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ETNA GREEN - Three men have declared their candidacy for the open seat on the Etna Green Town Board - Shawn Collins, Rick Price and Rod Thomas.
The position became open when longtime Board member Keith Claassen submitted his resignation June 5, effective immediately, due to health and personal issues.
Collins
When asked how long he’s been an Etna Green resident, Collins, 53, replied, “Back in ’05, I bought a different property here, and then one year ago, the farmhouse, the family farm, and then a house came available again here in Etna Green, so I moved back. So, I was gone about eight months and then came back because I liked Etna Green so much.”
He said he doesn’t have a platform to run on for the Etna Green Town Board seat. He said he’s not going to get on the board so he can make a bunch of changes because that’s not what he’s about.
“What I’m about is, I’m going to try to get in there, as an older man, my goal is to just look at things and see if there’s anything we can do better,” Collins said. “And the other thing is, the ultimate goal here would be to encourage other people to step up and do this job. So that’s my goal.”
He stated he believes politicians should be changed frequently.
“So, if I was to get in, I would finish Keith’s term and I would run one term and that’s all I would do,” Collins said. “... I want to get in there and serve and be of service. And then try to get more people engaged. That’s the goal.”
This is the first time he’s ever sought an elected position. He is the general supervisor of Universal Bearings in Bremen.
“Anything with people, I try to excel at, but like I said, I think my big thing is I’m not a politician. There’s an opening here. I heard there’s a couple other good guys running, and I think they’d be great at it, too,” Collins said, adding that he thinks the town board has done the very best that they can do.
“I just want people to know that I do think this little town has a lot of potential. I love Etna Green,” Collins stated.
Price
Price, 71, has been an Etna Green resident his whole life.
“I am retired now and I have time,” he said of why he decided to run for the town board seat.
He hasn’t been an elected official before, but worked in management when he was working. He was a youth minister at the Church of Christ.
“But other than that, I haven’t been in politics at all. I have 10 kids,” Price said.
Asked if there was anything specific he’d like to address or deal with if appointed to the board, he said Etna Green has an aging infrastructure on the town’s utilities and that is a main priority.
“Other than that, it’s just to try to keep this town be a good place to live and raise children,” Price said.
He said most people in town know him.
Thomas
Thomas, 76, said he’s lived in Etna Green on and off all his life.
Asked why he decided to seek the seat, he said, “I’ve been retired from the Warsaw Police Department for several years, and I’ve got the time now to devote to some service for the town maybe. So, that’s why I’m going to try it now.”
He said the water plant is going to be “a major thing coming up” for the town “so they’re going to have to deal with that” and that’s going to be “pretty extensive.”
Thomas has never ran for an elected political position before.
He said he really likes living in Etna Green as it’s a nice town.
“We’ve got a good fire department, we’ve got a good EMS. Our town workers take very good care of everything. That’s one of the main reasons” Thomas said he’s seeking the town board seat.
“We’ve got a really good board right now, and joining them, I know them both very well, and we get along well, so I think that would help getting things through,” Thomas stated.
Information
Since fewer than two people would be eligible to participate in a precinct committeemen caucus to fill this vacancy, Kosciusko County Republican Central Committee Chairman Mike Ragan will appoint a person to finish out Claassen’s term, which expires Dec. 31, 2027. Ragan hopes to fill the vacancy at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 30 at the Kosciusko County Clerk’s Office in the Kosciusko County Justice Building.
The deadline to file is 3 p.m. Saturday, June 27. Eligible applicants must be residents of the town of Etna Green and Republicans in good standing.
Ragan’s phone number is 574-265-1430.
