The Candidates: State Representative - District 22
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
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1. What do you feel needs to be done to create jobs in the district?
2. What are issues important to you and why?
3. What are your thoughts on keeping taxes low for your district?
4. What would you like to accomplish if elected?
Rebecca Kubacki
Republican
Rebecca Kubacki, a Republican of Syracuse, is seeking re-election to the State Representative District 22 seat.
1. As legislators we don’t create jobs, the private sector does. What we can do however to promote job growth in our district and our state is to look at reducing regulations that handcuff business development. Great progress has been made to create a friendly business climate but we can't become complacent.
2. My platform has been from the beginning of my first campaign and continues to be is to reduce the unemployment rate in Indiana. I would love to see Indiana as having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. I am very concerned by the excise tax on the medical device industry passed as part of Obama's health care reform package. The medical device industry has been the lifeline of our community and is now under serious threat. Let’s hope the U.S. supreme court will rule Obama care unconstitutional.
Another issue very important to me is tackling the meth problem, which is killing our community.
Making PSE a scheduled drug is essential if we are going to reduce the meth addiction. We can’t open the paper without reading about yet another meth lab bust. Meth is destroying families, lives and communities. The addiction to meth is so intense from that very first experience and recovery from it is more difficult than any other drug. If we can keep our young adults from the first experience by adding a deterrent in making it a scheduled drug we have won.
I will lead the charge in making our educational investment in the early stages of learning where the foundation for learning is set.
3. Raising taxes has never been the answer to solving our economic problems.
4. I would like to be a strong voice in Indianapolis to protect small community values and farming traditions. If I can serve the people of District 22 with the honor and the respect they deserve I will consider this a great accomplishment.
It has been an honor to serve as your legislator and look forward to serving my new constituents.
The strides we have made in education and the passing of Right to Work sends the message that we are open for business.
We are already seeing results of RTW with the 39 companies that have contacted IEDC.
We passed legislation to protect life, protect the farming community and small business families with the inheritance tax bill and doubled the funding for full day kindergarten.
We have accomplished much but there is still much to do. District 22 deserves a strong legislator. I look forward to serving you again.
John Bonitati
Democrat
John Bonitati, a Democrat of Warsaw, is seeking the State Representative District 22 seat.
He is currently employed as a technical product director of knee marketing for DePuy Orthopaedics.
He ran for Wayne Township Trustee in 2012 as the democratic candidate. He currently is the Kosciusko County Democratic party treasurer.
1. Immediate job creation includes government investment in infrastructure to lay the foundation for future growth. We need responsible incentives for businesses hiring full-time employees and hold companies accountable for not meeting agreement terms.
Results-based regulations with simpler rules tied to the outcomes produced are important to attract business. Education investment is a driver for meeting skilled labor needs in the market.
2. Building world-class education for Indiana is a priority to provide the opportunity for more productive lives.
Unfortunately, privatizing education and providing vouchers are shortchanging students. We need to end government interference in workers’ rights.
The cuts to those most vulnerable such as the disabled, need to stop. Big money and resultant legislation benefiting narrow, self interests must end. Legislative decisions have significant consequences and voting without corrupting influence is critical to restoring trust in government.
3. It begins with financial accountability in the State Department of Revenue so decisions regarding government spending and taxation can be accurately evaluated. The recent $526 million of “misplaced” revenue resulted in unfair cuts to education, social agencies and local government payments. State agencies need to be evaluated for program redundancies, acceptable efficiencies and service levels. We need to ban pay-to-play state contracts so government officials don’t have political contributors in mind when negotiating these contracts and increasing taxpayer costs.
4. Comprehensive public education investment from pre-school through college including vocational and worker retraining programs.
Restoration of workers’ rights.
Protect those most vulnerable from harmful budget cuts.
Jon Hare
Republican
Jon D. Hare, a Republican of Syracuse, is seeking the State Representative District 22 seat.
As a 41 year area life long resident of this district I currently reside in Milford. I have been a volunteer firefighter for 22 years. I am a heavy equipment field technician for Walsh and Kelly.
I am a member of the International Union Operating Engineers Local 150, Sons of the American Legion, and American Bikers Aimed Toward Education. As this is the first time running for a political office it has been an educational experience. What I have learned most from knocking on doors and speaking with the residents of the district is that they want a representative that will communicate with them and answer their questions and I know that I can be that representative.
1. I feel in order to create more jobs in the district we need to first find out why we are losing some jobs in the district. If we can keep our jobs in the area and prove that we are a profitable workforce then I feel we should look more apealing to other companies who are looking to create jobs.
2. Education has always been and always will be a major issue because it not only involves our children but also the future of our state and country.
3. In order to keep our taxes low, I feel as representatives we need to find more ways to run our government more efficient and eliminate unnecessary spending.
