About The Candidate

Gerald Smith is a high school math teacher, who came to Indiana via public schools in St. Louis, Missouri, Portland, Oregon, Renton, and Washington State. Gerald also spent three years working with communities in East, and Southern Africa on increasing access to quality education. Gerald has also worked as a community organizer, coordinating a national health care coalition focused on eliminating racial disparities in health outcomes, leading a successful federal campaign to reauthorize an important health program for low-income children, and publishing living wage reports which helped to improve conditions for low-wage workers. 

Since coming to Pennsylvania, Gerald has been an active volunteer in his community, and has led film festivals and community news radio/web programs, raised funds to expand farmers market access to low income residents, and led a campaign that resulted in the formation of the Indiana County Sustainable Economy Task Force. 

As a Borough Councilor, Gerald has been led the Public Works Committee through upgrades of our Waste Water Treatment Plant, and provided focus on stormwater management to alleviate flooding. Under Gerald's leadership as Vice President, the Boro has taken concrete action to be a Sustainable,  Welcoming Community, with a focus on civil rights. Gerald has led Ad-Hoc community groups on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, borough communication and social media, and the hiring team.

Gerald most enjoys spending time with his family, Dr. Amanda Poole, and children, Griffin, 12, and Zuzu, 10, bicycling, spending time outdoors, travel, and thinking of creative solutions to old problems. 

He received his Bachelors degree from Northwestern University in Mathematics and Philosophy.

 

Vote for Gerald Smith 
Indiana Borough Councilor 

My name is Gerald Smith. I've been an Indiana Borough Councilor representing the 2nd ward for two terms. Thank you again for supporting me and my leadership in Indiana, PA. I'm writing today to ask for your support on May 18 to put me on the November ballot for a new term.

I am proud of my service on Borough Council and my role in helping to form the vision of this community. I first became interested in this service eight years ago, when it seemed that this town was ready for a change. The arts and cultural festivals that have established themselves in the last eight years, like the It's a Wonderful Life Festival and the Northern Appalachian Folk Festival are the result of an enormous amount of community effort, and new leadership ready to say yes.

I have maintained a number of priorities for Indiana, and look forward to continuing to expand on these in a new term. These include

• Providing opportunities for our business district to thrive;

• Leading collaborations with local stakeholders such as IUP, the Chamber of Commerce, and Downtown Indiana;

• Communicating to residents and beyond about important issues facing our community, and opportunities for community building.

• Demonstrating sustainable, state of the art practices in our storm water and sewer system infrastructure. 

 

In addition, I look forward to maintaining and improving policies to ensure that we are a Welcoming Community. In response to national attention brought to racial inequity and disparities, particularly in policing, the Borough Police force has looked inwards, and begun an ongoing program of diversity training. I have been at the forefront of these changes, and also led the effort to establish a local advisory chapter to the Pennsylvania Human Right Commission, which is in place to guarantee civil rights.

Of course, Indiana faces challenges. The impact of COVID on the health and the economy of our region is significant. Financial relief has softened the blow for some small businesses, but some of our biggest employers are significantly reducing jobs. It is heartbreaking to me to see neighbors who invested in community leaving town. 

However, I am confident this community has the strength and perseverance to weather these challenges. I ask for your trust to help lead us through these challenging times. Please vote for me, 

Gerald Smith for Indiana Borough Council on May 18.