The Nineveh Township trustee faces opposition for the first time since voters elected her to the position 12 years ago.
As the trustee of the township that covers Nineveh, Princes Lakes, part of Camp Atterbury and the eastern edge of Trafalgar, incumbent Janet Renner said she’s proud of partnerships she’s created with county agencies to help better the lives of her constituents.
“We continue to support the Interchurch Food Pantry, St. Thomas Clinic and a new one this year is Gateway Access Transportation. We contract with them to defer some of the cost of what they provide for our residents,” Renner said. “If one of our residents needs food, the Interchurch Food Pantry is a great resource. When we contract with them, we’re paying it out in a way, helping them out so they can continue to help our residents. St. Thomas provides medicine for over 93 people in Nineveh Township, and we contract with them so they have extra funding to help those residents.”
During her time in office, the township has also installed three streetlights on isolated roads, and started emergency services specifically for Princes Lakes residents, she said.
If elected to a fourth term, her goal is to continue to maintain the township’s cemeteries, which are recognized by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and continue to build partnerships with county agencies, Renner said.
“After 12 years (in office), I know the community quite well and am able to see their needs,” she said. “I live in the community, so it’s easy to see what needs we might have or want to be working on. I’ve been a resident out here for over 30 years.”
Renner’s opponent in the Republican primary is Jonetta Knight. Knight, who has lived in Nineveh Township for 18 years, said seeing the amount of need people went through during the pandemic inspired her to run for trustee.
“The ultimate goal of the trustee is to help others, that’s my No. 1 priority in running, especially in the last couple of years watching people go through many things with the pandemic. I want to be in a position to help others,” Knight said.
“This community is like family to us. My husband is a pastor at Nineveh Christian Church. We used to live in Kentucky, but we moved to Indiana for his position and the community has been family. The church and family mean everything to us. We know several people in the community as well.”
Knight’s goals, if elected, include creating a physical trustee’s office that would be a space to keep items folks may need, such as diapers and food. She also wants to have assistants to keep the office open as many hours as possible, she said.
“My passion (is) to help people. … The ultimate goal of a trustee for a township is to maybe help people get back on their feet if they’ve had tough times with the pandemic or situations with family,” Knight said. “I want them to feel comfortable in asking for help. I want to be that person they would feel comfortable coming to and welcome them like I would family.”
The primary election is May 3. Early voting starts April 5.
THE RENNER FILE
Name: Janet Renner
Residence: Nineveh
Family: Husband, JP; five children
Occupation: Retired, formerly worked with Anthem in case management and precertification
Educational background: Lourdes Academy, Cleveland; Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland
Political experience: Nineveh Township Trustee, 2010-present
THE KNIGHT FILE
Name: Jonetta Rae Knight
Residence: Nineveh
Family: Husband, Thomas; eight children
Occupation: Teacher at Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
Educational background: Taylor County High School, Campbellsville, Kentucky; Campbellsville University
Political experience: None
