(La Porte County, IN) - LaPorte County Commissioner Sheila Matias has officially announced her reelection bid.
Matias, named President of the County Commissioners since early January, said she intends to take her record of working hard to get things done and solving problems for the voters.
Matias said her accomplishments include forming the LaPorte County Broadband Task Force, which successfully received state certification as a broadband-ready community three years later. Such a declaration means a local government has done what’s necessary for a broadband provider in 10 days or less to obtain the permits and other requirements for extending service to unserved or underserved areas.
“We are working together collaboratively with many partners such as the LaPorte County Library, Kankakee Valley REMC, Farm Bureau, internet service providers, schools, businesses, and others to help eliminate the digital divide in LaPorte County,” she said.
Matias said she was also at the forefront of redesigning the county government website with streamlined information for citizens. As a result, the website had scored more than 750,000 hits over the past year.
Matias, elected to two terms as mayor in Michigan City in the 1990s, cited other accomplishments like reorganizing the Office of Community and Economic Development to provide a laser focus on business retention, business attraction, and job growth.
“The proof is in the pudding. Job creating successes at places like the old Roundy’s Warehouse in Westville where we landed North Point Development and several new companies as well as the new Corsicana Mattress development at the old Scott Foresman facility in Pinola,” Matias said.
Matias said the private investment in Pinola is resulting in 350 new jobs and 1.7 million in infrastructure in a building that was sitting vacant for 20 years.
“Those projects don’t just happen by accident. It is hard work and effort to build those good-paying jobs for our local residents,” Matias said.
Matias also said she has worked in a bi-partisan matter to accomplish other things like a $1 million grant from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to help connect rail at Kingsbury Industrial Park.
She is unopposed in the Democratic Party primary in May and will face the winner of the Republican nominee in November. Republican candidates include Nathan Patrick, Liz Bergeron, and Connie Gramarossa.
