Lushin will leverage her 30-plus years of township government experience.
Kokomo Indiana – February 2, 2018 – Dawn Lushin announces her candidacy for the elected office of Center Township trustee of Howard County. Leveraging 35 years of township government experience, Lushin will be a participant in the Democratic primary slated for May 8, 2018, and the general election on November 6, 2018. Building upon the legacy of her father, former Center Township Trustee Jean Lushin, Dawn plans to launch a campaign that focuses on fiscal responsibility, poor relief with both respect and accountability and putting the people of Center Township first. She has decided to enter this campaign to put her long-standing experience back to work for the township and build upon the many successes and fiscal health she helped drive while in office from 1982 through 2014.
Lushin began her career in township government in 1982, serving as a caseworker with a focus on medical relief and applicant eligibility. She then oversaw billing and accounts management, eventually collaborating with software developers to create and customize software specific to Indiana township government. After efforts in making the township more progressive, Dawn was elevated to the comptroller position and was responsible for all financial aspects of running the township office, including the budget, payables, overall resource allocation and human resources. Dawn was promoted to first assistant to the trustee in 2001. Following the collapse of the financial markets in 2008, Dawn was appointed to administer a HUD-sponsored grant called Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing. The program demanded complex reporting and micro-management for both the state and federal levels through 2012. Dawn excelled in this role and was able to maximize the opportunity for Center Township, relieving the office of greater financial responsibility and saving taxpayers in the short and long run.
Dawn was introduced to township government in 1982, when Kokomo’s unemployment rate went as high as 26%. Her involvement with assorted local, state and federal government programs exposed her to multiple administrations and their many dimensions of feast and famine, and their respective and often divergent shifts in priorities and perspectives. She knows firsthand how support and resources at the federal level can quickly come and go. Controlling the chaos these events create at the local level motivates Dawn’s strategy for fiscal management and resource allocation with rainy-day funds and surpluses.
Recognizing that she will follow in the grand footprints laid down by her father, Dawn understands that she must create her own footprints. She believes that his wise mentorship over the years is a model for how she plans to govern the township, and the confidence he had in her empowers her to run.
As a lifelong Democrat, Dawn believes that putting the township first over party politics is critical, especially in the current local political environment. This is her reason for seeking the office now. She believes township government must stand at the ready, prepared to mitigate any potential economic downturn and protect the taxpayer, the poor and most notably, the working poor. It is they who seem to be forgotten and have a right to representation, a right to be heard. Dawn strongly believes that resources must be maximized to satisfy all parties — both township recipients and taxpayers.
Contact and learn more about Dawn’s campaign through her website www.votelushin18.com.
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