Little Gems of Springfield Township: Where to Eat
Why drive to Fort Wayne for a meal when we have five places worth a stop right here in Springfield Township?
My standard order at Harlan Cafe is the All You Can Eat Fish Meal with cole slaw and cottage cheese. At Harlan Donuts, it's a Bavarian Cream and a Blueberry Cake. At The Old Ridge, I've made my way through Black Cherry, Peach Cobbler, and Sea Monster. When I need a quick sandwich to go, it's the Club at E&L Family Meat & Cheese. The Pop Stand and Tacos El Amish are next on my list.
I Asked the Regulator: What Limits Fire District Taxes?
Sitting on The Patio with the actual paperwork. I'd rather read the source than repeat what someone told me.
Lately I keep hearing "I talked to someone important and they said." Maybe so. But none of us can check what was said in a conversation.
So I went to the source. I didn't ask a fire chief or an elected official, and I didn't ask either side. I wrote to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF), the state agency that reviews local tax rates and levies, and asked how the rules apply to the Allen County Fire & EMS District. Their reply is reproduced in full at the bottom of this post. It is DLGF's general guidance, not a final ruling, and the reply says so.
What is happening on January 1
Northeast Allen County Fire Protection District was created before 2026. This summer, the County Commissioners passed two ordinances. One renames Northeast as the Allen County Fire & EMS District. The other amends the original formation documents to bring in the other fire districts, the East Central territory, and several townships, effective January 1, 2027. The county's attorneys chose this route over dissolving everything and starting a new district, because it is a simpler legal process.
A tax bill has two parts
The levy is the total dollars a unit collects. The rate is the levy divided by assessed value. Indiana limits them separately.
What DLGF told me
The maximum levy limits the property tax a unit can impose. A rise in assessed value does not, by itself, let a unit exceed it.
The maximum levy generally grows each year under a state formula.
Anything above the ordinary maximum needs its own legal basis, such as an approved excess levy appeal. A referendum is not a general way to raise an operating maximum levy.
What is not settled
A 2026 law caps the rate for fire districts established after 2025. DLGF's guidance says a district that existed before 2026 and was later extended would presumably not be covered, while one dissolved and re-established would be. Whether this district counts as an extension of Northeast or a new district is part of DLGF's pending determination. They haven't decided, so I won't guess.
What I'll be watching
DLGF's final determination on which kind of district this is.
You shouldn't have to take anyone's word on how your tax bill works, mine included. Read the sources and ask your own questions.
The short version
The district can only collect so many tax dollars a year. That's its maximum levy.
The maximum grows by a set state formula. Higher home values alone don't raise it.
Your tax rate comes from dividing those dollars across the district's property value, so the dollar limit helps keep the rate in check too.
Whether a separate cap on the rate applies is still being decided by the state.
The actual amount depends on a budget that hasn't been approved yet.
Sources: DLGF memo, "Legislation Affecting Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Service Funding Matters" (June 3, 2026) · IC 36-8-11-16 · Allen County ordinance · DLGF's reply
My questions to DLGF.
Jim Smith
Subject: Question on IC 36-8-11-16(b) and the Allen County Fire and EMS District
To: DLGF · Mon, Oct 5 at 12:43 PM
Mr. Lucas and Ms. Culy,
I am a property owner in Allen County, Indiana, and I read DLGF's June 3, 2026 memo on HEA 1210 with interest. I have a question about how it applies to the Allen County Fire and EMS District, which begins operating January 1, 2027.
The Allen County Commissioners passed ordinances on July 10, 2026 that rename the Northeast Allen County Fire Protection District as the Allen County Fire Protection and EMS District and amend its formation documents to bring in the Northwest, West Central, and Southwest districts, the East Central territory, and Jackson, Madison, and Monroe townships. The Northeast district was established before January 1, 2026. It was not dissolved and re-established.
I would appreciate your guidance on the following:
1. Is the Allen County Fire and EMS District subject to the $0.40 rate cap in IC 36-8-11-16(b), or is it treated as a district established before January 1, 2026 that has been extended?
2. In 2026, the Northeast district joined the East Central fire protection territory by resolution, with its withdrawal effective December 31, 2026. Does that interim step affect the answer to question 1?
