KEN MERTZ

I have lived in Perry Township most of my life. I am proud to be a 1987 graduate of Perry Meridian High School; my wife is a 1989 Perry grad, and we have chosen to educate our children in the Perry Township school system. We have one child attending Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary School and another who will attend in the near future. As a parent, I have become increasingly involved in the educational community, and we are looking forward to many years of service and involvement with the Perry schools.

In 1991, I graduated from Ball State University with majors in marketing and speech communications. During my last two years in college, I worked as a sales representative for IBM. After graduation, I accepted a sales position with the Lego Corporation. Later, I worked as a branch manager for Bank One (Chase) and in the land title business for Morrison Title Services. Currently, I am the vice president and sales manager for Meridian Marketing.

Since MSDPT is a 90 million-dollar corporation and the largest business employer within Perry Township, it is imperative to have school board members who understand the importance of executing sound business practices and who understand the long-term effects of their financial decisions. I believe my business experience and background will be beneficial to the school board team.

During the past year, the current school board majority has rendered decisions and taken actions that thoroughly embarrassed and crippled the educational process in Perry Township. I was incensed by the board majority’s practice of limiting information to concerned citizens and disallowing open discussion of the issues. The time has come for our school board to create a positive environment in which parents, teachers, and taxpayers are not intimidated and silenced. Individuals should be encouraged to speak to important issues that impact their children and their lives. The need for a new direction has triggered my interest in being a school board member.

As a school board member, my goal would be to restore trust by providing integrity and strong leadership to our school board. I will research and study the issues to effect informed and sensible decisions; I will make our students my priority, and I will communicate with the public.

As a candidate for Perry Township school board, I am asking for your support. With your help and active participation, I will face the challenges of today, prepare for the future, and restore pride in the leadership of our school district.

If you would like to contact me, please e-mail me at ken@mertz2008.com.

Thank you,

Ken Mertz