Hood seeks re-election to Monroe Trustee Office
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By: JENNY CORBETT
Monroe Township Trustee, Amie Hood, submitted her paperwork to seek re-election on January 12 at the Madison County Election office.
Hood is currently serving the third year of her first four year term in the office and hopes to continue to build programs for the office that she has implemented during that time.
Hood served as Deputy Trustee for four years under former Trustee, Don Swegman before being elected to the office.
During her tenure, Hood implemented Community Dinners along with community sponsors to provide a monthly warm meal for residents of Alexandria. After the success of the dinners in 2021, even with COVID restrictions, state regulations made it difficult to continue the service in 2022. Hood is currently working to revise the dinners in the near future.
Over the past three years, the Trustee’s office has implemented Cemetery software for its active cemeteries, including IOOF, to provide information for those looking for a loved ones’ final place of rest. In addition, working with Ancestry and Newspapers.com, Hood has updated the software to provide birth certificate information, death certificates, draft cards, and more. Hood has paid for the subscriptions to Ancestry and Newspapers.com from her own pocket to best provide the updated information people may be searching for. Hood said the centralization of the information allows loved ones to find all the information they may be seeking including a map to final grave site. Hood said IOOF and Starr are the active cemeteries in the Township therefore being the ones concentrated on for this project.
Under Hood, the Trustee’s office has added a third computer to the office to provide a place for clients to come to file for Social Security benefits, unemployment, food assistance, complete job searches, and more. By providing a place with no charge, clients can complete the necessary forms with personal assistance on site to avoid issues in the application processes.
Hood has also implemented a Facebook page for an online presence to better serve the clients. It has enabled clients to link to the application for assistance to start the process quickly and efficiently. Once a client files the online application, they are contacted by the Deputy Trustee to begin the process and ensure all needed documents are received in the required 72 hours.
Hood has also updated the accounting software used by the office saving approximately $1,000 and allowing required reporting from the office to the state to been done monthly in an efficient manner.
Hood said, “My goal is to organize and streamline the efficiency of the office to better meet the needs of our clients and to make the office transparent in reporting and meeting state requirements.”
When asked why she is seeking re-election, Hood said, “I have a lot of thinks I’m not finished to make the office more streamlined; and I thoroughly enjoy helping people who come in and are down on their luck. They have no where else to turn.” Hood said there have been several times when clients have referred to her and Deputy Trustee, Lindy Martin, as angels. “They didn’t know what they were going to do to things done, and we got it done for them,” she said. She went on to explain there was a mother in Ohio who’s daughter lived in Alexandria and had passed away. The mother did not know how she was going to handle the cremation and get her daughter’s cremains home. Hood handled the cremation and personally paid for the cremains to be sent to the mother. She said the mother wrote her a note to share with the community to let everyone know how much she appreciated the way Hood handled the sensitive situation. Hood said, “That is personal, I didn’t feel the need to share it with everyone.”
Hood said about her goals for a second term, “I have so many. I would like to find and purchase additional land for another cemetery and keep the office running in the direction it is going.”
Hood is currently serving as the Madison County Democrat Chairperson and has served as a Monroe Township Democrat Precinct Committeeman for the past seven years. She is up for re-election for both of those positions as well. In addition, she has filed to run for a Delegate to the Indiana Democrat State Convention.
Hood is married to Greg for 19 years. The couple has raised their five children in Alexandria. She was a member of the AMHS choir boosters and an avid supporter of the AMHS cheerleaders, football team, show choir, and is the proud mother of a U.S. Marine. She was a founding member of the Alexandria Fire Department Auxiliary.
She is Indiana Township Association (ITA) certified in Township Assistance, Township Finance, and Township Grants.
Hood has been challenged by Chip McFerran for the office and the two will meet in the General Election in November.
The deadline to file for office has passed. In addition to Hood and McFerran filings, Dick Thompson and Don Swegman have filed on the Democrat ticket for seats on the Monroe Township Trustee Advisory Board. Valerie Jerrils, Jennifer Ward, and Sarah Collis have filed for Board seats on the Republican ticket. The five will meet to fill three seats on the board in the General Election.