Holcomb may be just what we need

One thing is striking about Indiana’s new governor, Eric Holcomb.

He loves the job.

He’s not serving in the office just to have a stepping stone to something else. He’s not serving to advance some ideological agenda.

He seems to sincerely want to be the best governor he’s capable of being.

That’s one of the things that came through in his State of the State address a couple of weeks back.

It wasn’t a stem-winder of a speech. It wasn’t flashy.

With his tie askew, Gov. Holcomb wouldn’t make anyone’s list of polished politicians.

But one suspects he’s okay with that.

That’s not what he’s about.

Instead, the speech focused on practical issues and the need for consensus.

This isn’t a governor interested in dividing Hoosiers or culture wars or hot button issues. This is a guy who wants to get some things done that need to be done.

That translates, primarily, into infrastructure improvements — read highways — and figuring out how to pay for those improvements equitably.

There’s nothing at all glamorous about that, but again, Eric Holcomb doesn’t seem to care one bit about the spotlight.

Focused, low-key, results-oriented, and maybe even a little bit boring, he may be just what Indiana needs at the moment. — J.R.