Winona Lake Town Council swears in new member

WINONA LAKE – Heather James, of 215 Roy St., Winona Lake, was elected Tuesday by the Republican caucus to fill Robert Swanson’s Ward 4 seat on the Winona Lake Town Council.

James ran was uncontested. Swanson resigned in December because he moved out of the district.

“I feel serving as a town council member is a way to give back to the community we worked  hard to be a part of,” James said.

James moved to Kosciusko County 16 years ago after she and her husband, Chad, graduated from Ball State University. Chad is a state trooper assigned to the Bremen Post.

They settled in Warsaw and moved to Winona Lake about eight years ago.

James said she was a stay-at-home mom for most of her life, but stayed active in the community. She served six years on the Greater Warsaw Cooperative Preschool board and two years as a parent representative with the Warsaw Community High School theater booster board. She has three children, ages 16, 12 and 7.

She worked as event coordinator at the Center for Lake and Streams at Grace College and recently transitioned into a consultant for the center’s events. James also works a part-time job at a local dental office.

“I’m just excited to learn and see how I can better serve the community,” James said.