UNSUNG HEROES AT WAYNE TOWNSHIP – Voice Of The Township

In Indiana townships, the citizens elect not only a trustee, but also a Township Board. The Board is the legislative body of the township, and its members serve four-year terms. As the legislative body, the Board adopts and oversees the township budget, sets tax rates and approves salaries for township employees. They also serve in an advisory capacity to the trustee regarding township business. 

Today I would like to talk about three people who are often unsung heroes of our work here at Wayne Township. Those are Tony Henry, Pat Turner and Bruce Stier—our Wayne Township Board Members.

Tony Henry
Tony Henry currently serves as the Chairman of the Wayne Township Board. Along with his board service he works at St. Mary’s Catholic Church assisting folks who come to the church in need of help. Mr. Henry graduated from St. Louis University with a BA in Philosophy and Fine Arts and later received his Masters Degree in Education from Catholic University of America. You may also recognize Tony as the owner of Deer Park, the hotspot for Irish fun in Fort Wayne. He is the fifth of seventeen children, the son of social worker and well-known community activist the late Jerome Henry. Mr. Henry has served on several non-profit boards including the East Wayne Street Center, Miss Virginia Mission House and the Hungry Hill Fraternity Foundation.

Patricia Turner
Currently serving as Wayne Township Board Secretary, Pat Turner is a lifelong resident of Fort Wayne having attended Central High School and then earning her degree from Indiana University-Purdue University of Fort Wayne. She is also an alumna of Leadership Fort Wayne. Ms. Turner has many years of experience in non-profit organization management and has been active in all levels of the local community, including serving as a board member of Miss Virginia’s Food Pantry, the Urban Enterprise Association and past president of the LaRez Neighborhood Association. Her community service is focused on raising people up in their personal finances and in their physical health through her work with Pathfinder Community Connections and for Parkview’s Tobacco Free Allen County and the Indiana Tobacco Quitline.

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Bruce Stier
Bruce Stier, current Board Finance Chair, another lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, graduated from Bishop Luers High School and received his Bachelor of Arts in History at Indiana-Purdue University. He graduated from John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1977. Mr. Stier practices law in downtown Fort Wayne and devotes much of his practice to elder care, probate, estate planning and Medicaid matters. Mr. Stier is a frequent radio talk show speaker and guest editorial writer on public policy concerns in the area of economic and fiscal policy as well as elder care issues. He serves as attorney for the Fort Wayne Hospital Authority and formerly served as Associate City Attorney for the City of Fort Wayne. He belongs to the Allen County Bar Association, the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and he is a member of the NAACP. Bruce is also a long-standing member of the Churchill Centre (formerly the International Churchill Society), and he formerly served on the Red Cross Health Services Committee and the St. Mary’s Parish Council.

As you might be able to tell, I am proud to be working with such dedicated community members. Not only have they shown that they have the best interests of Wayne Township citizens at heart, they all three have demonstrated their care and commitment for all people in need of social justice and a helping hand. Thank you, Tony, Pat and Bruce for all your years of public services.

The Wayne Township Board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. at our offices on 320 East Superior Street. These meetings are open to the public, and I always encourage citizens to attend and get a little more familiar with township government. We always post in advance the meeting agenda and any other public notices on the front door of our office to let people know what business will be discussed. Wayne Township adheres to the Indiana Open Door Law regarding public meetings, and questions and/or comments from members of the public are entertained at the close of the meeting.