My name is Gavin Ferlic, and I am running for re-election as an At-Large Member of the South Bend Common Council.
I was born and raised in South Bend, attended the University of Notre Dame as an undergraduate, and obtained my Law Degree and Masters in Business Administration from Indiana University-Bloomington. I am the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Burkhart Advertising, where I oversee the company’s Legal, Human Resources, and Real Estate Departments.
I currently serve as an At-Large Common Council Member, represent the council as an appointment to the Redevelopment Commission, and chair the Community Campus Advisory Coalition.
Finally, I take pride in volunteering for a number of outstanding organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the South Bend Education Foundation, the Center for the Homeless, and United Way.
As a council member, I focus primarily on initiatives to promote job creation, safe neighborhoods, and youth programs.
Regarding job creation, I served as the lead sponsor of the ordinance that established a Riverfront Development District which has helped create 7 new businesses and assist several more. In addition, I advocated for a single point of contact for local businesses which has made operating, expanding, and locating a business in South Bend more efficient. These efforts, plus many more, have led to a reduction in unemployment in our community by over 33% during my tenure on the council.
Moving forward, I will continue to support investments in public infrastructure and workforce development programs to promote a strong local economy.
To promote safe neighborhoods, I advocated for neighborhood policing, supported the Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance to combat negligent property owners, and supported increased investment in parks to make neighborhoods more family-friendly.
In the future, I will continue to work on innovative public safety solutions and support improved lighting throughout the city.
To support our community’s youth, I spearheaded the City of South Bend’s Mentoring Initiative (MentorSouthBend.com) which has helped increase the number of mentors for youth in our community by over 200 in less than two years. Moving forward, I will continue to be an advocate for mentoring and positive youth programs while continuing to serve as an active mentor to two young men in our community.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve the residents of South Bend, and I view my role on the council as public service. As a result, similar to my first term, I will not accept any salary or benefits for my role on the council. Instead, I will direct funds to job creation, safe neighborhoods, and youth programs.
In addition, I am proud to say that I have served with dependability and dedication and have a perfect attendance record for legislative full council meetings, and I am always available to listen to constituents and help residents to solve problems.
I will continue to be a tireless advocate for South Bend, serving as a responsive, professional, and approachable voice on the Council, and I hope to have your support on May 5!
Meet the Candidates is a series introducing candidates in their own words. Articles are posted verbatim. South Bend Voice has offered to publish articles for all South Bend office seekers who are on the May 5th primary ballot.
