Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers
The (Munster) Times. October 11, 2018
Donnelly knows our Region, is clear choice for U.S. Senate
Elected leaders in the state's highest offices must know of the economic promise that can be realized by public and private investment in Northwest Indiana.
Those leaders need to know who we are, where we're located and what we require as a collective community.
A proven track record of bipartisan cooperation should be valued and seen as the bridge to forging solid public policy, not just for the Region but for the state and nation.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly has embodied these qualities in his first term.
It's why our editorial board is endorsing him for a second term in the upcoming November election.
Donnelly's knowledge and champion's role in projects and polices beneficial to Northwest Indiana give him a clear edge over Republican challenger Mike Braun, a former downstate Indiana House lawmaker.
Donnelly has been helping to shovel the figurative coal into the engines of Northwest Indiana commuter rail expansion. He's been a perpetual champion of federal matching funds for both the extension of commuter rail from Hammond to Dyer and of double-tracking to speed commutes between Gary and Michigan City.
And he's the person best able to continue shepherding a bill, initially proposed by Congressman Pete Visclosky, that would provide full national park status to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The bill already has passed the U.S. House.
We've repeatedly hailed the rail extension and improvement projects as economic game changers for our Region, and Donnelly has been at the forefront.
When Braun spoke to The Times Editorial Board earlier this week regarding the South Shore Line expansion, he didn't seem to have a firm grip where the project was in terms of planning.
We haven't had much experience with Braun's bipartisan aptitudes.
But Donnelly repeatedly has been hailed as one of the most bipartisan lawmakers in Congress.
And he carries that mantle in one of the most politically divided eras in history.
Late last year, the Lugar Center, a think tank led by former U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., and Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, rated Donnelly second for bipartisanship among 100 senators on the 2016 index.
Donnelly also was named the second-most bipartisan lawmaker to serve in the Senate since 1993.
He reaches across the aisle, sometimes even voting with the President Donald Trump administration on common sense laws, regardless of their political origin.
Donnelly knows who we are. He knows how to build bridges in these divided times.
He's our clear choice to serve, along with Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young, as one of two Indiana members of the U.S. Senate.
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South Bend Tribune. October 10, 2018
Downtown South Bend's growth cause for optimism
There's reason for cautious optimism as revitalization efforts in downtown South Bend continue moving forward.
A study five years ago said the city's downtown housing market had the potential to absorb 322 new apartment units. That projection has already been surpassed by more than 50 apartment units if you include what was built in 2016 and 2017, along with another 230 units that are poised to open or under construction right now.
There's the Colfax @ Hill apartments on East Colfax Avenue, the renovation of the old LaSalle Hotel and the JMS building, the soon to be completed Ivy at Berlin Place and the renovation of the Hibberd building on the south end of downtown.
And though Smart Streets has been criticized by some who say it has slowed traffic through downtown - exactly one of the goals of the project - it has also has made downtown more pedestrian and bicycle friendly for the people choosing to live there.
Connor Danigelis, one of several people The Tribune interviewed as to what attracted them to downtown living, said, "I wanted to be able to walk to work. I don't like to drive. It's inconvenient. I don't want to waste my time in a car for 30 minutes to get to work."
As more young professionals and empty nesters are deciding to live downtown, the need for other amenities, such as a grocery store, have increased. The Commerce Center mixed-use development planned in the East Bank neighborhood includes a Martin's Super Market. That project is expected to break ground yet this fall.
South Bend has taken some significant steps over the last few years to attract commercial and residential development downtown. And although there has been some recent success, it's worth remembering that projects oftentimes are slowed because of economic reasons beyond the control of developers. There are many variables in play when talking about investments worth millions of dollars.
South Bend has been working hard to draw people back to its downtown, both through residential construction and pursuing a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.
Let's hope that all of the projects planned for downtown continue to trend in this positive direction.
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The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. October 12, 2018
Listen ... then act
Focus on women's issues must generate results
The Indiana Commission on Women made its first stop on a statewide listening tour in Fort Wayne Wednesday, collecting a long list of issues for its Hoosier Women Speak 2.0 initiative. But the three dozen-plus local participants and others around the state must do more than speak if Indiana's dismal record on women's issues is ever to improve.
A similar listening tour seven years ago doesn't appear to have accomplished much:
. Indiana's maternal mortality rate is among the worst in the nation, with nearly 41 women dying for every 100,000 births. Indiana's rate is more than twice the national rate and has been steadily increasing, according to data from the state Department of Health.
