Wilder filing for City Council seat
Abby Wilder, a Decatur native, will be filing her candidacy as a Republican for District 3 Decatur City Council today.
Wilder is married to Phil Wilder and they will celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary in April. The Wilder’s have one daughter, Madeline, a senior at Bellmont High School who will be attending Indiana University this fall. Wilder herself is a graduate of Indiana University and currently serves on Decatur Main Street Promotions Committee, the Alumni Committee for St. Joseph School and is an usher at St. Mary’s parish. She is the daughter of Al and Marta Fullenkamp of Decatur.
Professionally, Wilder serves the Catholic Diocese of Fort WayneSouth Bend in the role of Executive Assistant to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades. Prior to that she served at St. Mary’s Catholic Church here in Decatur as Development Director. She spent three years in a leadership role with Thrivent Financial and prior to that spent nine years at Lincoln Financial in Human Resources. Outside of the workplace, Wilder’s faith and family have instilled in her a desire to give back to this community that has blessed her for many years.
Wilder said her number one passion is to encourage and empower those around her.
“I’ve learned with a little bit of mutual encouragement and support, we can all use our Godgiven gifts to lift each other up and accomplish a lot more together than any of us could on our own. I’m really looking forward to getting to know more people in the community in this new servant leadership role and learning what is important to them when it comes to participating in Decatur’s continued legacy. I love collaborating with others on actionable solutions which can be implemented. In this city administration role, I am excited to work with the common council on the legislative authority and laws in our city. My goal is to build community through sustainability and relevancy of the city. I am blessed to have a lot to give and share. I’m open to what Economic Development looks like for our city, from large corporations to small ones, it’s the quality of life that these businesses bring to our table that is important to me. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve if elected,” she said.
Wilder’s filing guarantees voters of the Third District in Decatur a primary race as incumbent Craig Coshow has also announced his intention to seek a new four-year term on the Council.