4. If elected I would like to try and get all legislators to unite and do the job they were elected to do and that job is to represent all the citizens of Indiana.[[In-content Ad]]
1. What do you feel needs to be done to create jobs in the district?
2. What are issues important to you and why?
3. What are your thoughts on keeping taxes low for your district?
4. What would you like to accomplish if elected?
Rebecca Kubacki
Republican
Rebecca Kubacki, a Republican of Syracuse, is seeking re-election to the State Representative District 22 seat.
1. As legislators we don’t create jobs, the private sector does. What we can do however to promote job growth in our district and our state is to look at reducing regulations that handcuff business development. Great progress has been made to create a friendly business climate but we can't become complacent.
2. My platform has been from the beginning of my first campaign and continues to be is to reduce the unemployment rate in Indiana. I would love to see Indiana as having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. I am very concerned by the excise tax on the medical device industry passed as part of Obama's health care reform package. The medical device industry has been the lifeline of our community and is now under serious threat. Let’s hope the U.S. supreme court will rule Obama care unconstitutional.
Another issue very important to me is tackling the meth problem, which is killing our community.
Making PSE a scheduled drug is essential if we are going to reduce the meth addiction. We can’t open the paper without reading about yet another meth lab bust. Meth is destroying families, lives and communities. The addiction to meth is so intense from that very first experience and recovery from it is more difficult than any other drug. If we can keep our young adults from the first experience by adding a deterrent in making it a scheduled drug we have won.
I will lead the charge in making our educational investment in the early stages of learning where the foundation for learning is set.
3. Raising taxes has never been the answer to solving our economic problems.
4. I would like to be a strong voice in Indianapolis to protect small community values and farming traditions. If I can serve the people of District 22 with the honor and the respect they deserve I will consider this a great accomplishment.
It has been an honor to serve as your legislator and look forward to serving my new constituents.
The strides we have made in education and the passing of Right to Work sends the message that we are open for business.
We are already seeing results of RTW with the 39 companies that have contacted IEDC.
We passed legislation to protect life, protect the farming community and small business families with the inheritance tax bill and doubled the funding for full day kindergarten.
We have accomplished much but there is still much to do. District 22 deserves a strong legislator. I look forward to serving you again.
John Bonitati
Democrat
John Bonitati, a Democrat of Warsaw, is seeking the State Representative District 22 seat.
He is currently employed as a technical product director of knee marketing for DePuy Orthopaedics.
He ran for Wayne Township Trustee in 2012 as the democratic candidate. He currently is the Kosciusko County Democratic party treasurer.
1. Immediate job creation includes government investment in infrastructure to lay the foundation for future growth. We need responsible incentives for businesses hiring full-time employees and hold companies accountable for not meeting agreement terms.
Results-based regulations with simpler rules tied to the outcomes produced are important to attract business. Education investment is a driver for meeting skilled labor needs in the market.
2. Building world-class education for Indiana is a priority to provide the opportunity for more productive lives.
Unfortunately, privatizing education and providing vouchers are shortchanging students. We need to end government interference in workers’ rights.
The cuts to those most vulnerable such as the disabled, need to stop. Big money and resultant legislation benefiting narrow, self interests must end. Legislative decisions have significant consequences and voting without corrupting influence is critical to restoring trust in government.
3. It begins with financial accountability in the State Department of Revenue so decisions regarding government spending and taxation can be accurately evaluated. The recent $526 million of “misplaced” revenue resulted in unfair cuts to education, social agencies and local government payments. State agencies need to be evaluated for program redundancies, acceptable efficiencies and service levels. We need to ban pay-to-play state contracts so government officials don’t have political contributors in mind when negotiating these contracts and increasing taxpayer costs.
4. Comprehensive public education investment from pre-school through college including vocational and worker retraining programs.
Restoration of workers’ rights.
Protect those most vulnerable from harmful budget cuts.
Jon Hare
Republican
Jon D. Hare, a Republican of Syracuse, is seeking the State Representative District 22 seat.
As a 41 year area life long resident of this district I currently reside in Milford. I have been a volunteer firefighter for 22 years. I am a heavy equipment field technician for Walsh and Kelly.
I am a member of the International Union Operating Engineers Local 150, Sons of the American Legion, and American Bikers Aimed Toward Education. As this is the first time running for a political office it has been an educational experience. What I have learned most from knocking on doors and speaking with the residents of the district is that they want a representative that will communicate with them and answer their questions and I know that I can be that representative.
1. I feel in order to create more jobs in the district we need to first find out why we are losing some jobs in the district. If we can keep our jobs in the area and prove that we are a profitable workforce then I feel we should look more apealing to other companies who are looking to create jobs.
2. Education has always been and always will be a major issue because it not only involves our children but also the future of our state and country.
3. In order to keep our taxes low, I feel as representatives we need to find more ways to run our government more efficient and eliminate unnecessary spending.
4. If elected I would like to try and get all legislators to unite and do the job they were elected to do and that job is to represent all the citizens of Indiana.[[In-content Ad]]
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