3. Will DLGF issue a maximum levy order for the unified district for pay-2027, and what will that order be based on?
4. After the first year, what limits growth in the district's maximum levy?
5. Is there a limit on the total property tax dollars the district can collect in a year, separate from the rate? When assessed values rise, does the maximum levy fully control total dollars collected? And what can raise the levy above the maximum, such as an excess levy appeal or a referendum?
Thank you for your time. I am glad to be pointed to the relevant statute or guidance if that is easier.
Sincerely,
Jim Smith
Grabill, Indiana
Reply from DLGF (received on October 5, 2026).
Rushenberg, Timothy
To: me, and 1 other · Mon, Oct 5 at 1:28 PM
Mr. Smith:
Thank you for your questions and for reviewing the Department's June 3, 2026 memorandum.
Because DLGF's Pay 2027 review of the Allen County Fire & EMS District remains pending, I cannot provide a final Allen County-specific determination before the Department completes its statutory review. I can, however, clarify the governing framework.
IC 36-8-11-16(b). The statute applies the $0.40 rate cap to a fire protection district established by ordinance or resolution after December 31, 2025. DLGF's June 3 memorandum explains that a district established before January 1, 2026 and later extended would, presumably, not be subject to that cap, while a pre-2026 district that is dissolved and subsequently reestablished would be subject to it. Whether the final Allen County structure constitutes a continuation and extension of Northeast or a new or reestablished district is part of the Department's pending review. IC 36-8-11-16(b).
Participation in the fire protection territory. Northeast's participation in, and withdrawal from, the fire protection territory are part of the factual and legal record DLGF is reviewing. Fire protection districts and fire protection territories are governed by separate statutory provisions. The interim territory participation does not, by itself, resolve the question whether the resulting fire protection district is a continuing, extended district or a new or reestablished district.
Pay 2027 maximum levy. DLGF will determine and certify the lawful Pay 2027 budget, levy, and tax rate through the statutory budget certification process. Whether a separate initial or reestablished maximum levy determination is required depends upon the Department's final determination concerning the legal identity and boundaries of the taxing unit. Relevant provisions include IC 6-1.1-18.5-3 and -7. Any properly submitted excess levy appeal is a separate matter governed by IC 6-1.1-18.5-12 and -13.
Growth after the first year. For a civil taxing unit subject to the maximum-levy controls, the annual maximum levy is generally determined under IC 6-1.1-18.5-3 using the applicable maximum levy growth quotient under IC 6-1.1-18.5-2, together with any geographic or other adjustments independently authorized by statute.
Rate versus levy. A tax rate limitation and a maximum levy are separate limitations. The maximum levy generally limits the amount of property tax that may be imposed for levy-controlled funds; whereas, an increase in assessed value does not, by itself, permit a taxing unit to exceed its maximum levy. Changes in geographic territory can affect the statutory maximum levy calculation. Additional property tax authority above the ordinary maximum must have an independent statutory basis, such as an excess levy appeal approved under applicable law. Debt service and other specially authorized levies may be governed by separate statutes. A referendum likewise is not a general mechanism for increasing an operating maximum levy; rather, its effect depends upon the specific statute authorizing the referendum.
DLGF's June 3 memorandum is available on the Department's website under 2026 Memos, "Legislation Affecting Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Service Funding Matters." The Department will apply the current statutes and the completed administrative record before making any final Allen County-specific determination.
Very Respectfully,
Timothy J. Rushenberg
General Counsel
LEGAL NOTICE: In my capacity as General Counsel, I represent the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance ("DLGF") and, as applicable, the State of Indiana — not individual employees, local officials, taxpayers, or other recipients. Communications may contain information protected by the attorney-client privilege, attorney work product doctrine, or other applicable law; this notice itself does not create or expand any privilege or exemption from disclosure under Indiana law. Any property tax, local income tax, or other tax guidance provided to persons outside DLGF is furnished in DLGF’s governmental and administrative capacity and does not constitute individualized legal or tax advice to the recipient.
