Rick Chandler’s Mayoral Run Is Deeply Rooted in Togetherness and Teamwork
Writer / Julie Yates
Photography Provided
Rick Chandler loves small towns, animals, and rolling up his sleeves to dive into whatever is needed to be done. Growing up in Cowan, he later attended Ball State University in Muncie and settled in Tipton to raise a family. Living here gave Chandler an appreciation of how people pull together to enhance the quality of life for the community. Lessons learned early have served him well throughout his life.
“My family moved to Cowan when I was in sixth grade,” Chandler says. “It was wonderful. The town was so small it didn’t have a stoplight. My grandparents ran the Jiffy Market, a small convenience store. There was a penny candy counter where you could get a bunch of candy for 25 cents. I had to walk the line and be on my best behavior or else I was in trouble when I got home. It was a close-knit community where people left their doors unlocked at night.”
Before going on to Ball State University, Chandler graduated from Cowan High School in a class of 63 students. In college he studied telecommunications, and while the degree he earned in 1993 never led to his childhood dream of being a sportscaster, he feels it did teach him to be an effective communicator without a fear of public speaking. Likewise, the media sales classes he took gave him an understanding of how to solve consumers’ problems.
After graduation, he remained in the Muncie area working in consumer finance when he met his wife, Karri, a Tipton native. He landed a job as the general manager of the now-closed School House of Educated Wicker in eastern Tipton County, a family business owned by Karri’s dad and stepmom, Patrick and Judy Logan. It was a great training ground to hone his people skills.
“I was there for 12 years, from 1996 to 2008,” Chandler says. “I was sort of a jack of all trades. I’d order merchandise, unload trucks, work on the sales floor and clean. I’d never ask the employees to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”
In the years since, Chandler has been involved in the community by volunteering his time as a band booster, little league baseball coach, Boy Scout leader and a member of the local Kiwanis Club. Today Chandler is a commercial and agricultural insurance specialist for Country Corner Insurance, as well as president of the Tipton City Council. On November 9, Chandler officially announced his candidacy for Mayor.
His path as a civil servant began in October of 2018 when he was appointed to serve out the term of a vacant seat on the city council. Three months later he started his campaign for re-election, which he won. One of the accomplishments during his tenure was the establishment of a countywide animal shelter. Chandler was instrumental in meeting this need.
“I became aware of the need for an animal shelter when I was knocking on doors during my 2019 re-election campaign for city council,” he says. “Attempts to get funding for it in the 2020 city budget failed. I stuck my neck out and said I would be voting ‘no’ on the budget. It brought attention to the problem and people started coming forward to support this cause.”
Money was allocated in the 2021 city budget to begin working on the future shelter building that was purchased by the city just a few months prior. A partnership was formed with the Humane Society of Tipton County to operate the shelter once renovations and improvements to the building are complete. Both the city and county have allocated funding in their 2023 budgets to help provide countywide animal control and operate the shelter – a first in the 50-plus years that previous requests have been made.
According to Chandler, this was a team effort. “I’m glad that so many people in our community came together to work towards making this dream, opening an animal shelter, a reality,” he says. “I’m also thankful for the support from other members of city government, as well as the support from members of county government. It just goes to show what can happen when everybody is willing to work together for a common cause.”
The Humane Society also operates a pet food pantry that is open on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There is food available for cats, dogs, and occasionally birds and guinea pigs as well. “The goal is for people to still be able to keep their pets fed when times are tough,” Chandler says. Pet owners only need to show proof that they are a citizen of the county to receive food from the pantry.
In keeping with Chandler’s love of small towns, he has also proposed an initiative called Sidewalks for All. This program would make sure that any home or business that currently doesn’t have a sidewalk will receive one at no cost.
“The Sidewalks for All initiative is not just about safety,” Chandler says. “It’s about connectivity as well. Residents would be able to walk from one corner of our community to another on a sidewalk.”
Chandler says his campaign is driven by the love he has for his community and his fellow residents.
“What makes this town special is the people,” he says. “Change occurs when we all get out in the community and work together. My goal is to be a leader through action and the giving of my time.”
To donate to the Humane Society of Tipton County, checks can be sent to: P.O. Box 237, Tipton, IN 46072. You can also donate via PayPal through the organization’s Facebook page.
