By Lacey Watt | The Times-Post
GREENFIELD — The four Republican candidates running in the primary election for District 53 state representative addressed questions on popular topics during a forum on Thursday, April 4, at H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts in downtown Greenfield.
District 53 includes parts of Hancock and Madison counties, including Pendleton.
Greenfield Area of Chamber Commerce played host to the event, and Hart Summeier moderated it. On its website, the Chamber described Summeier as “a respected member of our community with experience in facilitating political discussions.”
It was the second such forum in as many weeks.
Candidates Keely Butrum, Brian Evans, Ethan Lawson and Kevin Mandrell answered questions about topics and policies the candidates would focus on if they were to be elected to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Bob Cherry (R-Greenfield).
Cherry is retiring at the end of this year.
There is only one candidate, Nate Anderson, on the Democratic primary ballot.
At the start of the forum, the candidates introduced themselves and why they chose to run for office. For each question, each candidate had one minute to answer.
The first question was about their greatest challenge and how they overcame that obstacle.
Answering first, Evans said when he worked at the White House, the previous administration left with no process and procedure in place. There he had to coordinate secret services, archives and more to get the operation off the ground and running.
“…They weren’t being heard, and our job was to hear them and help them solve their problems,” Evans said. “The biggest challenge was just getting that entire operation off the ground from scratch.”
Lawson said while there are many challenges, the toughest one was knowing a close friend experienced addiction, didn’t have the treatment he needed and ended up doing time behind bars. Lawson said while he wasn’t in his friend’s position, he felt it closely.
“It’s motivated me to make sure that in our community, those resources are available to those who need them,” Lawson said.
Mandrell said in his service as a board member with Arthritis Foundation, they went through a difficult time with finances and tough decisions had to be made. Sought out from the CEO, Mandrell helped organize to bring 10 regions into one federation.
“In doing that, I was also the chair of our capital campaign, which helped raise $35 million to try to bridge the shortfall that we were running into,” Mandrell said.
Butrum said in her current position serving on the county council, in September 2022 she had some suspicions of ulterior motives in some transactions taking place. After extensive research and collaboration with commissioner Bill Spalding, the transaction did not go through.
“It was a difficult thing that upset some people, but ultimately it was confirmed …,” Butrum said.
On how Indiana should balance the need for revenue for local government and schools against rising property tax pressure on fixed-income households, Lawson said that isn’t just a Hancock County issue but is statewide, and he supports the cutting down of taxes, especially regarding seniors and those on a fixed income.
Mandrell said leaders need to be more proactive in how they ask people to pay their fair share. Mandrell said it is not only a tax issue; overall inflation the country has seen the last few years means costs in a household of four have gone up by about $1,000 a month.
Butrum said it all starts with assessed values, and that another problem from the county level is being limited by state government each year on what it can take in for the budget. Butrum said she would advocate for changing the structure for individual taxing units to put money back in the people’s pockets.
Evans said while traveling he has seen the growing number of people in poverty and said leaders should look at removing the influence of a single state agency and bring more control to local government.
After fielding multiple questions regarding education issues, candidates were asked how Indiana should navigate the “complex terrain” of social media among social-age children.
Evans said he believes in limited government control and that it should be up to parents to decide when their child is ready for a smartphone and social media. Evans said for parents who aren’t up-to-date on the latest social media, there are tools and resources that can be used to manage and supervise online platforms instead of passing a law that controls what a parent can or cannot do.
Lawson agreed with Evans, saying government isn’t handing out the phone, but it is in the hands of the parents. Lawson said they should protect students while they are in school and can define what that looks like, but when at home it is the parents’ responsibility as to whether the child has internet access and at what age.
Mandrell said he disagrees, and when he was first introduced to the bill, he found one of the rationales behind it pertained to teen suicide and online bullying. Mandrell said he looked at this from a parent and grandparent perspective and said the government has age restrictions on other items, such as when a child can drive or buy tobacco and alcohol.
Lawson responded and said he doesn’t think the government should have an internet license, and while children are in school, it is the government’s responsibility. But outside of school, it is the parents’ responsibility.
With the current discussion on whether to ban TikTok, candidates were asked if Indiana should regulate the social media app. While Butrum said no, the other candidates said yes.
“As much as I loathe young people on social media and smart phones, and as detrimental I think it is to society productivity, mental health … at the end of the day, I do believe in limiting government…,” Butrum said. “I don’t believe that blanketing laws over society is the best first approach to take to solve problems.”
After expressing their viewpoints on other issues, the last question was about traffic in Greenfield and overall advocating for municipalities in the district.
Lawson said he wants to be accessible, and that local elected officials are the ones who are closer to the problems than the state could be. Lawson said he wants to build those relationships to be able to advocate at the state level.
“We want it that way because they are accountable, and they live in the community,” Lawson said.
Mandrell said he has spoken with former Greenfield Mayor Chuck Fewell, local elected officials and other mayors across the state. Mandrell said he thinks local is the best option, but as a state representative there needs to be a balance to make sure they support local growth.
“Home rule is vital to local officials having a priority say in how their community runs,” Mandrell said.
Butrum said during her time served on city and county council, she learned that “INDOT does not care if you don’t want something,” and she said having local input is important and that elected officials should have a say.
“I do believe right now the local elected officials have very little weight in decision making when it comes to any road that’s actually mandated by INDOT,” Butrum said.
Evans said he agreed with Butrum on INDOT, and that as a state representative, he should have the ability to go to agencies and put pressure on them to help local communities.
“A legislator, at the end of the day, also has oversight over state agencies,” Evans said.
With closing remarks, each candidate had two minutes to share any final comments and why they are the right person to fill the soon-to-be vacant seat for District 53.
