July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Support for Daniels asked
Editor's Mailbag
By To the editor:-
In less than two weeks, we will decide who will be our next governor. Business as usual in political campaigns has prevailed as recent attack ads have served to deflect the real issues at hand. Both candidates made a pledge not to run a negative campaign. About a month ago, Governor Kernan blatantly broke that pledge by attacking the character of Mitch Daniels. These ads severely distort the facts surrounding the sale of IPALCO to AES. The ads attempt to define Mitch as a wealthy big business insider that has no regard for the citizens he was appointed to protect. I would like to represent that there is nothing further from the truth.
I have worked with Mitch and have met with him personally on many occasions, before and after he decided to run for Governor. Mitch was the first boss of two of my business partners, Bill Mauger and Joe Bill Wiley, both born in Jay County. Much of what I know about the character of Mitch Daniels comes from their over 20 year personal relationship.
He is an extremely intelligent man who is very inquisitive. On many occasions I have heard him ask insightful, intelligent questions about the industry or group with which he is visiting. On one occasion, I observed him asking detailed questions of a circle of executives of Hoosier tech companies regarding possible future applications and potential markets. On a recent trip to Portland, he asked the same level of detailed questions of Moser Engineering and Qualtech Tool & Engineering. He studies issues, gains an understanding and seeks the counsel of many experts in that field before making any decisions regarding stances he may take or initiatives he may implement.
Mitch is man of character. He is an excellent and involved father of four daughters. He is a devout Christian that doesn’t wear it on his sleeve. His Christian walk is a humble and personal one. He has been extremely careful not to use his faith for political gain. For example, he has never allowed anyone to photograph him worshiping. He is a man of quiet works, having donated generous and quietly in founding Oak Academy, a Christian based school in the inner city of Indianapolis.
Mitch has been very fortunate professionally. From 1990 to 2001 he worked for Eli Lilly, eventually being named the President of North American Operations. This provided him with great means. However great his wealth, I don’t believe that his success ever changed him. He is a legendary tightwad. Bill and Joe Bill were on a golf trip with him in the 90’s. Mitch had given up the game and had come on the trip without deciding whether or not he was going to get back into golf. A couple of days into the trip, one of the guys noticed something odd about his golf glove. It turned out that Mitch had not wanted to spend the money on a real golf glove ($15?) because of his uncertainty that he would continue with the game. Instead he had brought along a garden glove he found in his garage trimming the ends of the fingers off to provide grip. When deciding he was going to take the RV around Indiana and campaign, he told his staff he was low on clothes and needed to run to Kohl’s and pick up 3 or 4 pairs of jeans and some cotton shirts to take with him. His campaign workers thought he was kidding — he wasn’t. If you have had the opportunity to meet Mitch Daniels on his numerous trips to each county over the past 15 months, you would know he is one of us, the people, a non-assuming Hoosier, a nice guy who goes out of his way to make sure that you don’t feel uncomfortable. He is someone who would be as comfortable sitting in a local coffee shop talking about the weather as he would be advising the President in the Oval Office.
Mitch Daniels has enjoyed quite a successful career and has a very satisfying personal life. Not many people of his age have had such success. There is nothing he could personally gain from being Governor. Close to four years ago, Mitch answered a call to public service by President Bush. In doing so, he not only gave up one of the most prestigious positions in Indiana at Eli Lilly, he arguably forfeited millions of dollars of potential future income. Why would someone do this? Mitch is proud to be a Hoosier and knows we can do much better. Lack of foresight has failed in addressing the issues we were certain to face as our whole economy has been in transition. This lack of foresight has caused our state to fall behind. We suffer from a tremendous brain-drain because talented graduates have more ample opportunities elsewhere. State tax law and government bureaucracy have hindered our ability to compete for growth. State government has robbed the coffers of our local governments because we have foolishly spent more than we have taken in. We are in need of a change, a new direction.
