U.S. Representative Tim Roemer often says he brings "Hoosier common sense" to Congress, but challenger Joe Zakas says Roemer's voting record doesn't bear out that claim.

Roemer is a three-term incumbent Democrat from South Bend. Zakas, a Republican from Granger, has spent the last 14 years serving in the Indiana Senate.

"Tim has to come here and play the role of October conservative," Zakas said. "He's a liberal trying to get re-elected in a conservative district. People here want honest, straightforward representation that reflects a common sense conservativism. Tim Roemer projects that image in the district, but his voting record doesn't support it."

Roemer cites his work on welfare reform, portability of health care, the minimum wage increase, tax breaks for small businesses and the crime bill as examples of his moderate political stance and common sense.

And, Roemer says, "I don't think Rich Burkett endorses liberals." Burkett, of Warsaw, was Roemer's opponent in 1994, and one of six candidates in the GOP primary that saw Zakas win the nomination to run against Roemer this year.

Burkett has publicly announced he will vote for Roemer.

"I think it's pretty plain and simple," Roemer said. "I was endorsed by my Republican opponent - his Republican opponent."

Roemer added, "I don't vote for tax increases. Joe Zakas has - that's how I define a liberal. I think those are two pretty clear, pretty concise examples" of moderate ideology.

But Zakas still says the total Roemer package is that of a liberal.

This week, Zakas held a press conference to criticize a vote by Roemer to fund a sex survey.

Zakas called the $9 million appropriation "a slap in the face of every hardworking parent in the third district." Zakas said the survey questions were designed for junior high students and were "explicit and obscene." He said the survey was "not suitable to be printed in your newspapers or heard on your radio or television stations."

Whether to include the survey in a larger bill was debated on the floor of the U.S. House in 1991.

The survey questioned students about religious beliefs, condom use, oral sex and homosexual activity in explicit terms. The Congressional Record shows that Roemer voted "yea" on HR 2507, "an amendment to earmark $3 million for each of three fiscal years 1992-94 to conduct a study for the purpose of gathering information on the health and well-being of adolescents in the United States."

Roemer called the sex survey issue "desperate allegations in the final days of the campaign. My opponent is stretching the truth and groping for almost anything to boost his campaign."

While not responding directly to a question about his vote on the survey, Roemer said the survey never made it out of Washington because of legislation he favored.

"My votes have always been for an ethical and peer review board to look at anything coming out of Washington," he said. He said the bipartisan peer review legislation prevents explicit items from becoming law.

Zakas also claimed Roemer "has an 82 percent voting record with the NEA and its liberal agenda. That's the highest of any Indiana congressman," he said.

Zakas cited a recent study by the American Conservative Union. The group rates congressmen on their voting record on conservative issues. The study showed Roemer's voting record on those issues during three terms in Congress to be liberal about 60 percent of the time.

Roemer discounts those ratings, saying, "Each group has a different way to measure politically the voting record of congressmen." He said Congressional Quarterly and National Journal "consistently rank me as one of the more conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives."

He also noted he has received awards and endorsements from the chamber or commerce, manufacturers and industrial groups, contending that couldn't happen if he were truly a liberal.

Despite the attacks from his opponent, Roemer says he's getting a "good feeling" from voters all across the third congressional district during this campaign.

"All across the district, people are saying 'Listen to us' " Roemer said during a recent visit to Warsaw. "I listen. I vote to reflect our values here," he added. Roemer said he has knocked on 35,000 doors in the district during his tenure in Congress.

While in Warsaw, Roemer stopped at the police department to talk to an officer hired under the COPS program, part of President Clinton's crime bill.

"Safe neighborhoods and reducing crime should be one of our highest priorities," Roemer said. "The COPS program is an innovative program to put more police on the street, catch criminals and discourage crime. I will continue to support efforts to make our communities more secure," he added.

Zakas said the success of the COPS program, which was supposed to have placed 100,000 new officers on the street, has been greatly exaggerated. He said only about 17,000 officers have been hired and many of those were hired to replace retiring officers.

Roemer accuses Zakas of misrepresenting his voting record. "It's frustrating when you come back to campaign and you have someone misrepresenting your position on the issues," Roemer said. "He's (Zakas) saying I voted against the death penalty. I have never voted against the penalty."

Zakas also expresses frustration.

"How can we make it clear there is a clear choice when Roemer tells everyone in the district he's a Republican?" Zakas said. "If you want higher taxes, and more government regulation, vote for Tim Roemer. If you want a good, conservative candidate who says what he means, vote for Joe Zakas." [[In-content Ad]]