Ponce Files For County Council At-Large Seat As Democrat
Ponce Files For County Council At-Large Seat As Democrat
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Ponce Files For County Council At-Large Seat As DemocratInspired by recent events to serve her community, Democrat Noemi Ponce has filed to seek one of the three Kosciusko County Council at-large seats.
“The recent events, the outrage after the murder of George Floyd, it was really sitting on my heart. I see this as a way to turn the outrage into an opportunity to serve and represent people of color on” the county council, Ponce said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
“I’m an educator. I’m a mom. I’m Latina. I’m a product of immigrants from Mexico. I have that uniqueness that I don’t think we’ve seen in this county before,” the 36-year-old mother of two said. “I want to encourage not just those people, but represent all people.”
Currently serving in the at-large council seats are Republicans Sue Ann Mitchell, Joni Truex and Kimberly Cates. Cates received the lowest number of votes in the Republican primary June 2, so the Republican nominees this fall will be Mitchell, Truex and Kathy Groninger.
Ponce said she’s here to listen and do what she can to make sure county dollars and resources are there to “enhance everyone’s benefit.”
She is a Spanish teacher at Warsaw Community High School, having taught there for two years, and previously taught at Tippecanoe Valley for five years.
Her children are 10 and 15 years old.
Ponce grew up in Warsaw since she was 4 years old, attending Sacred Heart Catholic School, Edgewood Middle School and graduating from WCHS.
As for any specific issue she’s interested in, she said, “The not-for-profits like Head Start, it’s an education resource, that I want to make sure everyone who needs it can benefit from. And there are other resources like it.”
The county council is the “purse string” of the county. While Ponce said she has no background in finance, “As an educator I’m always going to learn. I’m doing this for the community and the passion I have to serve others.”
If elected to the council, she acknowledged she would probably be the first person of color to serve in that capacity. “I’m ready,” Ponce said.
“As an educator, I try to lead by example. I hope this inspires other people of color that society can’t tell you what you can or can not do,” she said.
