Born and raised in Gary and Merrillville, Indiana, I served my country for four years in the United States Navy during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. After coming back from my 1st overseas deployment, I made the life-changing decision to give my life to Christ. This was the best decision I ever made and it changed the w
Born and raised in Gary and Merrillville, Indiana, I served my country for four years in the United States Navy during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. After coming back from my 1st overseas deployment, I made the life-changing decision to give my life to Christ. This was the best decision I ever made and it changed the whole trajectory of my life.
After being honorably discharged from the Navy, I stayed an additional three years in San Diego obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. In 2010, with the “fire of God” burning in my bones, I made the decision to move back to Gary to see how I could best use my creative talents to expand God’s kingdom. I immediately got involved in ministry at Embassies of Christ and that is where I met my beautiful wife, Kathelene. We now have two wonderful sons, Ivan III and Myles.
Since moving back home, I have tried to be civically engaged as much as possible. From community outreaches to neighborhood cookouts, I’ve tried to show the light of Christ to everyone I encounter. While engaging with the community, I’ve noticed a major cultural shift away from traditional family values and the truth of God’s word. Everyone seems to be doing what’s “right” in their own eyes and the government is making laws not condemning, but affirming this destructive behavior. That is why I strongly believe Christians not only need to be in pulpit, but also in politics to help re-shape policy around the truth of God’s word and not by man’s ever-changing, ever-evolving “truth”.
I believe in order to ensure public safety, you have to have a robust and well-equipped police force to maintain law and order. In order to have a large force, we need motivated recruits. In order to attract motivated recruits, we need to first build the morale of the police we already have. In order to build their moral, we must chan
I believe in order to ensure public safety, you have to have a robust and well-equipped police force to maintain law and order. In order to have a large force, we need motivated recruits. In order to attract motivated recruits, we need to first build the morale of the police we already have. In order to build their moral, we must change the narrative. We change the narrative by teaching our children to respect authority and that policing is an honorable profession. We must emphasize the fact that the police are here to protect and serve and not out to target and gun them down. Police have reformed enough. Now, it is time for society to reform. It all starts at home.
Even though I am a strong proponent of law-and-order, as a Christian, I also understand grace and the power of Jesus Christ to change lives. I believe we can successfully reach first-time offenders before they become habitual offenders through a church/court partnership.
Whether it is criminal court or drug court, I believe most of t
Even though I am a strong proponent of law-and-order, as a Christian, I also understand grace and the power of Jesus Christ to change lives. I believe we can successfully reach first-time offenders before they become habitual offenders through a church/court partnership.
Whether it is criminal court or drug court, I believe most of these young offenders are acting out of anger and frustration. Many of them are growing up in fatherless homes and are in of need direction. I believe if they commit a crime (depending on the severity of the crime) and you give them the option of either jail time or faithfully attending and serving at a local church that has a effective mentorship ministry, 90% of the time they will pick the church.
Through this partnership, I believe we can cut the reoffending rate in half and while building strong men and women of God who will become productive members of society.
We know one of the biggest challenges that Gary faces is the resurfacing and repair of our roads and frequent stop light outages. I am committed to identifying a plan that will address and remedy these challenges with a sense of urgency, so residents can experience improved road conditions and less congestion and collisions caused by stop light outages.
With the South Shore double track project well underway, an increasing amount of attention is being paid to Gary. With that attention, comes developers. With those developers, come jobs. Problem is, our country has pushed four year college degrees for so long, that the trades (which pay very well) are undermanned.
On top of that, hist
With the South Shore double track project well underway, an increasing amount of attention is being paid to Gary. With that attention, comes developers. With those developers, come jobs. Problem is, our country has pushed four year college degrees for so long, that the trades (which pay very well) are undermanned.
On top of that, historically, Gary residents have not been informed well enough in advance, so those in the trades don’t even have enough time to gain the required certifications or skills needed to compete for the job or contract. Therefore, Gary citizens have never made up a significant part of the workforce on any major Gary projects.
When elected, I commit to not only making sure the residents are fully informed of upcoming development projects, but also what skills are required to make them competitive; ensuring those who meet the proper requirements and want to work are at the top of the hiring pool.
As an outdoor person, I know the value of sunlight and fresh air. Many residents, especially the youth in our community, don’t take full advantage of the great amenities Gary has to offer. Whether it’s kayaking at the Marquette lagoon, hiking in the Dunes National Park, or biking the Marquette Greenway Trail, I plan on creating and or
As an outdoor person, I know the value of sunlight and fresh air. Many residents, especially the youth in our community, don’t take full advantage of the great amenities Gary has to offer. Whether it’s kayaking at the Marquette lagoon, hiking in the Dunes National Park, or biking the Marquette Greenway Trail, I plan on creating and organizing big events that will get the community up, out, and enjoying our beautiful lakefront amenities! Together we can make Gary fun again!!!
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and fund our mission.
3439 Connecticut Street, Gary, Indiana 46409, United States
Copyright © 2023 Committee to Elect Ivan Ursery II - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.