I'm running for Bartholomew County Council because democracy begins in local politics. More representation from both parties will mean that officials have to have regular, open meetings and listen to our concerns.
Indiana is my home state. In 2022, after retiring from the Cleveland VA hospital, I moved back to Indiana. I picked a home in Columbus to be near family and help with childcare.
Although I have not run for elected office before, with the help of my Bartholomew friends and neighbors, I’ve been learning about Bartholomew County needs, and the specific role of the County Council.
County Council controls the budget, and that’s a big deal. Our county workers are poorly paid. We lose county workers to surrounding and less prosperous counties. Bartholomew County also ranks below surrounding counties in having only one full time animal control officer. Our Commission and Council have allowed horrific and well-documented cases of animal cruelty to go un-investigated and without consequences. When citizens bring evidence to meetings, the meetings are terminated. Public meetings.
Because county government has been one party rule for many decades, neither the Council or the Commission has been responsive to concerns and requests from residents. Not surprisingly they’ve been more responsive to the demands of some businesses that pollute and consume natural resources. That’s even when the operation of a business, like a CAFO or concentrated animal feeding operation (AKA "poop factories"), directly affects the people in nearby homes - their health, quality of life, and property values.
And yet, the county government has been against solar "farms", even when farmers want to contract their own land for this income source that neither pollutes nor consumes the county’s natural resources. I recently learned that my beautiful, beautiful state is currently ranked dead last by U.S News and World Report, in overall quality of the environment. That was an eye opener.
My parents came from southern Indiana. Mom's parents farmed and ran a small grocery in Reddington. Dad grew up in Franklin, where his father was President of Franklin College, during the years of the Depression and WWII. Dad and two of his brothers served during the war. Mom and Dad met at Franklin College, after he returned home from fighting Fascism.
Growing up on south side, Indianapolis, my sisters and brother and I had music lessons and the World Book Encyclopedia; Dad took us camping, and to nearly every race car track in Indiana and surrounding states. Sundays we went to Grandmother Elma’s farmhouse, and I spent long summer days with her, my cousins, and the rolling hills. Mom finished college through night school and became a teacher, while Dad practiced law. I went to Ball State, worked a few years, married, and then completed a PhD in psychology at Notre Dame.
My career after that included teaching, research, and therapy services. In Cleveland I worked with Veterans of all ages who were living with serious difficulties, both physical and mental. They’d served in wars from Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. I was proud to work for the VA, and proud to be a union member of the American Federation of Government Employees. Since moving back to Indiana, I’ve continued in part-time psychology practice.
I’ve always been a news junkie, and my fascination with history and politics is another legacy from my parents. I grew up Republican, in the tradition of Eisenhower, and Lugar. I’ve been a Democrat since my early adult years, but in county government, we deal with LOCAL issues that should not be politicized.
If elected to the County Council, I will be a voice for our family farmers and county workers, companion animals, and our environment.