John McGauley
A resident of Allen County since 1980, John McGauley is a graduate of Ball State University and Snider High School in Fort Wayne. McGauley, 43, has been married to Elissa (Vaughn) McGauley since 1992. They have a daughter, Laurel.
Throughout his career, McGauley’s endeavors have focused on delivering information to the public, often in innovative ways that have broken new ground and made important resources more accessible to the public. McGauley was elected Allen County Recorder in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.
Before his election Recorder, McGauley served as Allen County Government’s Director of Public Information. In that capacity, he developed and managed many important projects that brought government closer to the citizens of Allen County.
McGauley managed the first successful effort to broadcast Allen County meetings and informational programming on cable television. In addition, he directed efforts to launch Allen County Government’s first interactive Internet site and oversaw other advances in the county’s ability to deliver information and services to citizens anywhere and any time.
As Recorder, McGauley has focused on making the office less costly and more accessi-ble to its customers, often through cutting-edge uses of technology. In 2009, McGauley received the Association of Indiana Counties’ “County Achievement Award” for the development of a Neighborhood Resource Center web site which delivers hard-to-find information, including searchable access to neighborhood covenants, to property owners.
McGauley championed the first-ever wide-reaching expansion extension of Allen County Recorder’s Office services onto the Internet. Under his leadership, more than 40 years worth of records were made available online, a resource that grows on a daily basis. In 2008, Allen County became the first county in Indiana to begin recording documents via the web, allowing customers to conduct important business without ever having to leave the office.
McGauley also oversaw the implementation of an automated alert system designed to protect Allen County citizens from property fraud, a new form of identity crime. Allen County was the first county in Indiana to enact that service as well.
With a new focus on customer service under McGauley’s leadership, the Recorder’s Office has launched initiatives that are hard to find elsewhere in local government. Document handling turnaround times have dropped from 8-10 weeks to one day or less. At the same time the Recorder’s Office has expanded its usefulness to customers, it has learned to do more with less in difficult economic times. Under McGauley’s leadership, the Recorder’s Office has reduced staffing by 25 percent and reduced its use of property tax dollars by 87 percent.
McGauley serves as a member of the Indiana Recorders Association’s Legislative Committee. Closer to home, he is chairman of the Allen County Public Records Commission and a member of the boards of Peace Montessori School and the Fort Wayne Children’s Foundation.
After graduating from Ball State, McGauley worked as a print journalist for newspapers in Muncie and Fort Wayne. From 1998 until 2007, McGauley served in various communication roles in the private and public sectors, including city and county governments.
Why Am I Running for Allen County Commissioner?
(Updated November 2011)