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Kathy Groninger is running for County Council at large.  Originally from Indianapolis, she came to Kosciusko County 27 years ago after having earned a B.S. degree from DePauw University and a law degree from I.U. School of Law, Indianapolis.  She has been married to Cary Groninger for twenty-five (25) years and together they have three (3) children.  When she began her legal career she worked in the area of general practice with an emphasis on family and criminal law.  Early in her legal career, she and her husband started a small business, specializing in real estate development, which Kathy managed.  As the demands of her family and her business increased, Kathy eventually transitioned to limiting her practice of law to her family business.

Kathy is passionate about Kosciusko County and wants to use her gifts and talents to make a difference for the county.  When asked what areas are of particular interest to her.  Kathy states that she is interested in the criminal justice system, including the jail and community corrections.  When she first began her practice of law she worked in the area of criminal justice and witnessed through her clients the devastation that drugs and alcohol addiction can cause to a person and their family.   In recent years, drugs and alcohol have become a scourge on both our country and our community and it is affecting every socio-economic group and every age group. Her experience in jail ministry has led her to the belief that even if a person is in jail for charges unrelated to drugs and alcohol, often the root problem is drug and alcohol addiction.  This epidemic has resulted in increased suicide rates and increased jail incarceration rates. If elected to the Kosciusko County Council, Kathy states, “that it is her desire to support successful programs to help overcome this blight on our community.”

Another area that is essential to our County is the need to upgrade our Public Safety Communication System, or PSC.   The county is in the process of developing a plan to build a tower system in the community to support our Public Safety Communication System. As part of this project, the County hopes to integrate rural broadband into the PSC infrastructure thereby encouraging outside providers to use this new system to expand rural broadband.  The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted this problem as schools and businesses have had to rely on these less than optimal broadband systems.  If elected, Kathy states “I will continue to work on supporting funding solutions that can improve these systems so that our First Responders can have access to current technology and our schools and businesses can effectively work from home when necessary.”

Beyond the medical and social problems caused by the COVID-19 virus, financial challenges may lie ahead for our county as a result of this pandemic. Differing funding sources may be reduced or delayed potentially resulting in a negative impact on our revenue stream.  Therefore, county officials are going to need to be very strategic about the use of our funds and make sure that we focus on meeting our basic necessities and not focusing on areas that would be nice but are not essential.  Kathy believes that her legal skills and business experience will be an asset to the county council.   Kathy states, “As an attorney, small business owner, wife and mother who has lived in Kosciusko County for 27 years, I am prepared to take my business experience, legal knowledge and, conservative values to serve Kosciusko County as a member of the County Council. “  “I’m asking for your support as I work hard to earn the opportunity to serve the community.”

Paid for by the committee to elect Kathleen Groninger for county council.