|
|
Robin Lowder Elected as Hancock County Auditor
|
Congratulations to Robin Lowder for winning election as Hancock County Auditor! On the first ballot at caucus, Robin received 24 out of 34 votes cast.
Full Story
|
Caucus for Hancock County Auditor---July 2, 2009
|
RESIGNATION OF LINDA GRASS
Linda Grass resigned the morning of June 22, 2009, effective at Noon, from her position as Hancock County Auditor. This is an important step toward restoring the public trust in the auditor's office. We know this decision was among the most difficult in Linda's life and we are thankful that she made this very difficult decision. We can now proceed with our roles in the difficult work of restoring the public trust.
CAUCUS NOTICE
During the afternoon of Monday, June 22, 2009, a Call of Political Party Caucus was mailed to the Precinct Committeemen and Vice Committeemen of the Hancock County Republican Party.
The caucus will take place on Thursday, July 2, 6:30pm, at the H.J. Ricks Centre, 122 W. Main Street, Greenfield, Indiana.
RESUME, REFERENCES AND CONTACT INFORMATION
If you or someone you know wants to run at this caucus, please e-mail a resume to michael@hancockgop.net. The resume should clearly indicate that the candidate:
is not currently employed in the Office of the Hancock County Auditor,
has worked in the Office of the Hancock County Auditor prior to the most recent administration, or in county government offices related to that office,
has a strong work ethic,
has strong professional and independent judgment, and commitment to applying that judgment, to make any and all difficult decisions required to restore public trust, and
has a strong and widely-known reputation for personal and professional integrity.
Please also include references, telephone contact information, and availability for a telephone interview.
CAUCUS PROCEDURE
In general, only the Precinct Committeemen are eligible to vote on filling this vacancy (Indiana Code 3-13-11-5). A Vice Committeeman will not be eligible to vote unless that person's Precinct Committeeman is absent from the caucus (Indiana Code 3-13-11-9).
The Precinct Committeemen and Vice Committeemen for all precincts in Hancock County will sign in and be directed to sit in the front middle section of the theater. In the recent past, we have limited attendance at caucuses to Republicans. However, this meeting will be open to the general public. We anticipate a large crowd. Having a caucus open to the general public is another step in the process of restoring the public trust.
Eligibility requirements for running in this caucus are the same as those for being a candidate in a regular election for County Auditor (Indiana Code 3-8-1-5.7(a)): (i) being a registered voter of the county by the deadline for filing the candidate's declaration (Indiana Code 3-8-1-1), and (ii) having resided in the county for at least one year (Indiana Code 3-8-1-20). Additionally, to run in this Republican caucus, the candidate must have voted as a Republican in the most recent primary election in which the candidate voted.
The County Election Board has a Declaration of Candidacy Form, CEB-5, on which the declaration of candidacy must be made. The form may be obtained by going to www.hancockgop.net and clicking on Documents in the menu on the left side of the page. Please note that the bottom of this form requires a notary public to witness the signature of the declarant.
According to applicable statute (Indiana Code 3-13-11-7(b)) written declaration of candidacy must be filed with Chairman Michael Griffin NOT LATER than 72 hours PRIOR to the caucus. In this case, the deadline for filing the written declaration would be Monday, June 29 at 6:30pm.
Any eligible person who wants to be a candidate should mail a written declaration of candidacy to Chairman Michael Griffin at 17 Greenhills Court, Greenfield, IN 46140 so that it is received by mail no later than Monday, June 29. If necessary to assure timely filing, hand delivery at his home is also an acceptable means of filing. However, be advised that Chairman Griffin does not promise to be at home at 6:30 and will not assume, if he comes home later and finds a declaration tucked in his door, that it was placed there by 6:30. Be as careful with the filing of your declaration as you would be in the execution of your office. ...
Full Story
|
Note from Chairman Clark on the conclusion of the special session
|
|
Fellow Republicans,
It took 175 days, a special session, numerous newspaper editorials, and the threat of a government shutdown, but Speaker Pat Bauer has finally freed his fellow Democrats and allowed them to vote on a state budget. After finally passing both the Democrat-controlled House and the Republican-led Senate, the result is a responsible budget that protects taxpayers.
You may remember that prior to the start of the special session, Governor Daniels gave a televised statewide address in which he outlined five simple conditions he needed met in order to sign a budget: No tax increases; at least $1 billion left in state reserves; that legislators cut $1 for every $1 they spent beyond his proposed budget; that one time funds be spent for one time purposes; and that no gimmicks were used.
After weeks of grandstanding and foot dragging, House Democrats have finally joined with legislative Republicans to ensure those conditions were met.
This budget is good for Hoosiers for a variety of other reasons. Foremost, when you look around the country, you\'ll see most states are looking at tax increases or massive cuts, including education. Indiana is doing neither, and that\'s a credit to our governor and our Republican legislators. In fact, not only are we increasing education funding, but the governor\'s \'education trigger\' has been preserved to drive more money to our schools if revenues are better than projected.
