District 44 candidates respond to LWV’s questionnaire

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Rep. Dr. James Baird

200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis (Office)
h44@in.gov
Republican

1. Why are you the best choice to represent District 44 in the Indiana House of Representatives? (150-word response)

I have always worked, and will always be, committed to increasing job opportunities and improving our way of life here in West Central Indiana.

I am a lifelong resident of District 44, a Vietnam veteran, farmer and small business owner. I have served in numerous capacities with several civic/community organizations. I earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from Purdue University and PhD degree from the University of Kentucky. As an officer in the U.S. Army, I obtained excellent training in leadership skills.

All of these life experiences coupled with my service as a county commissioner and work as an extension and rural development agent provide a well rounded experienced background and credentials suited for serving in the Indiana State Legislature.

I currently serve on the Ways and Means, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Statutory Committee on Interstate and International Cooperation standing committees and the Agriculture and Natural Resources 2016 Interim Study Committee.

2. What issues are you hearing from district residents that you feel are pressing matters for the state and how will you address them? (150-word response)

Constituents of District 44 are concerned about jobs, education, infrastructure and substance abuse.

The main component of all of these issues is the financial integrity of our state. It is extremely important and has an impact on all our citizens and businesses. Consequently, I will continue to work toward a balanced budget. We need to continue to align career goals with career opportunities and provide the appropriate education and training to accomplish this goal.

Education is important and it is essential for the world competitiveness of our students and their lifetime success. We have added almost a billion dollars to K-12 funding over the last decade, increased per student funding for schools and created a Pre-K pilot study.

I will continue to work toward developing a long-term plan for funding our infrastructure.

There is increasing concern about meth/drug and substance abuse and I will continue to search for ways to strengthen law enforcement and the criminal justice system to rehabilitate, including appropriate mental health support, and help these individuals return to productive citizens.

3. Do you believe state legislators should be exempt from the Access to Public Records Act? Why or why not? (100-word response)

I do not believe that state legislators should be exempt from the Access to Public Records Act. However, my main concern is not impeding constituents open communication with their legislators. Often times legislators receive information of a very personal and private nature, thus there needs to be a provision that allows for redacting such information. This will maintain constituents confidence in the protection of their privacy.

4. What suggestions do you have to increase the percentage of Hoosiers who vote? (100-word response)

The continued education of our citizenry, including students, of the relevance and significance of the important function of voting. Additionally, Personal interaction is an integral part of this issue. One example of a program that enhances education and involvement in the election process is the selection of high school students for internships to work during the election. These individuals return as long as they are eligible and become extremely knowledgeable about the voting process and this knowledge will be useful to them throughout their life. Their personal interaction and sharing of knowledge will assist in informing their peers and others about this process.

Kim Fidler

203 Wood St., Greencastle
Democrat

1. Why are you the best choice to represent District 44 in the Indiana House of Representatives? (150-word response)

I am the best choice to represent District 44 in the Indiana House of Representatives because I do not want to be a politician. I filed to run for this office on January 14, 2016, because I was tired of being ignored by our current Representative. I have been an advocate for students, teachers, secretaries, and custodians as a teacher and a UniServ director for the Indiana State Teachers’ Association. I will listen, respond, and reach out to constituents before ever casting a vote. I realize that every bill affects the lives of the constituents. I vow to be transparent and available to my constituents. I am willing to reach out to those affected by bills that are submitted. I do my homework and continue to learn daily.

2. What issues are you hearing from district residents that you feel are pressing matters for the state and how will you address them? (150-word response)

I hear that constituents are upset about public education. The excessive and punitive use of standardized testing is unacceptable. Teachers should not be punished for unreliable test scores. A-F letter grades assigned to schools are not transparent and negatively affect businesses and families. Indiana spends millions of dollars to testing companies. Additionally, the diversion of public school funding to private and charter schools is unacceptable.

I hear complaints regarding Internet and cell phone service in rural areas. There is a state owned fiber-optic network (I-Light) that could bring affordable internet and cell service to rural areas for individuals and small businesses. During Mitch Daniels’ term as governor, a bill passed preventing the use of I-Light for anyone other than higher education universities. I would work to eliminate this restriction to provide Internet and cell phone service to individuals and small businesses in rural areas to prevent families from moving out of the area, which in turn, results in a loss of students that causes our rural schools to close and our rural communities to wither.

3. Do you believe State Legislators should be exempt from the Access to Public Records Act? Why or why not? (100-word response)

I believe in total transparency in regard to state legislators. So many bills have been signed into law via executive order of our past gGovernors. This is totally unacceptable. When a person is elected to represent constituents, there is no need for secrecy. I am opposed to any form of hiding information from constituents. A public servant must be public in their actions, contributions, votes, etc.

4. What suggestions do you have to increase the percentage of Hoosiers who vote? (100-word response)

I believe that we need to have a phone app to make voting very easy. There is absolutely no reason that we should not be able to have a password secure voter network. A password would prevent fraud. I also believe that each eligible voter in Indiana should be automatically registered to vote and receive an absentee ballot. We have gone in the wrong direction. Voting is a right. It does not make sense to make the process difficult.