WINONA LAKE — The Winona Lake Town Council will feature one new face after the November election and the campaign season will be devoid of any head-to-head competition for a seat on the five-person panel.

With Bruce Shaffner vacating his slot in Ward 3 after eight years on the board, most recently as the board president, Redevelopment Commission board member Jim Lancaster filed to serve in the position and is unopposed.

Ward 5 board member Rick Swaim filed to run for re-election to the board and also is unopposed.

For Lancaster, running for the town board is in line with his goal of public service.

“I am running for the town council of Winona Lake in an effort to give back to our community,” said Lancaster, a vice president at Zimmer-Biomet. “I see this opportunity as a way to use my professional experience in business in conjunction with the needs of the town in areas like long-range planning, and looking toward the future.”

Lancaster is also on the board of directors of Joe’s Kids in Warsaw and is a member of the Breakfast Optimist Club. He said that upon election, he would become ingrained in ongoing council initiatives, projects and goals.

“My first goal would be to better understanding the current priorities established by the sitting town council,” Lancaster said. “I would also work to better understand the existing budget and associated financial priorities. Another area I would like to further explore would be that of how to expand the town’s revenue base. Also, it’s always important to make sure the town is being as efficient as possible with the existing revenue it does currently generate and this can be done by looking at opportunities in leveraging spending across different departments and possibly working with other taxing municipalities.”

Swaim currently serves on the Winona Lake Plan Commission the Solid Waste District board of directors, chair the Winona Lake Art Commission, is a member of the Warsaw Morning Optimist board of directors and serves on the elder board for Mission Point Community Church. He is completing his third year on the town council and serves as vice president.

“My goals include assisting in establishing a comprehensive plan for the Town of Winona Lake and to complete the creation and installation of at least four sculpture pieces for the north leg of the Heritage Trail,” Swaim said. “Each of these sculpture pieces depicts an aspect of the rich heritage of Winona Lake. I also hope to provide positive leadership for the town of Winona Lake.