Civility highlights forum

Civility, mutual respect and a love of Jay County dominated a “Meet the Candidates” forum Tuesday in Portland.
Sponsored by the Jay County Chamber of Commerce, the event drew more than 75 residents to Arts Place to hear from local candidates and the three men vying for District 33 State Representative.
“This is democracy in action, and I’m proud to be part of it,” said Shon Byrum, the Democratic challenger hoping to unseat Republican Greg Beumer as State Representative.
“For those of us who like politics, this is the exciting season,” said Beumer, who grew up in Jay County and now lives in Randolph County. He was chosen by GOP caucus to fill the seat when longtime State Representative Bill Davis resigned in November.
Libertarian Zeb Sutton, whose candidacy has been largely off the radar this fall, joined Beumer and Byrum at the event.
Sutton, a Ball State University graduate who now works at Walmart in Portland, drew distinctions between his views and those of the two major party candidates. He voiced support for medical marijuana and the reducing of some drug-related criminal penalties as a way of cutting state spending.
“Being a libertarian, I’m sitting in the middle of the aisle,” said Sutton.
Beumer, who served eight years as a Randolph County commissioner and four years on a school board, said, “I’m a fiscal conservative. … I also believe in a philosophy of limited government.”
Byrum, a Randolph County resident and teacher at Burris Laboratory School in Muncie, decried the conflict between Gov. Mike Pence and Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and urged better state support for education.
Beumer said he believes the state superintendent’s job should be an appointed position rather than elected, a position that drew sharp opposition from both Sutton and Byrum.
“The election of Glenda Ritz was a safeguard for our democracy,” said Byrum.
“Let the people vote,” said Sutton.
All three candidates stressed the need to attract well-paying jobs to east central Indiana.
“Workforce development needs to be looked at in a fundamentally different way,” said Beumer, adding that he believes those receiving unemployment benefits should be required to take job skills testing and training.
All three candidates for Jay County Auditor — Republican Anna Culy, Democrat Susan Bunch and independent Missy Puterbaugh — stressed the need for that office to be run efficiently, honestly and in a friendly manner.
Culy cited her years of experience in the auditor’s office as her primary qualification for the job, while the other two candidates focused on making the office more user-friendly for the public.
“Politician I am not, a great public servant I am,” said Puterbaugh.
“I pride myself on customer service,” said Bunch.
Experience was also cited by Republican Betty St. Myers in her race against Democrat Kari Tressler for Jay County Recorder.
St. Myers has served two terms as recorder, and was also deputy recorder for eight years.
“I have more than 40 years of retail and local government experience,” she said.
Tressler said she would bring a fresh approach to the office.
“I am different,” she said. “I am new to everything. … I’m a fast learner, and I’m not afraid of change. … I feel I can bring about a difference in the courthouse.”
All of the candidates for auditor and recorder stressed that party labels are unimportant at the local level.
“I am a registered Republican, but on the local level I vote for the person I think is going to do the best for the county,” said Puterbaugh.
“We don’t make policy,” noted St. Myers.
“There’s no politics in this position,” added Tressler.
Democratic candidate for Jay County Commissioner Randy Mann was unable to attend Tuesday’s forum because he’s on a 25th wedding anniversary vacation with his wife. In his place, Democratic county councilman Ted Champ read a statement from Mann, praising the record of longtime county commissioner Milo Miller Jr., citing his work experience in farming, industry and municipal government, and expressing opposition to the concept of a single county executive.
“I’m not using this position as a stepping stone,” Mann’s statement said.
“I’m focused on the future,” said Mann’s Republican opponent Doug Inman, who unseated Miller in the May primary, noting that he has held a number of leadership positions in the county.
Inman, who urged the development of a comprehensive strategic plan for the county, also said he does not favor the county executive concept.
“Three heads are better than one,” he said.
Inman also expressed support for the recently-appointed study committee reviewing zoning regulations on confined and concentrated feeding operations.
Republican Mike Rockwell and Democratic challenger Josh Gibson found themselves in agreement on many issues in the District 4 county council race.
“Every tax dollar is someone’s hard-earned money,” said Rockwell. “Local government should be adequately funded but not wastefully funded.”
Gibson expressed concern about additional appropriations beyond the amount budgeted for individual departments.
“I think we have to have more accountability from those departments,” he said. “People need to take ownership of these budgets.”
The two candidates in a rematch from 2010 for Jay County Prosecutor — incumbent Democrat Wes Schemenaur and Republican challenger Greg Lemaster — focused part of their discussion on the problems posed to the community by drugs.
Lemaster urged an emphasis on changing lives rather than simply punitive sentencing.
“Let’s turn it from a war on drugs to a war on addiction,” he said.
Schemenaur, noting that the prosecutor enforces the law but the legislature makes the laws and sets the policy, quoted Adam Smith in saying, “Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.”
He added, “If you think drugs is a victimless crime, I would like to take you out to a meth lab some time.”