Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Due to the redistricting of the state, part of Kosciusko County will have a new legislator representing them in the House.
Bill Friend, District 23, who lives on a farm in Macy, gained a part of Kosciusko as well as parts of Fulton and several other counties.
He, and five other Republican legislators, spoke at the Kosciusko County Republican Lincoln Day dinner Thursday. He said the redistricting is the Democrat Party's "version of what is fair."
He said all the relationships he built in the last 8 to 9 years with his constituents now has to be set aside because of the redistricting "and I have to begin again."
As for redistricting, Representative Dave Wolkins said, "In the House, you would not believe the new districts they drew."
Almost every Republican ended up with all-new territories.
"It is going to affect you," Wolkins said. "You're probably not going to know who represents you for awhile."
Another issue the six legislators discussed at the dinner was Democrat Governor Frank O'Bannon's lack of leadership on various issues.
Senator Tom Weatherwax said he was trying to get O'Bannon to take a leadership position on getting "a clear, concise energy policy" for Indiana.
On June 19, in Logansport, he said an energy summit will be held with people from all across the country representing various energy sources.
"Conservation and preservation" was the only policy of former President Bill Clinton's administration but "you can't do that alone," Weatherwax said.
O'Bannon needs to take strong leadership stance, Senator Robert Meeks said, if the state budget approved this year is going to work.
"We're hoping the economy will be strong in Indiana," Meeks said, "and that the Governor governs." If the governor fails to exercise leadership, Meeks said, the budget won't work. "I told him that yesterday."
The budget is 221 pages and spends $21 million to $22 million.
This was the first year Meeks chaired the budget subcommittee and he said, "Nothing compares to what I went through the last four months."
However, he said there were some good things that came out of the budget. He said the budget spends $1.2 billion more on schools, a 50 cent tax on on cigarettes was stopped as well as a tax on churches. "We did a lot of good things," Meeks said.
For Senator Harold Wheeler, who is retiring next year, he said his efforts were to get a pay raise for state legislators, and that was vetoed.
"I really feel the legislators can use that pay," he said.
The pay raise would not go into effect until after he left office, he said, so he would not have personally benefitted from the raise.
However, a bill Wheeler helped get passed will allow retiring legislators, like himself, to continue paying insurance premiums with the state after they've left office.
"It passed," he said. "I don't think a lot of them knew how, but it did."
The last House session, Representative William Ruppel said, reminded him of an old movie - "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."
"And it did get ugly," he said.
The house, however, did pass a bill which lowers the legal blood alcohol content from 0.10 percent to 0.08. By approving the new level, the state will get more federal dollars for roads and streets.
Under a new bill passed, Wolkins said, telemarketers can't call people at home if a person puts their name on a state list. There are some exceptions.
In 2004, Wolkins said, all punch cards voting machines will have to be done away with.
"Kosciusko County," he said, "you'll be buying new machines."
Republican candidates for secretary of state were also on hand at the dinner, including Mike Delph and Richard Murdock. Dave McIntosh, who ran for governor in the last election, was also present with his wife as well as Indiana Supreme Court clerk Brian Bishop.
Several Republican legislators who could not be at the dinner sent their greetings, including congressmen Mark Souder and Steve Buyer and state auditor Connie Nass.
Members of the Kosciusko County Republican party committee are chairman Mike Gavin, vice chairman Marsha McSherry, treasurer Steve Foster and secretary LaShawn Brumfield.
