The Candidates: State Representative - District 18
Posted
-
The Times-Union asked candidates running in Tuesday’s primary to answer the following questions. Listed are the candidates answers. Voting is Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 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?
Dave Wolkins Republican Dave Wolkins, a Republican of Winona Lake, is seeking re-election to the State Representative District 18 seat. Wolkins has served in the position since 1988. He was a school teacher for 11 years, coached cross country and track at Warsaw, owned and operated Warsaw Power & Equipment from 1977-1981, served as vice president of ABC Travel from 1981-1988 and served on Winona Lake Town Council from 1969-1987. 1. We need to continue doing all we can to create jobs here in Indiana. For the past several years I have supported programs and policies that will help business to expand or locate in Indiana. This past session Indiana became the 23rd state to adopt Right To Work legislation. This simply means a worker does not have to join a union to get a job. So far 37 companies have expressed interest to move to Indiana because of this new law. I support lowering the corporate income tax which makes Indiana attractive to businesses. I will continue to support policies that make Indiana a business-friendly state, as it is the private sector that creates jobs. 2. Important issues to me are making government more efficient by saving taxpayers money. In the past two sessions I have authored two bills that have eliminated more than 40 boards and commissions. This has resulted in the governor not having to make more than 200 appointments this year and more than 100 last year. These boards have either met their purpose or their duties have been taken over by another board. Providing environmental regulations that protect the environment without totally killing economic development is another issue. As the chair of the House Environmental Committee I have considerable say in what environmental ideas become law. I have tried to balance the benefit to the environment with the cost to society of the regulation. Private property rights and personal freedoms are another issue. I have been a strong supporter of private property rights. Two examples are the 2005 law that I authored that restricted the use of eminent domain laws by governmental agencies. This past year I sponsored a bill that restored the water rights to owners of property that had been taken from them by the Indiana Supreme Court in the Avon Water Rights case last fall. I have been in the past and will in the future oppose new laws that unnecessarily restrict your personal freedom. 3. To keep taxes low in the district making government more efficient helps eliminate the need for additional taxes. In tough economic times we need to let people keep as much of their hard-earned income as they can. Government should take care of needs, not wants. 4. I do not have any major agenda items. I want to continue to support ideas that will create jobs and oppose ideas that usurp our personal freedoms.
Chris Wright Democrat Christopher Wright, a Democrat of Warsaw, is seeking the State Representative District 18 seat. He works in sales and merchandising in Goshen. He resides in Chapman Lake in the northern most part of the 18th district. He has never ran for political office or held political office. He said he has seen the direction of the state go downhill because he said politicians are not working together, but are playing partisan politics. He said he decided to run for office because he thinks there needs to be new fresh innovative ideas being introduced into the legislature. Instead of talking about job creation, he said there needs to be jobs created and instead of talking about education, there needs to be something done about education and instead of talking about the economy, the economy needs to be fixed. He said these issues are not Republican or Democrat issues, but they are issues that affect everyone. 1. In Warsaw, we are the orthopedic capital of the world. We need to capitalize upon that and sell that to the rest of the country and world. If I am elected I will be a champion of the 18th district promoting our industry, manufacturing, agriculture, throughout the state and the rest of the country. To create jobs we need to lower the corporate tax again, incentivize small businesses and invest in education. Also, in creating jobs I feel the government needs to back off and give the private sector more autonomy allowing it to create jobs. The private sector is what creates jobs and when government, both state and federal are intrusive it hinders the process. If I am elected I will make it easier for businesses to handle their business. 2. I am not a millionaire so I cannot go to Indianapolis and shake things up and take away from the middle class because I am the middle class and I have to live with those consequences as well. Career politicians have protected their interests long enough. It is time that the middle class starts protecting theirs and with me in office I will fight for the middle class. 3. In regards to keeping taxes low I feel we need to curb spending at the state level. Common sense spending of our tax dollars seems to go a long way but we have been far removed from common sense at the government level for quite some time now. So bringing common sense back to government, cutting spending and spending tax dollars wisely will help keep taxes low. 4. If I am elected I would like to fight to see the tuition come down at state schools, I will create jobs, protect the middle class, protect our farmers and bring common sense back to Indianapolis. In closing, I never ran for office before. I do not have the answers to everything but I return phone calls, emails, I talk to police officers, paramedics, teachers, lawyers, parents, everyone who will talk to me I listen to and that’s what being a good legislator is all about. Listening to the people, being accessible and using common sense with your tax dollars.
