Representative Ben Smaltz was elected to the Indiana General Assembly in November 2012. Prior to serving his community as a state representative, he served on the DeKalb County Council for 10 years - the past seven years as its President. He is also the President of his family business, Taylor Rental Company, which his parents opened in 1977.
On the County Council, Rep. Smaltz has proven that he can make tough decisions; supporting the movement for Centralized Emergency Communications and leading the council to a balanced budget every year. He saved the county taxpayers money when he took the position that the State of Indiana was unfairly charging counties for the care of inmates in state institutions.
In 2011, Rep. Smaltz was able to lead his county council in actually reducing their tax collection levy. He was vocal in his opposition to a new tax called the Local Option Income Tax (LOIT) and the Local Option Highway Users Tax (LOHUT) saving local taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars every year.
Most importantly, Rep. Smaltz is a husband and father. Meeting at Ball State University in 1988, Rep. Smaltz later married his college sweetheart, Shelley, in 1994. They started a family in Auburn, Ind. where he, his wife and their two children - Henry and Megan - continue to live today.
Henry and Megan both graduated from DeKalb Central High School.
