What do our plans address?
They call for taking 10% of what the state spends on tax incentives intended to lure corporations to Indiana and instead investing in all 92 counties to restore and revitalize our neglected small towns and rural economy — our Indiana Main Street Initiative.
They call for a reinvigoration and restoration of local control for what is now the READI program as Regional Cities 2.0, to inspire every region in our state to work and grow together.
But we also know that for Indiana to be a strong state, we must have a strong capital city, so we developed a public safety and infrastructure zone for Indianapolis’ Mile Square. That plan would restore the core of our capital city to keep its streets safe, clean, and in good repair, while at the same time setting up an independent review board to ensure criminals are not avoiding prosecution.
We have a moral and constitutional obligation to educate our kids. We need to continue Indiana’s leadership in school choice and tackle Indiana’s teacher shortage crisis. Our Teacher Investment Program would attract and retain teachers in communities where they are needed most by lowering tax liability for Hoosier educators, putting more money directly back in their pockets.
Because more 13,000 Hoosier children are in the Foster Care system, we released a plan to implement a Zero-Cost Adoption fund to help those in foster care find the loving homes they deserve. Discussed on the national stage during the GOP Presidential primary, this plan has already been introduced as draft legislation here in Indiana – as well as in Missouri.
You may not agree with our campaign’s ideas. This newspaper itself has occasionally published criticism of them. That’s fine. As a proud conservative, I don’t expect everyone to agree with them.
But we are the only candidate in the race for governor to offer detailed plans for how we plan to govern.
These ideas are fresh and bold, and perhaps not to the establishment’s liking, but you can’t say we don’t have them. Putting your ideas on paper opens you to attack and criticism. We’ve done so anyway.
That’s a real difference between our campaign and the politicians running in this race.
Indiana voters deserve to know what they’re voting for and should be able to hold their leaders accountable for the promises they make.
I hope our plans, and bold vision for the state, can earn your vote on May 7.
Eric Doden is a Republican candidate for Indiana governor. He is a businessman and a former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
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