. The infant mortality rate in Indiana is one of the 10 worst in the nation, with 7.5 infant deaths reported for every 1,000 births. Black infant mortality is even higher, with African-American infants in Indiana twice as likely to die in the first 12 months of life than white infants.
. Indiana ranks 49th for its gender pay gap, with Hoosier women earning just 73 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn.
. Only 30 of 150 members in the Indiana General Assembly's last session were female, for a 37th-place rank among states for gender balance. The state has never elected a female governor, and its 11-member congressional delegation includes only two women.
. The latest report card by the Institute for Women's Policy Research gave the state low marks - grades of D on both employment/earnings and poverty/opportunity issues. "If current trends continue, women in Indiana will not see equal pay until the year 2082," according to the report card.
Local participants at the listening session weren't unaware of the distressing numbers, noting some of the state's highest rates of black infant mortality are found in Fort Wayne. After an exercise to identify needs, they settled on five priorities, in order: equal voice in public policy and influence; access to health care; diversity in community leadership; early learning and child care; and equal pay.
Kristin Garvey, executive director of the Indiana Commission on Women, said 10 listening sessions are planned statewide, with special sessions targeting female veterans and low-income women. Those voices should ensure a broader look at issues affecting Indiana women, but the lack of progress in the wake of the last listening tour suggests it's not enough to collect ideas.
Changes can best begin at the community level. Advancing Voices of Women, an organization created after the women's marches of January 2017, is making a difference with its Civil Conversations series and the Paul Helmke School for Women in Public Life. And Alison Gerardot, director of philanthropic services for the Community Foundation, announced Wednesday that the foundation is preparing to undertake a local study of women's issues beginning next year. The last such report - under Mayor Ivan Lebamoff - was done in 1974, she said, and led to creation of the Fort Wayne Women's Bureau and the Rape Crisis Center.
Tangible results are possible from renewed studies, but at every level it will require more than speaking. Women must vote, supporting candidates who will elevate issues disproportionately affecting women and children. Women must run, to ensure those issues aren't overlooked. Hoosier women must lead, or continue to fall behind.
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(Terre Haute) Tribune-Star. October 12, 2018
Polls open for early voting
Voters have no shortage of options for polling locations.
Nov. 6 is Election Day across the land, what many political watchdogs are calling one of the most consequential midterm elections in modern U.S. history.
In fact, every election is consequential, although the emotion and mood swings of the American electorate sometimes make particular elections seem to carry more weight than others.
What is at stake on the national level is control of the U.S. Congress. The Republican Party now controls both houses of Congress and the White House. If conventional wisdom is correct, Republicans even control the U.S. Supreme with the recent confirmation of conservative partisan nominee Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who most considered a moderate swing vote on the high court.
The Democratic Party is bidding to swing control of Congress back its way, and polls suggest it has a good chance to retake the House of Representatives, and a fighting chance to win the Senate. A victory in either chamber for the Democrats significantly changes the political dynamics in Washington, D.C.
There is also much at stake on state and local levels in the upcoming election. From the Statehouse to county courthouses to school boards, highly consequential races are on the ballot.
While Election Day is still more than three weeks away, it's important for would-be voters to note that early voting is already underway in Vigo County. It started on Wednesday, the day after the deadline for voter registration.
It was encouraging that the first day of early voting here produced a heavy turnout, roughly five times larger than the average turnout for a first day, according to Clerk Brad Newman. That's good news for voter participation so far, although Newman cautioned not get too carried away by first-day numbers. He said it will take a week or so to get a more accurate picture of voter fervor this year.
Early voting will continue until Election Day, so voters have lots of options for exercising their right to cast a ballot. The Vigo County Annex is open for early voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until Nov. 5.
An early voting center at IBEW Local Union 725 will open Oct. 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. before becoming available 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday from Oct. 30 through Nov. 3.
Centers at Booker T. Washington Center, Operating Engineers, Northside Bingo Hall, West Vigo Community Center and Seelyville Town Hall will open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday from Oct. 30 through Nov. 3.
Vigo County has done good work for voters in making so many early voting centers available and publicizing its many options. While local voters have stayed away from the polls in alarming numbers in recent elections, the lack of access to polling places has certainly not been a reason. Vote centers at early locations and on Election Day give voters many opportunities to cast their ballots.
We hope voters have a strong sense of enthusiasm about this election, no matter their political leanings. Government is only as good as its people. Voter participation is key to making government work effectively.
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