Almost two years ago, I joined a grass-roots effort to convince Mitch to run for Governor. That small, collective voice became a roar. Gratefully, Mitch has once again answered the call to service. Mitch Daniels is an ethical man. He shares our values. He is a proud Hoosier. He has 30 years of success in public and private life. His character and experience make him uniquely qualified to represent the best interests of Main Street Rural Indiana.
Join me in voting for Mitch Daniels for Governor.
Bryan Alexander
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
I have worked with Mitch and have met with him personally on many occasions, before and after he decided to run for Governor. Mitch was the first boss of two of my business partners, Bill Mauger and Joe Bill Wiley, both born in Jay County. Much of what I know about the character of Mitch Daniels comes from their over 20 year personal relationship.
He is an extremely intelligent man who is very inquisitive. On many occasions I have heard him ask insightful, intelligent questions about the industry or group with which he is visiting. On one occasion, I observed him asking detailed questions of a circle of executives of Hoosier tech companies regarding possible future applications and potential markets. On a recent trip to Portland, he asked the same level of detailed questions of Moser Engineering and Qualtech Tool & Engineering. He studies issues, gains an understanding and seeks the counsel of many experts in that field before making any decisions regarding stances he may take or initiatives he may implement.
Mitch is man of character. He is an excellent and involved father of four daughters. He is a devout Christian that doesn’t wear it on his sleeve. His Christian walk is a humble and personal one. He has been extremely careful not to use his faith for political gain. For example, he has never allowed anyone to photograph him worshiping. He is a man of quiet works, having donated generous and quietly in founding Oak Academy, a Christian based school in the inner city of Indianapolis.
Mitch has been very fortunate professionally. From 1990 to 2001 he worked for Eli Lilly, eventually being named the President of North American Operations. This provided him with great means. However great his wealth, I don’t believe that his success ever changed him. He is a legendary tightwad. Bill and Joe Bill were on a golf trip with him in the 90’s. Mitch had given up the game and had come on the trip without deciding whether or not he was going to get back into golf. A couple of days into the trip, one of the guys noticed something odd about his golf glove. It turned out that Mitch had not wanted to spend the money on a real golf glove ($15?) because of his uncertainty that he would continue with the game. Instead he had brought along a garden glove he found in his garage trimming the ends of the fingers off to provide grip. When deciding he was going to take the RV around Indiana and campaign, he told his staff he was low on clothes and needed to run to Kohl’s and pick up 3 or 4 pairs of jeans and some cotton shirts to take with him. His campaign workers thought he was kidding — he wasn’t. If you have had the opportunity to meet Mitch Daniels on his numerous trips to each county over the past 15 months, you would know he is one of us, the people, a non-assuming Hoosier, a nice guy who goes out of his way to make sure that you don’t feel uncomfortable. He is someone who would be as comfortable sitting in a local coffee shop talking about the weather as he would be advising the President in the Oval Office.
Mitch Daniels has enjoyed quite a successful career and has a very satisfying personal life. Not many people of his age have had such success. There is nothing he could personally gain from being Governor. Close to four years ago, Mitch answered a call to public service by President Bush. In doing so, he not only gave up one of the most prestigious positions in Indiana at Eli Lilly, he arguably forfeited millions of dollars of potential future income. Why would someone do this? Mitch is proud to be a Hoosier and knows we can do much better. Lack of foresight has failed in addressing the issues we were certain to face as our whole economy has been in transition. This lack of foresight has caused our state to fall behind. We suffer from a tremendous brain-drain because talented graduates have more ample opportunities elsewhere. State tax law and government bureaucracy have hindered our ability to compete for growth. State government has robbed the coffers of our local governments because we have foolishly spent more than we have taken in. We are in need of a change, a new direction.
Almost two years ago, I joined a grass-roots effort to convince Mitch to run for Governor. That small, collective voice became a roar. Gratefully, Mitch has once again answered the call to service. Mitch Daniels is an ethical man. He shares our values. He is a proud Hoosier. He has 30 years of success in public and private life. His character and experience make him uniquely qualified to represent the best interests of Main Street Rural Indiana.
Join me in voting for Mitch Daniels for Governor.
Bryan Alexander
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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