Civic duty drives Fogle
GREENCASTLE -- Nancy Fogle has spent her whole life in her hometown. As a proud resident of Greencastle and Putnam County, she feels a duty to serve the community she loves.
It's an attitude she wishes more shared.
"I wish people would get more involved. You don't hear from people unless something's wrong. They just don't show up," Fogle said. "I've never lived anyplace but Greencastle. I've lived here all my life. Four of my five kids live here; six of my nine grandchildren live here."
This love of community manifests itself in Fogle's involvement in Kiwanis, her church and county government. Fogle spent 14 years as a member of the Putnam County Council.
"I was on the council for 12 years, then I went off for four years, and I've been back on for two years," Fogle said.
She recently assumed her new role as a Putnam County Commissioner. She was already slated to take over the position in January, but was elected to serve the last month of Jim Baird's term in last Saturday's GOP caucus.
Baird was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in November.
Fogle looks forward to her new challenge, but knows it will take some getting used to. Even simple terminology can be a challenge to a new commissioner.
"I think it's going to take me six months to really see how things are going," Fogle said. "I've got to find out -- they talk about bridge 137 and 140-something, and I have to find out where that bridge is. I know the bridges by 'Houck's Bridge' or 'Dunbar Bridge' or 'Big Four-Arch.'"
The veteran councilor said it was originally someone else's idea for her to run, but she is glad to be serving in the new position.
"I let somebody talk me into it, but I'm not sorry -- don't get me wrong. I know it's going to take a while for me to get acclimated to the job," Fogle said. "I've always liked working with the public. It's a new experience."
One recent hot button issue in the county has been what to do with the county annex. One solution is to remain in Jones school and revamp it. Another is to build an entirely new annex. Fogle comes to her new job with a strong opinion.
"I'd like to see them redo the Jones School instead of tearing it down," Fogle said. "I feel we need to redo and reuse. There has to be some way to fix that building up. And I'd like to see them use local contractors to do it."
Fogle's first meeting as a commissioner was Monday.