Bare Ground Isn't Blank Ground: Segment 74 and Springfield Township
When I wrote this essay, I was focused only on how the Lulu-Sorenson line would affect my own family's farms. I wasn't thinking about Springfield Township. But Study Segment 74 could pass through seven sections of the township near Harlan and Georgetown, and the questions I raised about my personal farms apply to every parcel on the map. I&M recently announced they are accepting comments through November 13, and you can submit yours at IndianaMichiganPower.com/Lulu-Sorenson. The October 9 deadline mentioned in the essay below has been extended.
This essay was originally published on my Patio Pondering website (patiopondering.com) on September 25, 2026. I am sharing it here because of its relevance to Springfield Township.
Study Segment 74 of the proposed Lulu-Sorenson route (blue line), passing between Harlan and Georgetown. Source: I&M project map, viewed October 4, 2026. Study segments are proposed and not a final route.
I think it's fair to say Northeast Indiana is not happy about the proposed high voltage power lines for the Lulu-Sorenson Transmission Improvements Project.
I attended the open house in Angola. When I arrived at 4:35, I had a five-minute wait. By the time I left at 5:10, the line had grown to several hundred feet long. People don't stand in line on a weeknight for coffee and poster boards. They stand in line because something matters.
The few people I spoke with shared the same frustration I did. It appeared there was no value placed on bare farm ground. There was information about how you could still farm around the towers, but underneath it all, farm ground was still treated like a wasteland waiting to be capitalized on by something better than just farming.
The feeling that it's just farm ground isn't only shared by the people proposing these routes. It's shared by local officials too. Just this week, the City of Auburn published a letter from the mayor saying it would be so much better for the community if the power lines went to the east side of the county. You know what's on the east side of the county? Farm ground. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Whether you're talking about a solar farm, a data center, or another subdivision, everybody looks at it as just bare farm ground, something to be covered with a higher, better, more valuable purpose than raising a crop or raising livestock.
What's missed in the assumption that bare farm ground is just farm ground is not only the heritage behind it, but also its future use.
One of the farms on the proposed route was bought by my great-great-great-grandmother in 1855 and passed to her sons. Another was bought by my great-grandparents in 1902. From the road, both look like bare ground. They aren't blank. They carry generations of decisions behind them and plans for the generations ahead.
The assumption that bare farm ground is just farm ground, and that an easement can simply be laid across it, eliminates the possibility of any other type of agriculture beyond attempting to farm around it. No livestock buildings. No machinery storage. No grain bins. No houses. Just a 175-foot-tall hunk of steel transmitting electricity, permanently.
Looking out at the Patio this morning as a family of deer munched on dropped apples in our orchard, I kept coming back to one thought. Something being quiet doesn't mean it's empty. A field in September looks like it's just waiting. It isn't. It's holding a family's past and its options for the future, and those deserve to be counted.
There's another thing massively missing. Not once, at the open house or in anything I've read, have I seen a discussion of compensation. No compensation for the loss of future value. No compensation for a perpetual right-of-way. No conversation with the people who will be affected by whichever route is chosen. There was just a poster talking about how great this is for the community, bringing electricity to everyone. Here's what rubs me. If it goes through my farm and I lose that future value, I'm giving up more for the greater good than I'll ever be compensated for.
The other thing that struck me is how backwards this whole process is. I&M doesn't have to prove they have a good route. The landowners have to prove it's a bad one. One of the employees at the open house even told me this was a desktop exercise by their people, and that you can't expect them to know everything about each parcel. After I shared my frustrations on Facebook, a follower told me about their own conversation with I&M. When they mentioned there were already high voltage lines on their property, the employee was surprised and said, "That's good to know." I understand that nobody can know everything. But if they don't know what's on each parcel, then they don't know what they're asking us to give up.
If the line crosses your ground, or your neighbor's, make your comment. Put the heritage and the plans in writing. For my part, I sent my letters after last night's meeting. I&M is accepting feedback through October 9 at www.IndianaMichiganPower.com/Lulu-Sorenson or by email at IMoutreach@aeptransmission.com. And whether you farm or not, you know the feeling of someone looking at something you've built and seeing only what you can use it for.
Update: I&M has extended the comment deadline to November 13.
Little Gems of Springfield Township: The Cemeteries
Springfield Township is home to at least seven cemeteries, and most people probably couldn't name more than one or two. I spent some time this week visiting them all.
