Mikayla Johnson remembers the exact moment she became interested in local government.
She began a career as a field examiner with the Indiana State Board of Accounts, performing financial audits on local governmental agencies, and it was a turning point, as she said those experiences gave her an understanding of the impact and importance government plays in the daily lives of citizens.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my job at the state and took great pride in helping local officials to be good stewards of the funds that they received and playing a role in ensuring that those funds, our tax dollars were spent appropriately," Johnson told The Putnam County Post.
After having a son, Johnson began looking at how she could have a larger impact in her local community. She would leave her job with the state to take a position with the Putnam County Hospital to further help push the hospital's mission of providing exceptional care close to home by joining their accounting department.
"When I realized that it is an election year for local cities and towns, that is when all the dots started to connect and I knew that this was the opportunity I was looking for. Having audited many Clerk-Treasurers during my time at the state, I have seen how vital it is to have a qualified individual in the position," said Johnson, who has thrown her hat into the Republican primary ring for the Greencastle Clerk-Treasurer post.
Johnson admits she hopes to use her skills, knowledge and experience to help Greencastle in the future.
"I hope to use my skills, knowledge and experience to help the City of Greencastle to continue to thrive and be a community that I want to raise my kids in, my kids want to raise their kids in and so forth for many prosperous years," Johnson said.
Johnson said she brings experience to the race, having worked on both audits and the work,
"Voters can rest assured in knowing that I have the accounting background necessary to perform the daily tasks required of the Clerk-Treasurer and the experience in performing these tasks. Furthermore, having been an auditor, I can ensure that efficient processes and procedures and strong internal controls are all in place. I am confident that I can help the City of Greencastle to continue to receive clean audit reports, which helps the City's bond rating and ability to receive funding. I also have experience in auditing federal programs and a master's class in grant writing and look forward to using this knowledge and experience to help the city to apply for and receiving additional monies for projects, without the need to seek an outside consultant," Johnson said.
Johnson said the inflation residents is feeling is also felt by local governments, making it harder to increase and diversify revenue streams.
"The rising costs of goods, along with a continued demand of more rules and regulations means that the city will need to continue to find ways to absorb costs by utilizing current staff and taking advantage to get the most out of the technology that's available. During my time at the state, I had experienced a few cutbacks where I learned how to maximize the limited resources that we had. It will be important to continue to build strong five year plans, not just in utilities and public safety, but also for our roads and all city owned facilities. This is an area the Clerk-Treasurer and Mayor could work closely together on to really make a big impact for the City of Greencastle," Johnson said.
Why should voters vote for Johnson?
"Voters should vote for me in the primary because I am excited to serve the residents of Greencastle, to give back and to contribute to our community. As mentioned, I have seen how important it is to have a qualified individual in the Clerk-Treasurer seat and I strongly believe that I meet and exceed those qualifications. My background shows that when I make a commitment, I am dedicated to honoring that commitment and to do it justice by being all in," Johnson said.
