Editor, Times-Union:

During this Thanksgiving weekend, I want to say that I am thankful that Curt Nisly was our state representative for the past eight years.

When he first ran, I was not sure if he could beat the Indy Establishment. His predecessor was well funded and well supported by those in Indy who liked the fact that she was their spokesperson to us, and she did not represent us.

Well, Curt Nisly showed them that Kosciusko County wanted representatives and went on to beat the Establishment candidate.

Nisly’s record while in Indy was one of consistent, constitutional, conservatism.

He was one of only nine Republicans to vote against the gas tax increase.

Nisly was the first Indiana state legislator to publicly oppose the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) bill proposed for 2016, and his early opposition helped defeat this bill.

He was one of three Republicans to vote against making the superintendent of public instruction an appointed person because he knew that parents should drive education policy, not politicians.

Nisly was the first state legislator in the country to file a bill to ban abortion in defiance of Roe because he knew that life was the most sacred of rights and is to be protected.

He was the only Republican to constantly fight for our right to carry a firearm without permission from the government, making sure that Republicans in the General Assembly knew that the Constitution is the law of the land and the Second Amendment existed.

Nisly was the first representative to call out Governor Holcomb when Holcomb decided winners and losers during COVID. While the rest of the Republicans thanked the governor for acting like the governor of Michigan, Curt Nisly was fighting to help all Hoosiers still be able to earn a living.

He was one of three Republicans to vote to prohibit vaccine mandates by employers.

Nisly was one of three Republicans to protect the right of churches to meet in public if they so needed because he knew that government could not tell the church how to run its affairs.

He was one of six Republicans to vote for a total abortion ban in this session, then was one of only three Republicans to vote against the bill which actually expanded abortion in Indiana.

Nisly was one of two Republicans to vote against the last state budget which was the largest in history, and even grew at a greater rate than the rate of inflation then the previous budget, which should tell you that spending will go up again, which affects Hoosier wallets.

Nisly did not take his orders from Indianapolis. He did his best to represent the Constitution, and the people.

Thank you, Curt Nisly for eight great years of service to the people of Kosciusko County, and to the state of Indiana.

Gary Eppenbaugh

Warsaw, via email