Three are what most of us would recognize: Old Maysville Cemetery, with its iron fence and weathered stones dating back well over a century. Harlan Memorial Cemetery, with its manicured grounds and American flags. And Salem Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, sitting quietly at the corner of Spencerville and Springfield Center Roads, families long gone from the area but memorials to them still standing proud.
Four are Amish: Roth Road, Harlan Amish, Sencerville Amish, and East Scipio Amish. Simple white markers, wooden fences, and open fields. No monuments. No ornamentation. Just rows of names and the farmland that surrounds them. Simple markers to mark lives more rich than any memorial can share.
Different traditions. Different communities. Same township. These are the resting places of the people who built what we live in today, and every one of them deserves to be known and respected.
Springfield Township 2027 Budget Discussion — September 16 Board Meeting
Last Wednesday evening, the Springfield Township Board held its public meeting to discuss the proposed 2027 budget. Taxpayers were in attendance and asking good questions about specific line items, and I was glad to be among them.
One topic that stood out to me was the township's Need fund. This is a resource that exists to help Springfield Township residents, and my sense from the discussion is that it's underutilized. Not because the need isn't there, but because many residents may not even know it exists.
That's a transparency issue. If the township has resources available to help people, people should know about them. As your Trustee, making sure residents understand what's available to them would be a priority from day one.
Personally, I would rather see money moved between lines in an account to meet real need than sit here knowing there are people in our township who genuinely need help and aren't using it. That's stewardship, making sure resources go where they matter most.
I'd encourage any Springfield Township resident to attend future board meetings. It's your tax dollars, and you deserve to see how they're being put to work.
Little Gems of Springfield Township: Harlan Farmers Market
I went to the last Harlan Farmers Market of the season and came home with a table full of proof that some of the best food around here is made just down the road.
Cinnamon sugar donuts from the Woodburn Lions Club. A jar of homemade jelly from Doug and Grace in Spencerville. Strawberry cake pops from Momma Workman's Cupcakes & Cakes. Cookies from Skinner's Bake & Harvest. And a loaf of jalapeño cheddar sourdough from Casey Jackson at Sourdough Sunrise that probably won't make it to the weekend.
Thank you to every vendor and volunteer who showed up under that pavilion all summer. You're a big part of what makes this a good place to live.
See you next June.
Supporting the Spirit of Woodlan
One of the things that makes Springfield Township special is what our kids and families build with almost nothing. The Spirit of Woodlan Marching Band has competed at the Indiana State Finals since 1993, finishing 7th in the state last year, without a single dollar of school funding. Every uniform, every competition entry, every mile of transportation comes from this community.
They've launched a 2026 season GoFundMe with a goal of $15,000 for a new equipment trailer and planning ahead for new uniforms. This is our community investing in our kids.
Independent by Circumstance, Not by Choice
Voters across Springfield Township have been asking me the same question: why is my name on the ballot as an independent? It's a fair question, and I recorded this short video to give you an honest answer.
I Showed Up. Here's What I Learned.
Last night I attended a public information meeting hosted by the Allen County Fire District at the Cedarville Park Pavilion. Not because I was required to. Because the decisions being made right now about fire and EMS coverage will directly affect every resident of Springfield Township, and I wanted to understand them firsthand.
Here's what I took away.
The new district is building structure. A county-wide fire academy is in the works, with a hybrid training program that can be customized around existing certifications. The goal is at least two paramedics at every station, and they're hiring eight full-time paramedics. Not EMTs. Fully trained paramedics.
Leadership will include five battalion chiefs in the field daily, supported by three executives. They're looking at 24-on, 48-off scheduling and acknowledging the challenges that come with it. Competitive wages are a real concern. Right now Allen County ranks 45th in the state for firefighter pay. Fort Wayne sits at 20th. Closing that gap matters if we want to attract and keep good people.
Volunteers remain welcome and valued, and there are plans to both retain current volunteers and recruit new ones.
On the equipment and facilities side, apparatus currently owned by individual districts or territories will transfer to the new district, allowing resources to be redistributed where they're needed most. Leases and purchases of station real estate are already in process.
