonFussle.com.