Grace Director Criswell Seeks Seat On Winona Town Council
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE – The second candidate to file for the Winona Lake District 1 town council seat is Grace College’s director of student involvement.
Kearstin Criswell, 30, of 107 5th St., Winona Lake, filed Wednesday with Kosciusko County Republican Party Chairman Mike Ragan for the seat vacated by Peter Christos.
Christos resigned July 10.
The other candidate for the council seat as of Wednesday afternoon is James D. Zachary, 35, who filed in July.
In a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, Criswell said she’s starting her eighth school year at Grace.
Originally from Pittsboro, she received her undergraduate degree at Huntington?University and a master’s degree from Grace.
She became interested in running for the town council after Grace College President Bill Katip spoke to Criswell’s supervisor to see if she would be interested in running. Criswell thought about it, and after coming to the realization that Winona Lake is now her hometown, that made all the difference to her and she decided to seek the seat, she said. Criswell said she would love to see more people become invested in Winona Lake and get involved and make connections.
As for what she could bring to the table on the council, Criswell said she has the knowledge of working with “twentysomethings.” She said she regularly instills in her students the notion of being invested in their community, and many of her students end up living and working in this community.
“I think I can speak for the younger generation,” she said. “I’m still a part of that generation and I feel connected.”
Being single allows her to give a portion of herself to different aspects of the community, Criswell said.
Part of her position at Grace is to oversee student service and community opportunities. She encourages her students to think locally, and with that in mind she helped create Supermarket Sweep.
Grace College & Seminary partnered with Mission Point Community Church to sponsor the sixth annual Supermarket Sweep in November at Owen’s Market in Warsaw. More than 500 students and many community members participated. Grace students raised $13,542 and the community raised $11,789 for a grand total of $25,331, according to a previous news release from Grace College.
Criswell said the Sweep has become a highlight of her and many other peoples’ experience in the community.
The caucus for the council seat is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Winona Lake town hall, 1310 Park Ave. The deadline to file is 7 p.m. Saturday. Candidates must live in Winona Lake District 1 and be a Republican in good standing.
Declarations of candidacy are available at the office of Kosciusko County Clerk of the Circuit Court, 121 N. Lake St., Warsaw, and must be filed with Ragan no later than 72 hours before the start of the caucus.
Ragan’s address is 1458 E. 75 N, Warsaw, IN 46582; telephone is 574-265-1430; and his email is mragan@sprintmail.com.
Members of the caucus, candidates, designated caucus staff, Republican Party officials, appointed watchers and members of the media are eligible to attend the caucus.
Eligible candidates will be given three minutes to address the caucus.