Funding options like COIT were discussed, though those are governed by state law. The new chief made clear that safety, for personnel and for citizens, is the priority.
This is the kind of meeting your township trustee should be attending. These decisions affect your tax dollars, your response times, and your family's safety. I believe showing up is the minimum. Understanding the details is the job.
I'll keep showing up. I'll keep sharing what I learn.
And if any of this matters to you, and it should, I'd encourage you to do the same. Attend the meetings. Ask the questions. Make your voice heard. These are public meetings about public services funded by your money. You have every right to be in the room, and the people making these decisions need to hear from the people they serve.
Harlan Days Thank You
I wasn't in Harlan for Harlan Days this year. I was at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico with my Scout troop, a trip we committed to long before I decided to run for Springfield Township Trustee. But even from a thousand miles away, I got to watch this campaign show up for our community in a way that says more than anything I could have said myself.
My wife, Kim, coordinated getting the float finished and delivered to the parade, with Wendy McConnell helping line up many of the riders and walkers. Sharon Harris coordinated the Republicans for Jim Smith supporters who joined in — bringing her usual ideas, enthusiasm, and even frisbees for the crowd. Brian Amstutz and Mark Roemke pulled the float itself. And the float was manned by a multi-generational, bipartisan group of supporters, neighbors of every age, walking and riding together behind a shared belief that Springfield Township deserves stewardship, integrity, and transparency.
That's the campaign I want to run. Not one built around me, but one built around neighbors who show up for each other, whether or not I'm in the room.
Thank you to everyone who helped decorate, drove the float, walked the parade route, or just came out to wave. Thank you to Sharon and the Republicans for Jim Smith supporters for standing alongside my own campaign team on the same float. And thank you to Kim and Wendy, who made sure all of it actually happened while I was hiking a mountain in New Mexico.
I'm back in the township now, and I'm grateful for every one of you who carried this campaign forward while I couldn't.
My Position on the Allen County Fire & EMS District
I support the Allen County Fire & EMS District. I didn't start there. Fire territory and district consolidation has raised real questions for me over the years: about scale, about cost, about whether the governance would keep pace with the money involved. I've asked those questions publicly before, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
What changed is the answer, not the question. The facts on the ground (declining volunteer numbers, rising property values, more residents than the old model was built for, and a realization that fire protection can no longer be funded with bake sales and hog roasts) convinced me consolidation is the right call. I support this district, and I want it to be governed well. That means asking real questions, backed by real numbers, whether the answer people want to hear is "yes" or "no."
The firefighters and volunteers who serve our communities do difficult, often thankless work, and this district gives them the resources and coordination they've needed for years.
Supporting the district doesn't mean asking no questions about how it's governed. Right now, 5 of the 6 currently seated members of the district's nine-member Board of Trustees have career fire and EMS backgrounds. That's not a criticism of any individual serving; it reflects real, valuable operational experience. But a board this heavily weighted toward one perspective needs balance: independent voices with fiscal and taxpayer-focused backgrounds, sitting alongside that operational expertise, not outnumbered by it.
Three seats remain open, appointed by the Allen County Council. That's not a flaw to complain about; it's an opportunity to get the balance right before the district's first budget cycle. I'll be watching those appointments, and I'd encourage Springfield Township taxpayers to do the same.
Smith for Springfield at Harlan Days
Harlan Days is almost here, and I'm proud that Smith for Springfield will be part of it this year.
We're sponsoring the festival's t-shirt giveaway, and you'll see us represented in the parade. Look for the green and gold — that's us. We'll also have a booth set up all weekend with campaign information — stop by for a yard sign or to learn more about where I stand on financial transparency, accountable stewardship, and keeping the township open and connected to residents.
I won't be in attendance in person this year. I made the commitment to lead our Boy Scout troop's high-adventure trip to Philmont in New Mexico long before I decided to run for Springfield Township trustee to serve my neighbors. Scouting has been part of my life since I was a kid, and keeping that commitment to those boys is part of the same integrity I want to bring to the township.
The campaign will be well represented all weekend, and I'll be back home shortly after. I hope you'll stop by the booth, enjoy the parade, and grab some information about where I stand.
