Mark Gidley Democrat Marshall County Council 3
Friends and neighbors in Marshall County Council District 3, you deserve a representative with experience and who will be accessible to you regardless of your politics.
The role of a council member is to “view fiscal matters, determine proper policy and set priorities for the allocation and expenditure of county funds.” Based on these responsibilities it is wise to choose someone who has an extensive history in finance, current and previous government involvement, and civic organization experience. I have 35 years of banking experience. I served on the Marshall County Health Board for 15 years and now as one of the county commissioners’ appointees, I am serving my 14th year on the Plymouth Plan Commission. I was elected twice as a School Board member of the Plymouth Community School Corporation. I am a past president of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and Plymouth Industrial Development
Corporation (PIDCO).
Marshall County is at a crossroads. Our population is shrinking, and our young people are increasingly choosing not to live here. We cannot look backwards; we must look to the future. Every industry and profession including agriculture is looking for a workforce and infrastructure that is prepared for the 21st Century.
Hamstringing county government by focusing solely on one issue with a catchy slogan, but with no clearly articulated plan is just a “promise without a plan.” Let us be honest right here and now. We have 921 miles of roads and fixing them all is going to take several years, and roads will have to be prioritized for what kind of work they receive. Your tax dollars must be spent as wisely as possible. The county delivers many services, we cannot strip them in the county building, courthouse, sheriff’s department, township services, and libraries to fix a problem many decades in the making. We can do it by looking for efficiency, asking for pride in workmanship and that the public be served well in everything we do.
I will listen, ask questions publicly and take your opinions into consideration. You may not like every vote I cast but it will be mine, no one will be telling me how to vote. Let’s apply an old Boy Scout saying, “leave it better than you found it.”
Thank you and I ask for your support on Nov. 8.