Baird to run for House seat
Greencastle resident Jim Baird has announced his candidacy for the Indiana Legislature.
Baird is seeking the seat in House District 44, which is currently held by Nancy Michael.
"We have to get focused on job creation and seek ways to reduce spending at all levels of government," Baird said.
Baird, a Republican, is a decorated Army veteran. He is a farmer and the longtime owner of a local business. He currently serves as a Putnam County Commissioner, a seat he won in the 2006 election.
Baird said he had a variety of reasons for running for the House seat. Among the most compelling for him, he said, were the drastic growth of government spending and the lack of real job creation locally.
"We have talked to many people all over west central Indiana, and noy many folks think we are headed in the right direction," he said. "We have some real challenges right now, and we have to get focused on those issues which provide the quickest return and the greatest long term benefit of the most people, which would seem to me to be job creation and reduced spending at all levels of government if we are going to get back on the right track."
Baird also spoke about local families and business.
"There are many families working hard just to make ends meet, and local businesses are delaying investments until they become more confident of the future," he said. "I feel like government should share the burden of economic downturns the same as individuals and businesses."
Baird is a Purdue University graduate and has a Ph.D in animal science from the University of Kentucky. He owns an in-home healthcare business in Greencastle along with his family.
House District 44 includes all of Putnam County and parts of Clay, Parke and Vigo counties.