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Rebecca Noftz’s, Robert Osbun’s and Brian Smith’s campaign for Plain Township Board was attended by a special guest, former U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly.
Their campaign kicked off Thursday, July 30 at Papa Vino’s in Warsaw. Along with guest speaker Donnelly, guests included Jamee Decio and Kelly Thompson, who are running to represent the U.S. House of Representatives Districts 2 and 3, respectively.
Donnelly said, “Elections like this matter because it’s really where the rubber meets the road. Your closest voice when talking to your government and to make sure your neighborhood is good, that your streets are good, that the community is safe, so it’s really important. You want to have people of good character and integrity.”
This sentiment was echoed by Noftz, who is running for Plain Township Board. Noftz described herself as “really just a neighbor.” She described her own experiences as a wife and mother to children who attend Leesburg Elementary and a 24 year business professional in the biomedical industry.
She emphasized how she is dedicated to education and teaching the community about what the Plain Township Board is and how it can help.
Smith, who is running for Plain Township board member, opened by pointing out he is a third-generation Leesburg resident. His grandfather moved to Leesburg in the 1930s. His mother graduated from Leesburg High School, and Smith went to Leesburg Elementary School.
He discussed the importance of the township’s duty to help those in the community who are struggling. He explained how the township can assist struggling individuals financially with house payments, utility payments and food. He also said the township is able to assist diabetic community members who are struggling to pay for insulin.
Smith said, “We’ve all opened our NIPSCO bills … We know our (neighbors) are falling through the cracks.”
Smith also stated, if elected, he will push for the township board members’ salaries to be lowered from $1,500 to $1,000, and for the money to be distributed to the township’s front-line firefighters.
Osbun, who is running for Plain Township Board member, presented graphs and research showing the current Plain Township Board members are allegedly taking financial advantage of their role.
He presented a graph showing the contract for lawn care increased from $15,000 to $34,000 from 2021 to 2025. The lawn contract is allegedly held by a family member of a sitting board member.
Osbun also quoted from the minutes of a Sept. 26, 2025, board meeting, where five acres of farm ground were to be given to board member Larry Kemmerer.
Osbun stated, “These examples show why Plain Township needs a new board — one that will actively oversee the trustee’s office and the millions of tax dollars it controls.”
Osbun promised Noftz, Smith and himself would provide transparency and oversight if elected.
Jessica Bailey, the Porter County clerk who is running for Indiana state comptroller, discussed how the position is one of three state employees who make decisions during the annual state budget meeting. She described the meetings as a group of three people looking at documents the public does not have access to and describing moving, combining and deleting line items.
She feels the process and meeting should be more transparent and questioned by the individuals who will be affected.
Thompson rallied the crowd as she discussed the importance of voting in the upcoming elections. She encouraged those in attendance to talk about the upcoming election with the people in their lives.
“Your job today, tomorrow and every day, is to help people understand how powerful their vote is …,” said Thompson.
Decio continued to discuss the power of voting, stating, “When individuals vote, when we vote in our best interest, that whole challenges the powers that try to oppress and destroy this country.”
Decio stated, “Everything’s local … (trustees) are there to help people. People need to utilize them, but first they need to know about them. They are very, very important. Unlike the federal government, (township trustees are) about helping people directly.”
The final speaker was Vicki Morton, Kosciusko County Democratic Party chair. She said, “I think there are a lot of people who don’t know who’s running for the town board. They don’t even know what the town board is. They don’t know who’s running for congress … It’s up to all of you here … to tell them who’s on the ballot.”
