Jim Ake has been named the new president of the Westfield City Council, succeeding Robert Horkay.
“I’m looking forward to serving the community in this capacity,” Ake said.
Communication is said to be one of Ake’s leading attributes, which makes Westfield Mayor Andy Cook very happy.
“It’s a big position,” Cook said. “(Communication) is important to me because we do a lot of communicating between meetings.”
In 2000, Ake and his wife, Mary, moved back to Indiana to be closer to their two sons and immediately became active in the community – holding offices in both church and community organizations. In 2010, Ake received the Westfield Fire Dept.’s Helping Our Team Award for his leadership in securing a $10,000 grant for the department, which is being used for Fire Safety Education throughout the community and local schools. He is the first civilian recipient of this award.
Now retired, Ake received many awards while working, including sales manager of the year from two companies. He was responsible for managing company assets in excess of $7 million. He created budgets, forecast sales, managed teams and finished under budget and ahead of schedule whether in the corporate world or in the tax franchise business he owned since 2001.
“I can devote a lot of time to the job and meeting with constituents,” Ake said, adding that the council needed to look at the changing demographics and housing numbers and the products available to residents in the city.
“The future is bright,” he said. “We have the ability to look forward, not behind.”
As for his term as president, Ake said the major projects he planned to focus on, including Grand Park, Harmony and determining how the funds from the wastewater disposal would be used.
“I’m fiscally conservative,” he said. “We have to determine where the most need is.”
Fellow Councilman John Dippel was named to serve as Ake’s vice president.
