Trent calls his process of gathering stakeholders together towards mutual needs his ‘Community of Care’ approach, focused on collaboratively addressing urgent needs in affordability, childcare, health, jobs and environmental resilience. Trent’s agenda for the ‘Community of Care’ approach, includes:

·       Crucial affordability considerations as a big first step in all that the county does – from planning, zoning, to other key infrastructure like water. This can be done at every level of offices, boards and commissions and other bodies commissioners are responsible for managing. This requires asking: How are housing, childcare, living, working and doing business affordable enough for residents looking to achieve their dreams, and how does county policy affect these considerations? How does affordability factor into the cost of creating these resources and opportunities? What is the effect of this decision on the affordability concerns of others?

·       Adopting health-in-all strategies as a rule of doing business in the county and community. Trent learned about this concept while serving on the original Community Voices for Health in Monroe County team designed to bring together a wide variety of community members towards health needs. Health-in-all strategies mean consideration of health in all policies, ranging from lake water quality to chronic problems associated with the distance traveled to food sources, like grocery stores. Too many county health discussions, while well-intentioned, focus on the microcosm of the health ledger while missing these critically vital health problems and discussions.

·       Supporting a culture of approachability and clarity in county services. Trent’s time in small business and retail and subsequent graduate training taught him about serving others and reaching people where they are versus the opposite: legislating in public meetings. Trent believes that a ‘Community of Care’ approach in county government means that area residents in all 11 townships can easily locate information about the services offered in a uniform manner and get up-to-date information through common sources like information dashboards or other public-facing resources. This ‘Community of Care’ approach means engagement with leaders during evening meeting times and dedicated communication coming from the county on everything ranging from health updates to potential public hazards.  

·       Leading with collaboration-first approaches as part of our ‘Community of Care.’ Commissioners help set the tone for the way the county engages with all of our communities, including the City of Bloomington and the Town of Ellettsville. They are often a first call for many of our nonprofit and faith leaders who assist community needs in education, hunger, shelter and other key areas. Collaboration considers our next 20 years in Monroe County while setting aside the disagreements of the past, valid though they may be, that may prevent critical action on a range of issues, from transit to public safety. This is something Trent harnessed while leading a bi-partisan state agency and working with a multitude of passionate Monroe County residents as a council member and party chair.

·       Ensuring an environment of resilience. Monroe County residents are always looking for ways they can do their part in addressing our global climate crisis, including increasing heat and inclement weather that has violently hit our homes, businesses and neighborhoods. Trent has learned first-hand that focusing on key moves now helps keep the county moving in the right direction for the future. To this end, he believes that leadership around flood and water control, as well as smart protection of Lake Monroe are priorities. At the same time, he supports strengthening our emergency management response to community needs to protect more residents. This also means examining the county government’s own use of resources for renewable and sustainable opportunities.

·       Supporting a constitutional justice system for all. Those who are staying in our Monroe County Correction Center must have constitutional care. Our sheriff has worked hard to do just that in the difficult confines of the present Justice Building. The county council, while Trent was president, adopted funding mechanisms that would begin to pay for construction of such a facility. New state laws, including how counties receive and expend revenue, changed so greatly that the county council placed a pause on site location. Now, funding considerations for modified plans should resume among a host of other stakeholders locally who should have input. Key to this process of moving forward is the ability to listen to others and find reasonable and feasible solutions for the future.