Tom Rhoades
Prior offices
Southwest Allen County Schools school board Aboite Township
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Tom Rhoades was a member of the Southwest Allen County Schools school board in Indiana, representing Aboite Township. He assumed office in 2015. He left office on November 5, 2021.
Rhoades (Republican Party) ran for election to the Indiana State Senate to represent District 16. He lost in the Republican primary on June 2, 2020.
Rhoades completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Rhoades grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned his bachelor's degree in education from the University of Indianapolis in 1987 and his master's degree in organizational management from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2002. His professional experience includes working as a law enforcement officer.[1]
Organizations
As of his 2020 campaign, Rhoades was affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Lifeline Youth and Family Services Board Member
- Sonrise Church Personnel Committee
Elections
2020
See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2020
General election
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
2018
- See also: Southwest Allen County Schools elections (2018)
General election
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tom Rhoades completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rhoades' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Tom was born in Indianapolis, the youngest of six children. His father was a pastor and modeled servant leadership every day. Due to his parents' servant's hearts, Tom dedicated his life to serving his community. As a law enforcement officer with the Ft. Wayne Police Department,Tom served as Public Information Officer, Captain of a Homicide Squad, Director of Training, Captain of Professional Standards, and Captain of the Northeast Quadrant. He retired and went on to work briefly as Dean of Students at Homestead High School before joining Parkview Health as Security Director. He worked with law makers to pass legislation giving hospitals the right to create their own police departments, making Parkview Health the first in the state. He has been elected 2 times to the Southwest Allen County School Board where he serves as president. Tom has been married to his wife Dayna for over 31 years. They have 2 sons and daughters in law, and a new grand daughter. Tom received his BS in Education from the University of Indianapolis and his MSM from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 227.
- Tom believes we need elected officials who have real life experiences.
- As a career law enforcement officer, Tom supports and will defend the 2nd amendment.
- Tom is a Pro-Life advocate, having been endorsed by Allen County Right to Life in both School Board races.
Tom is committed to listening to and working with professional educators to make sure the state does not continue to burden classroom teachers and local districts with state mandated regulations that continue to take away from the teacher's ability to teach. He wants to reevaluate and change the way the state holds schools and teachers accountable.
Tom is also passionate about working with law enforcement professionals and crime victims families to ensure that our officers have all the tools and training necessary to protect our communities and that crime victims families have a voice.
Tom will also sit down with doctors and healthcare administrators to develop real solutions to address the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs. The answer is not with a single payer system or more government control. I look up to my father. He modeled unconditional love. He could disagree with people but it never changed how he treated them or cared for them.
My political philosophy is simple, I believe, as Ronald Reagan did, that government is not the solution to our issues, it is usually the problem. The government at the state level is to make sure the values and beliefs of our state are supported and that the rights of every citizen of our state are protected and that everyone has the opportunities to be successful, to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
Elected officials must be honest and of the highest ethical standards. I learned at a very young age as a pastor's son, that someone is always watching us to see how to live. The lessons I learned have guided me as a husband, a father, a police officer, and as a coach. While we may not be perfect, we must always strive to do things right.
I have the ability to listen and to build consensus. I am a visionary leader. I have implemented new ideas and programs that have required collaboration in order to achieve.
The core responsibilities of a State Senator is to represent the values and beliefs of your community and not to let outside influences, money, or power influence your decisions.
I would like for my legacy to be that everyday I worked to make sure I had a positive impact on everyone I came in contact with. I would like for people to know that I loved God, my family and my community.
The first historical event I remember was the Watergate hearings. I was around 8 years old.
My first job was bailing hey for local farmers. I did this every summer as a young teen.
My favorite book is If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg. It challenges the reader to answer God's call. We all have a decision to make, are we going to stay in the boat where it is safe like 11 disciples did, or are we going to get out of the boat like Peter did? I choose to get out and experience the fullness of what God has in store for me.
Life is a struggle every day. But when we remember that someone has it worse than you, it makes it easier. God has blessed me beyond anything I have ever deserved. Because of that I believe he calls me to give back.
The State Senate is the senior legislative body, comprising of only 50 members.
I believe there is value to having some experience in government. However, I think it is much more valuable and important for elected officials to have real life experiences. Our elected officials have a different perspective and can connect with their constituents if they have had to struggle to work, save money to buy a house, raise children, pay property taxes, send kids to school, save for college, etc. Those who seek a career in politics never fully appreciate the struggles of every day life.
One of Indiana's greatest challenge will be Working with educators to make sure we have an education system in place that prepares or children for tomorrow's opportunities and rewards teachers for the work they do, while keeping our spending and taxes low.
Indiana will also have to address the failed mission of our Department of Children's Services and look at possible new ideas on how to care and serve our DCS kids and families.
Finally, Indiana must address our lack of healthcare to our poorest citizens, particularly as it pertains to our "Nation's Worst" infant mortality rate.
All of this must be done with a balanced budget and no tax increase. This means growing our economy. We must create a business-friendly environment with a ready-to-work workforce and upgraded infrastructure in order to attract businesses and good paying jobs to our state. A strong economy is vital to achieving all of our dreams. The governor and legislators must have a collaborative relationship with a common mission of providing the opportunity for every citizen to improve their quality of life. This may sound simplistic, yet difficult to achieve. Both sides working together is required to achieve success.
It is vitally important to build relationships with other law makers. Statesmanship is a lost art. When we know one another, and we know each other's hearts, while we may not agree on everything, we can often find a common ground for the good of our citizens.
My life's experiences are in Education, Healthcare, and Public Safety. While I would be open to serving wherever my skills and talents could be used, I would be most interested in serving on committees in those specific areas.
I am running for state senate to serve my community and my state. If in the future I would have earned the trust of my fellow law makers to serve in leadership, then I would consider that opportunity at that time. The bottom line is, I seek to serve.
I do not seek to model myself after anyone else. I am my own person with my own life experiences. But I would certainly seek to be a legislator who is honest and willing to cast the vote that best represents the values of my community and not be influenced by money or special interest groups. I seek to represent the people.
I do not have a career plan laid out in politics. Folks came to me asking if I would run for this office because they know me. God has blessed me with a lifetime of service opportunities. I am always open to God's calling, but I have no personal plans to move on.
I have heard many stories from my friends and neighbors during this journey about how our lives crossed either when I was on the police department or as a coach for their children. What I didn't realize was how God used me to impact their lives. One story was from a friend who reminded me of an automobile accident she was in with her new baby and I was the first person on the scene. I got a stuffed animal out of my car for her baby and checked to see how everyone was doing. She talked about how calming I was for her and how she was so grateful. 14 years later I coached her son in basketball. I just never realized how impactful our lives can be when we let God lead us.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 7, 2020.
Leadership
Majority Leader:Chris Garten
Senators
Republican Party (40)
Democratic Party (10)