The budget also addresses many other issues that are important to Hoosier families, especially as far as the education of our children is concerned. For instance, there are no caps on the growth of charter schools; money is provided for a scholarship tax credit that could help many low-income families send their children to non-public schools; and for the first time ever, Indiana is exploring the possibility of online schools that extend learning beyond the traditional walls of the classroom. These are the kinds of reforms that will aid Dr. Tony Bennett and his work on behalf of Hoosier kids.
None of this would have been possible without you. We know that legislators heard your phone calls, read your letters to the editor, and saw your support for the Republicans\' responsible budget. Thanks for all that you do, and for supporting our party.
Sincerely,
Murray Clark
Chairman
Indiana Republican Party
P.S. In two years, the General Assembly will draft another two-year budget. In order to ensure that we don\'t have a repeat of this year, we must make sure Republicans win control of the Indiana House of Representatives next year. As we begin preparing for the 2010 election, can you help us out by making a donation of $10, $25, or $50? You can donate quickly and easily online here.
http://www.indgop.org/contribute.php
Thanks in advance for your support.
Paid for by the Indiana Republican State Central Committee.
www.indgop.org
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
...
Full Story
|
Message from Chairman Clark on Cap-and-Trade
|
|
Rep. Mike Pence conducted a telephone call with the national media today to discuss the cap-and trade-legislation, and he should be commended for his tireless work in fighting this bill. As Governor Daniels pointed out in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal last month, this legislation is imperialistic in nature and will needlessly cause Indiana to suffer economically by raising taxes, raising utility rates, and resulting in job losses for Hoosiers.
While Democrats like Rep. Baron Hill ignore concerns back home, Rep. Pence and other Republican leaders in Washington have also labored to put together a comprehensive energy reform plan that addresses our energy, environmental and economic concerns. That plan would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs through investments in alternative energy technologies, and not raise taxes.
Despite such a common-sense approach, House Democrats have refused to hear it on the floor, instead choosing to blindly endorse the agenda of Nancy Pelosi and President Obama. As the bill comes before the Senate, I hope that Sen. Evan Bayh will join Rep. Pence in putting the needs of Indiana citizens ahead of the partisan desires of the Democrat majority in Washington, DC.
...
Full Story
|
Responsible Budget Needs to Be Passed Now by Rep. Brian Bosma
|
|
STATEHOUSE: Last Tuesday, the Indiana House of Representatives was presented with a responsible, compromise budget that would have protected Hoosier taxpayers and kept our state from the brink of a shutdown on June 30. Unfortunately, it was rejected by Democrat leaders, who are resorting to their old habit of holding taxpayers hostage for more spending.
The Senate-passed proposal presented to the House met all five of Gov. Mitch Daniels' budget parameters:
No tax increases, now or in the future.
Maintain reserves of at least $1 billion.
If you add a dollar, cut a dollar.
Use one-time federal stimulus dollars responsibly.
No trust fund or pension raids or other short term gimmicks.
House Republicans have held firm to these criteria throughout both sessions. These are commonsense parameters Hoosiers should expect every state budget to live by.
Around the county, the majority of our sister states are either considering or have already passed tax increases, many are drastically cutting education and furloughing state personnel and a few are even proposing the release of convicted felons to cut costs. Thankfully, due to responsible stewardship over the last four years, Indiana is not in this position.
The Republican supported budget proposal is a responsible compromise, and it can should received bipartisan support, if Speaker Bauer allows a vote.
In addition to meeting the five commonsense budget parameters, the proposal responsibly addresses our state¡¦s pressing needs. For example:
It contains funding for programs that both parties support. Funding was maintained for the CHOICE program, allowing older Hoosiers to remain at home instead of moving to nursing care. Funding for community health centers, the arts, public television and radio, Medicaid and the 21st Century Technology Fund, which helps bring cutting-edge companies to Indiana, and many other key programs were funded.
Public schools received small but reasonable increases in funding while other states are drastically cutting education, some by as much as 20%. Our universities were protected, and funding for student scholarship grants was increased. Finally, the budget recognized that parents desire and deserve expanded education choices for their K-12 children.
Most importantly, the proposed budget lives within our state¡¦s projected means, just as Hoosier businesses and families must, and won¡¦t set us up for a massive tax increase in the future. The Democrat¡¦s alternative proposed to spend everything on hand plus more, setting us up for a major tax increase in two years.
The time for political posturing is over. Hoosiers (and most legislators) are fed up with the bickering and disagreement. While Democrat leaders return to their old habit of threatening a shutdown of state services on June 30 unless more spending is accepted, Republicans in the House will do just the opposite: we will stand firm for Hoosier taxpayers. They deserve nothing less.
There is still time to do the right thing. One more chance to be responsible for the people of Indiana - Mr. Speaker, drop the political high jinks of the past and accept the compromise Senate budget.
...
Full Story
|
|
|