Summers seeking the 6th
Former councilman wants improvements, to public safety, streets, and parks
Kevin Summers spent eight years as a member of the Kokomo Common Council. A change in state law in 2014 forced him make a choice between that seat and his career as a Kokomo Police officer. Now retired, he hopes the voters of the city’s 6th district will see fit to return him to the council.
“I previously served two terms, and I really enjoyed being on the council,” said Summers. “But I was close to retirement as a KPD officer, and I couldn’t give that up for another term. But I truly enjoy speaking with citizens and being able to represent and serve them.
“I’m asking the people of the 6th district to elect me as their councilman. I have dedicated my life to serving this community. My faith, family, and community is what drives me to make Kokomo a great place to live, worship, live, and raise my family. I am committed as this is the place I call home and where my kids and grandkids live, too.
“I have concerns that groups of people are trying to silence the voices of other citizens that have strong convictions on certain topics. We are living in a woke culture that is threatening our freedom of speech. I feel my values align with the Republican party in this regard.”
If elected, Summers said his priority will be public safety. It is a concern he said he has heard from residents for some time. He wants the council to take an active hand in ensuring the city’s public safety agencies have what they need to best serve the community.
“When you want to attract businesses and people to reside in your community, the thing I keep coming back to is public safety,” said Summers. “We want to live in a community where can let our children enjoy the parks and trails safely. So, my top priority will be to focus on adequate equipment, staffing, and training for our police officers and firefighters.
“We also need to make sure we have adequate pay and benefits to offer public safety personnel. We have experienced safety personnel doing lateral transfers to other departments for better pay and benefits. We need to retain our officers with competitive packages.”
Summers contended that Kokomo is a safe community in general, but the staffing levels of the Kokomo Police Department and Kokomo Fire Department are below where he believes they should be.
“Obviously, I’d like to see more officers in the pipeline,” said Summers. “It’s not like you can hire them today and put them on the street. We need enough personnel to cover upcoming retirements and grow our department to adequate numbers.
“Right now, especially with our fire department, we are working a lot of overtime. After awhile, working so much overtime takes a toll on personnel and their families. We must be staffed, equipped, and trained to relieve that problem. The recent hiring of seven police officers is a great step forward, but we need to do more.”
Summers feels that the issue of city-funded ambulance service is something that needs to be addressed over the next four years. He is in favor of gathering the information necessary to make a prudent decision on the matter.
“The ambulance service continues to be an issue when I talk to citizens,” said Summers. “Long wait times due to ambulances not being available is not acceptable when your family is having an emergency. Currently we don’t have the people to staff an ambulance. We need to conduct a study to make certain we need that service, and if we do, we need to make sure the staffing is there.”
Summers applauded the decision by Stellantis and Samsung to invest in a new automotive battery plant in Kokomo. However, the local business community, particularly in the 6th district, is falling short, he believes.
“I know in the 6th District, we don’t have the neighborhood hardware store or mom-and-pop variety store in our district,” said Summers. “The northwest corridor has to travel east or south to get to things they need. I want to see the business environment improve on the northwest side, in addition to within the entire community.”
Similarly, 6th district residents must travel if they want to enjoy the city’s parks and trails. Summers believes there is an opportunity to expand these amenities into his district.
“I want to see our plans for parks and trails,” said Summers. “I think we need to overhaul and upgrade our parks and playground equipment. We need additional park shelters. And I would like to see the addition of pickleball courts. The facilities at Carver Center and Bon Air Park are routinely used to capacity. We could look at additional pickleball facilities in the 6th District.
“The 6th district is expanding with young families in new subdivisions like Frederick Farms but there is no park in the 6th district. Perhaps we could add a pocket park somewhere. Fortunately, the 6th district has access to other parks such as Foster and Highland parks.”
Another issue Summers hopes to address if elected to the council is the condition of city streets.
“I want to see a commitment to street repairs,” said Summers. “I know the utility companies have made some major upgrades, but we have to work with them to ensure the repairs are done right. I want the council to work with the engineering department and the administration to ensure that we hold the utility companies responsible for repairs.
“Overall, I think the streets in the 6th district are in decent shape. There are some areas that need attention. No city councilman wants late-night phone call about potholes. As I travel the city, I see plenty that needs to be done.
“There is only so much money to go around, but I want to know that there is a master plan to get our resurfacing in order. There is usually a list of priority areas. I will advocate strongly for the 6th district to ensure we get our fair share of those resurfacing dollars.”