Look for the green and gold at Harlan Days.
— Jim
A Word of Thanks to the Northeast Allen Fire District
This past Friday, I was helping with an Eagle Scout service project when one of our scouts was injured. There was enough blood that calling 911 was the right call, and the personnel of the Northeast Allen Fire District responded.
I watched two young firefighters go to work — calm, professional, and completely in command of the situation. They cared for the scout and made the decision to transport him to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. I rode along to the hospital to keep him comfortable, and I saw their steadiness up close — the kind that puts everyone at ease, including a group of worried scouts.
I’m glad to report the scout is doing great. The hospital treated him, and by that evening he was running around at a birthday party — exactly where a kid that age ought to be.
One of the pillars of my campaign is stewardship. Friday was a reminder of what that stewardship is for. When a family’s worst moment arrives, capable, well-trained emergency responders are there in minutes. That is tax dollars doing exactly what they are meant to do — protecting the people of this community when it matters most.
To the men and women of the Northeast Allen Fire District: thank you. Springfield Township is fortunate to be served by professionals like you.
— Jim Smith
We the People, Right Down the Road
Today is the Fourth of July, and this one carries a little extra weight. It's the 250th birthday of the republic. Two hundred and fifty years since a group of people decided they'd rather govern themselves, badly at times, than be governed well by someone else.
Over the past week I've been watching a documentary called The American Experiment, the kind of thing that fits well with a cup of coffee before chores. At one point it made the observation that a lot of small voices weren't in the room for that founding discussion. Ordinary colonists, soldiers, tenant farmers, enslaved people, the men and women who didn't draft a clause or argue a point of philosophy in Philadelphia.
That stuck with me, because I've got ancestors who fit that description exactly. Luke May. David Bruch. Abraham Depew. Samuel Cole. Alexander Sloan. Five men who served in the Revolutionary War. Not one of them sat in that room.
But here's what I kept coming back to: not being in the room isn't the same as not having a voice. Those five men cast theirs on a battlefield, with a musket and a long march instead of a clause in a document. That's a vote too, just a different kind, and arguably a harder one to take back.
And it didn't stop there. Their voice, and the voices of people like them, kept getting cast for generations after the war ended, just never in the big rooms. It landed in town meetings. County courts. Local ballot boxes down the road from home. That's always been the place built for people who don't get a seat in Philadelphia, the bottom of the pyramid where politics actually starts.
Springfield Township is about as far down that pyramid as you can get. No cameras, no marble, just a board handling financial and resource management, roads, and township assistance with whatever money and attention the community gives it. But that's exactly the kind of small, local voice this whole country was supposedly built to make room for. If my ancestors' voice mattered on a battlefield nobody remembers the name of, it matters at a township meeting three people bothered to attend.
"Of the people, by the people, for the people" isn't a phrase you carve into a monument and consider finished. It's closer to a fence line. Somebody has to walk it now and then, or it goes down quietly and nobody notices until the cattle are out.
Local government is unglamorous and easy to overlook right up until the day it isn't. That's not a flaw in any one office or any one person. It's simply how the system was built. The bottom of the pyramid still has to hold the weight of everything above it. It runs on attention. Ours.
So on this 250th Fourth of July, between the cookout and the fireworks, I'd ask you to do one small thing. Find out what your local board actually does and when it meets next. Not because there's a crisis. Just because that's the maintenance the founders were counting on, and two and a half centuries in, it's still due.
That's why I'm running for Springfield Township Trustee. Not because something's on fire, but because the fence needs walking regardless, and I'd rather be the one doing it than the one wondering later why nobody did.
Happy 250th, everyone.
Jim
Why I'm Running as an Independent
One of the questions I've been asked most often since announcing my campaign is, "Why are you running as an independent?"
It's a fair question, and I think the answer deserves more than a one-sentence response.
When I first considered running for Springfield Township Trustee, my intention was to seek the Republican nomination. I believed that was the appropriate path, and I entered the process in good faith.
As many of you know, I was ultimately informed that I did not meet the qualifications established by the Allen County Republican Party to appear on the Republican primary ballot. While that was not the outcome I had anticipated, I respect the party's process and its right to determine who represents it.
