This is the final of four “position papers” on issues that we and The Kokomo Perspective believe will dominate the fall mayoral campaign.

The City of Kokomo has been and will continue to be involved in areas of education in our community. There is no better way for most people to become better off economically than by getting a good education.

I was fortunate in regard to education. My dad had to quit school after the eighth grade to support his family. This was during the Depression, and he had to do what was necessary for his family to live. Prior to my generation I am not aware of any family members getting any kind of advanced education past the high school level. Even with the background my dad and my mom always stressed to me the importance of an education. Because of their attitudes about education and their sacrifices, I was able to go to Ball State University, where I earned a degree in accounting. I mentioned the word sacrifice because for many, getting an education is a sacrifice. In my case I grew up in a family of very modest means. We did not have much extra money. But my parents sacrificed their own needs and I worked through the summers, and the three of us were able to fund my education. This gift of an education is one that keeps on giving. Because of the education I was able to receive, I have been fortunate to have had the means to send my four children to college. It is now my hope that my children will give the gift of an education to their children.

I know there are many other stories out there about people who have sacrificed to get advanced training or further their education. Last week I met two individuals who impressed me with the sacrifices they made to further their own educations. As a member of Partners in Education (as mayor, I will continue to be involved with PIE), I attended a dinner honoring new teachers. At my table I met two ladies who were both married and had families for whom they were responsible. With all of the responsibilities the had (in fact one lady has five children), they still decided that it was important to go back to school. One lady is a first-year counselor, and the other lady is a first-year math teacher. I have a great deal of respect for what these ladies did and for the sacrifices they made. I think they are both wonderful examples to all of us.

The City of Kokomo has and will continue to be involved in areas of education and training. When I was the director of development for the City of Kokomo we put aside some economic development income tax funds specifically for high-tech training grants. We did this knowing that we wanted to promote high-tech jobs in our community. The city has also been involved directly in education through the Kokomo Early Learning Center. We are fortunate to have the presence of several institutions of higher learning including Ivy Tech, Indiana University Kokomo and Purdue University. These organizations not only provide advanced learning to our community, but they also have many faculty and staff who are involved in the community. They bring a level of expertise that we are fortunate to have. I have firsthand knowledge of this because of my affiliation with different organizations such as Partners in Education, Partners for a Healthier Community, Kokomo Area Career Center Advisory Board, Indiana University Kokomo Advisory Board and Indiana University Kokomo School of Public & Environmental Relations.

When you talk about the need to further your education or your training, you also need to think about the kind of job or career that you might have. Speaking from my own experiences, I can tell you that my education is directly related to the jobs I have had in my career. It is what has made me qualified for the positions I have held. I am fortunate though that there have been jobs available in my hometown of Kokomo. That isn’t the case for everyone. Not only do we need to encourage our citizens to get advanced training (this doesn’t necessarily mean a four-year degree) we need to make sure there are actual jobs available in Kokomo. I believe that the environment for business growth and the recruiting of businesses is ultimately the responsibility of the mayor. As mayor I will take this responsibility seriously. We have to encourage our children to be trained, but we also need to make sure there are jobs so that our families can stay right here in Kokomo.

I am an optimist by nature and I am convinced that with the right leadership we will have a prosperous city in which to work, live and raise our families.

Rick Hamilton is the Republican Party’s nominee for mayor of Kokomo.