Articles by Josh Lange

By Joshua David Lange

Dear Neighbors:

My name is Joshua David Lange, and I am a Mishawaka Democrat running for the Penn Township Advisory Board in the upcoming election. As a 7^th generation Mishawakan, our city means everything to me, and that is why I am running for this position. Currently, only one out of three board members lives within the city limits of Mishawaka. Only one board member is eligible to vote in Mishawaka’s municipal elections, only one board member is eligible to vote for the Mishawaka school board, and only one board member pays taxes to the City of Mishawaka. Why is this a problem?

This is a problem because 75% of Penn Township’s population lives in the City of Mishawaka, and the majority of the township’s tax revenue comes from the taxpayers of Mishawaka. How is it fair that our city has only 33% of the seats on the Penn Township Advisory Board, but 75% of the population?

Most people do not know what a township does, and I do not blame them. Townships are in charge of providing poor relief, giving money to the Mishawaka Food Pantry, and helping residents directly. They are in charge of cemetery maintenance like repairs and groundskeeping. They are also in charge of fire protection for Penn Township (Mishawaka does not have an agreement with Penn Township, so this does not directly impact the city).

Just because I want fair representation does not mean I will forget about Osceola or the rest of the township. I want to improve the lives of everybody within the township and give them the same quality of life as what Mishawaka provides for their residents.

One of my main campaign goals is to have Penn Township mirror the strategies used by the City of Mishawaka. Mishawaka is the seat of our township and is tremendously successful, so why not learn from the city instead of attempting to reinvent the wheel? Mishawaka recently decided that it would be cheaper and safer to mow the grass on the riverbanks with goats. That is genius and an example of Mishawaka’s creative governance that could be used. As a former member of the Mayor Youth Advisory Council, I learned about every department of the city government.

We can model the Penn Township Fire Department after the impressive standards that the Mishawaka Fire Department uses to keep all residents of Penn Township safe. Firefighters deserve better pay and the best equipment, and I am here to help fight for them.

The same goes with modernizing the township to inform voters with better livestreams, better websites, and more social media to educate and encourage participation from constituents. As they said in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” 

With my background of being a local historian, a business administrator for my family’s small business, a union member, a columnist for local newspapers, community volunteer, and a lifelong Mishawakan, I believe I am the man for the job, and I am grateful that many respected community leaders agree.

Among my endorsements, I am backed by seven current Mishawaka Council members, which includes the common council president, the Mishawaka City Clerk, the Mishawaka Historian Laureate, the St. Joseph Valley Building & Construction Trades, and many more.

The problem is Mishawaka does not have fair representation. The Penn Township Advisory Board has a handful of candidates from both parties running in this election, and you can vote for up to three of them, so you could hypothetically vote for just one, two or three candidates.

The solution to the representation problem is simple. Remember to save one of your votes for Joshua David Lange, a Mishawaka Democrat who wants to help our community. Early voting starts on October 6, and election day is November 3. Regardless of whether you vote early or vote on Election Day, I would greatly appreciate your support!

Sincerely, Joshua David Lange

Designed by Mishawaka Artist, Kincade Acrey