That experience also gave me an opportunity to step back and ask myself a more important question.
What qualities truly matter in a Township Trustee?
The more I reflected on that question, the more I realized the answer had very little to do with party labels.
A Township Trustee should have integrity to make difficult decisions honestly and ethically.
A Township Trustee should practice transparency so residents understand how decisions are made and how their tax dollars are being spent.
A Township Trustee should demonstrate stewardship by treating every public dollar as a responsibility entrusted by the taxpayers.
Those are the principles that matter to me.
They are not exclusively Republican principles. They are not exclusively Democratic principles. They are not exclusively Independent principles.
They are principles of good government.
That realization ultimately made me comfortable running as an independent candidate. It allows me to focus entirely on serving Springfield Township without feeling obligated to represent a political organization or ideology. My responsibility is to the residents of this township and to the office itself.
My campaign is built around three commitments: Integrity. Transparency. Stewardship.
Those principles will guide every decision I make, every dollar I oversee, and every action I take if I have the privilege of serving as your Township Trustee.
I hope you'll judge me not by the political label beside my name, but by the character I demonstrate, the principles I uphold, and the work I do on behalf of Springfield Township.
Integrity, Transparency & Stewardship
Every elected official eventually faces a moment when there isn't a policy manual, a political talking point, or a simple answer. In those moments, decisions are guided by principles.
As I campaign for Springfield Township Trustee, I want residents to understand the principles that will guide every decision I make if entrusted with this office. They can be summarized in three words: Integrity, Transparency, and Stewardship.
Integrity
Integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
The Township Trustee serves every resident—not a political party, special interest, or personal agenda. Decisions should be made honestly, ethically, and with the best interests of Springfield Township at heart. Public trust is earned one decision at a time, and once lost, it is difficult to restore. My commitment is to earn and protect that trust every day.
Transparency
Open government builds public trust.
Township government belongs to the people, and residents should not have to search for information about how their local government operates. I believe financial information should be readily available, communication should be open and timely, and township business should be conducted in the light of day.
If elected, I will establish an official Springfield Township Facebook page and YouTube channel to livestream and archive township meetings, giving every resident the opportunity to stay informed, whether they can attend in person or not.
Transparency is not simply about complying with the law. It is about inviting the public into the process.
Stewardship
Every tax dollar represents the hard work of a Springfield Township resident.
The Trustee's responsibility is to manage those resources carefully, spend them wisely, and always remember that the money being invested belongs to the taxpayers—not the government.
Good stewardship means thoughtful budgeting, responsible financial management, and clear reporting so residents understand how their money is being used to serve the township.
Looking Ahead
Campaigns often focus on personalities and politics. I believe they should also focus on principles.
Integrity. Transparency. Stewardship.
These are more than campaign slogans. They are the standards I will use to make decisions, manage your tax dollars, and serve the people of Springfield Township.
Springfield Township Deserves Better — I'm Running for Trustee
Springfield Township, I'm Jim Smith — and I'm running for Township Trustee because this community is worth fighting for, and it deserves to stay in the hands of the people who call it home.
I've spent nearly three decades solving complex problems for farmers, businesses, and agricultural operations across the country and around the world. I attended Purdue University and went on to earn my Ph.D. in swine nutrition from Kansas State University. I run Patio Pondering Consulting right here out of Grabill, Indiana. I'm an Eagle Scout, a Boy Scout and 4-H leader. My ancestors first settled this area in 1855, and for 170 years my family has been politically active in Allen and DeKalb Counties — whether as a precinct committeeman or a citizen sheriff, we have always shown up to support and improve our communities. This is my home. These are my people.
My values are conservative — I believe in fiscal responsibility, limited government, and accountability to the taxpayer. That hasn't changed. I sought the Republican nomination for this race, but was blocked by the Allen County Republican Party. Rather than walk away, I chose to take my case directly to the voters of Springfield Township as an Independent — because your township deserves a choice. I've already earned the support of a broad, bipartisan cross-section of Springfield Township residents who believe what I believe: that the Trustee's office should be open, honest, and answerable to you.
If elected, I pledge that every tax dollar will be accounted for, the checkbook will be open, and my door will always be open.