(St. Paul, IN) – Ashley Emsweller-Hungate has filed to run for a third term representing Decatur County Council District 4, which is comprised of Clay, Adams, Clinton, Fugit and Salt Creek townships.
With more than 18 years of experience in government administration at the state level and five years on county council, Emsweller-Hungate says she hopes to continue improving fiscal control and processes throughout county government.
“It is encouraging to see so much progress in the county over the last few years,” said Emsweller-Hungate. “As we move into the future, I hope to be given the opportunity to continue serving Decatur County with the knowledge and skills to make a difference and the heart to understand why it matters.”
She touts several achievements in her last term, including:
– Proposing and implementing a long-range planning committee that is now meeting regularly to determine high-priority county needs and planning for funding now and into the future.
– Completing a salary study that compares county government employee salaries to other similarly-sized counties, surrounding counties and the private sector. Salaries are being adjusted over a three-year period with the intention to update studies at regular intervals to stay current and competitive.
– Expanding the salary study committee to a personnel committee that reviews all position changes and additions to ensure consistency. This includes writing a process and procedures document that was recently adopted by the council.
– Assisting the Decatur County Animal Shelter with update processes and procedures that have helped the shelter go from a save rate of 61.7 percent in 2023 to a current save rate of 87 percent. The shelter hopes to increase that rate to 90 percent for the next year, granting them official “no-kill status,” something that is rare among government-funded shelters.
Emsweller-Hungate is also involved in various boards and committees as part of her council responsibilities. These include:
– Greensburg Decatur County Contractual Library Board (Vice-President)
– Greensburg Decatur County Animal Control Board (Secretary)
– 911 Executive Board
– Community Corrections Board
– Salary/Personnel Committee
– Long-Range Planning Committee
Outside of council duties, Emsweller-Hungate has experience managing multi-million dollar budgets for state agencies, administering grants, overseeing staff of more than 45 employees plus contractors and vendors and implementing compensation and benefits initiatives for more than 30,000 state employees throughout Indiana.
“I have served in state leadership positions across four gubernatorial administrations with a focus on clear communication, increased transparency and enhanced efficiency,” said Emsweller-Hungate. “Serving Hoosiers every day is a blessing. I am grateful that these hard- earned skills and abilities can also benefit my local government level and home community.”
Emsweller-Hungate grew up in Clarksburg and now lives on a small farm outside of Saint Paul with her husband, four children and various rescue dogs.
She is the Treasurer of the North Decatur Music Parents; Past-President of the Saint Paul Kiwanis; Cub Scouts Den Leader, and Girl Scouts volunteer.
Emsweller-Hungate is an alumnus of Indiana State University and Western Governors University (WGU) of Indiana for her undergraduate and MBA degrees. In 2025, she was named one of WGU’s Distinguished Alumni across the nation and received a Governor’s Public Service Achievement Award for her work on bringing data literacy to state employees.
If re-elected, Emsweller-Hungate says she plans to continue dedicating her knowledge, skills and abilities to supporting Decatur County’s fiscal stability now and into the future.
For more information about Councilwoman Emsweller-Hungate or to discuss issues impacting County Council District 4, please contact her directly at EmswellerHungate@gmail.com.
Information about her office and the campaign is available on Facebook under Councilwoman Ashley Emsweller-Hungate.
Early voting is April 7 to May 4, and Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 5.
For all Decatur County election information, including voting locations, visit decaturcounty.in.gov/election.
