CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Challengers and one incumbent tackle Statehouse issues at Kokomo forum

Kokomo Tribune - 9/27/2018

Sept. 27--Three Democratic challengers and one incumbent, and one sit-in reading a letter from a lawmaker spending Wednesday evening at the White House, gathered Wednesday to make their cases for why they should receive or retain elected positions at the Statehouse this November.

The night's one true debate, between incumbent Rep. Tony Cook, R-Cicero, and Democratic challenger Amie Neiling, left the sparse audience with information about their positions on criminal code reform to marijuana legalization and the potential for a hate crimes bill.

It also gave the audience it's only opportunity to hear an established Republican face off against a Democrat making their first foray into state politics, a theme for this year's midterm election.

Cook announced in early January that he was seeking a second term in the Indiana House. He was first elected by the precinct committeemen in the district that includes parts of Madison, Delaware, Hamilton, Tipton, Howard and Grant counties in December 2014 to complete the term of Republican Eric Turner, who resigned from the office.

Neiling, a Cicero resident and political newcomer, works as both a nurse and a teacher, according to an interview she gave to the Tribune's newsgathering partners at WTHR-TV in February. She was featured earlier this year in New York Magazine as part of a record number of female candidates running for office in 2018 for the first time.

The two were first faced with a question about criminal code reform, enacted in recent years by the General Assembly, that many in court governments across Indiana have blamed for booming jail populations.

Howard County, specifically, had 460 inmates at one time last week, according to Judge Doug Tate, a dramatic increase over the jail's fixed-bed capacity of 364.

Cook, who authored legislation related to funding for Tipton County's new jail project, said the intent of the reform was to help offenders.

"The whole point was to not put people in the big house (prison) and try to get them treatments, try to get them programs, try to get them educational aspects while they're in the local county jails," he said.

"We have studies that show once they get to the Pendletons of the world, we quickly lose them" to recidivism, Cook continued. "I think we'll see more education programs and rehab programs, particularly drugs, that we are doing a lot with opioids."

Next, Neiling admitted the issue is "not an area that I have a lot of expertise in. I would have to do some more research in that area."

She went on to note, however, that increased education spending could ultimately also pay dividends when it comes to jail and prison funding.

"Early education is the key," said Neiling. "Receiving early eduction keeps people out jail, it encourages them to go to college. People that have early education have higher rates of college attendance, of college attendance and not ever stepping foot in the criminal reform system."

And while Neiling and Cook agreed that medicinal marijuana could work in Indiana, Neiling took it a step further than Cook in saying that recreational marijuana should also be legal.

"And we need to retroactively decriminalize all offenses for marijuana only," she added.

Notably, Cook went on to say "there is a movement now that we will have a bill this winter" regarding medicinal marijuana.

The two candidates also hit on the issue of hate crimes legislation.

Earlier this month, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb told the Tribune that the issue should include gender identity or sexual identity and that Indiana should "become one of 46 states with a hate crime law instead one of five without one. It's not a stretch."

Neiling was in agreement.

"It is absolutely embarrassing that we are one in five states that doesn't have a hate crimes bill to protect people based on simply who they are," she said.

Cook, he said, has drafted a bill regarding hate crimes that he hopes "will be a general enough acceptance of those various divisions...that do need to be specified and the enhancements talked about."

Cook and Neiling's debate was preceded by comments from Democrat Christina Fivecoate, who is challenging State Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo.

Buck, in Washington D.C., had a stand-in read a letter to the audience.

Fivecoate, she noted during the debate, feels like Buck does not represent her values. Instead, she wants to be "a voice" and do more for the "common good."

"I feel I've been poor. I've had my lights shut off," she said. "I'm right there with all those people fighting for $15 an hour."

Asked about school safety, Fivecoate said teachers should not be armed but that better equipment should be available in classrooms, along with improved training for people in school buildings.

She ran into trouble, however, when asked about a potential increase in Howard County's innkeeper's tax to help fund a recently-announced conference center, a proposal that has been at the center of local economic conversations in recent years.

The Indiana General Assembly has failed to bump the tax from 5 percent to the requested 8 percent despite legislation filed by Rep. Mike Karickhoff, R-Kokomo, at the request of city and county officials.

"Are you asking me if I support tax increases?" she asked. "I'm 100 percent honest, I'm not exactly sure -- does that mean when you go to stay at a hotel? They want to increase it?"

"I don't think that I want to increase staying at a hotel. It's already quite expensive if you ask me my personal opinion."

Buck, in his letter, read by Kokomo attorney Jeff Lowry, hit on a variety of statewide topics and the upcoming legislative session.

"Two of the most pressing issues for Indiana currently are opioid epidemic and our Child Protective Services," said Buck, noting staff and appropriation increases for CPS.

"New and expanded services for those suffering from opioid addictions are being established throughout Indiana. All of these improvements and accomplishments have been possible because we have had and will continue to have" balanced budgets, a topic that will be tackled during the 2019 General Assembly session.

Finishing the night was Democrat Tom Hedde, challenging Indiana House District 38 Rep. Heath VanNatter, R-Kokomo, who did not attend Wednesday's event.

Hedde, a teacher at Rossville Middle and High School who is also a former Camden clerk-treasure, spoke about the need for an "educated, skilled workforce" that can take over quality skilled trade positions, and also enforced the importance of rural Internet access, a hot topic in Howard, Miami and Tipton counties that has become part of a $100 million state spending plan.

"Indiana policy has kept the job quality low, weakened the safety and...reduced workers' voice and has widened income inequalities for its citizens and in doing so increased the tax burden on the middle class and the working family," he said.

"And unlike this chair beside me, my door will always be open to citizens and will remain open to the citizens of Indiana," added Hedde, referring to the chair supposed to hold VanNatter.

George Myers can be reached at 765-454-8585, by email at george.myers@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @gmyerskt.

___

(c)2018 the Kokomo Tribune (Kokomo, Ind.)

Visit the Kokomo Tribune (Kokomo, Ind.) at www.kokomotribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.