Republican precinct committeemen and committeewomen will be voting on Sept. 6, electing the person to complete the term of State Senator Luke Kenley. In advance of that vote, a newly formed Political Action Committee (PAC), Fiscal Conservatives of Hamilton County, sponsored a public forum, inviting all seven candidates to make their case before precinct officials set to vote in the GOP caucus.
A crowd of about 80 people, most precinct officials eligible to vote in the caucus, were on hand for the Wednesday night event at the Delaware Township Building in Fishers.
There were a number of issues hashed out. In most cases, the state senate hopefuls agreed on the issue under discussion, although the candidates were split on the recent action by the General Assembly to hike the gas tax and some fees to finance infrastructure construction and maintenance.
Here are the candidates and a brief summation of their backgrounds and comments on the gas tax:
Brad Beaver – He has served on the Hamilton County Council for 20 years and is proud of the fact he has never missed a regularly scheduled council meeting. He owns a heating and air conditioning company. He assumes the gas tax and fee increase were needed to fund infrastructure but is concerned some of the gas tax revenue will not all be used for that purpose.
Sue Finkham – A member of the Carmel City Council, she touts the fact she is a mom and a wife of 20 years. She makes a living working for an organ donor network. She believes the gas tax increase was needed to shore up critical infrastructure needs and believes the state surplus should not have been tapped for infrastructure.
Mark Hall – He emphasizes his lack of political experience as a plus and says his background owning and running businesses qualifies him to serve in the state senate. He was not in favor of the gas tax increase, saying state lawmakers should have looked more on the expense side, cutting other spending to allow for infrastructure funding.
Joe Morris – He talked about his upbringing in Southwest Indiana, the city of Washington to be exact, and his years residing in the northwest part of the state. He has 25 years of experience in insurance and finance. He pointed out the latest gas tax increase places Indiana as the fifth highest gas tax in the nation. He argues the state should have cut other costs and found other improvements to fund infrastructure.
Dan Schmidt – He lives in Westfield and is the father of six. He worked on the Statehouse staff of Governor Mike Pence as Policy Director. He supported the gas tax increase as necessary to fund roads and bridges. He also argued that with more efficient vehicles on the road and a trend of people living closer to where they work, the tax hike was needed.
Victoria Spartz – She talked about her extensive experience in politics, finance and her educational background as qualifications to serve in the state senate. She does not favor any tax increases, including the recent gas tax hike, arguing the state should find ways to spend its money more efficiently.
Megan Wiles – As the President of the Noblesville City Council, she calls herself a locally-connected leader who believes on local government control. She called the gas tax increase a worthwhile tax in order to invest in the state’s future.