The four candidates seeking to represent Howard County residents in the Indiana House took differing stances on a number of issues during a debate Wednesday, including the impact of the new U.S. 31 bypass on Kokomo.
Incumbent Democrat Ron Herrell discussed the issues with his Republican challenger Jason Miller for the District 30 seat, while Republican Jacque Clements and Democrat Bob Snow in the race for the vacant District 38 seat went head-to-head.
The debate was sponsored by WIOU, the Kokomo Perspective and the Kokomo Tribune at Central Middle School.
Herrell said the construction of the new U.S. 31 bypass would not be the largest economic development in the county for the next 50 years.
“We have two new Chrysler plants in Kokomo and the Getrag plant in Tipton,” he said. “Delphi came here without a major highway.”
Herrell said the project will hurt Kokomo because it encourages people to bypass the city. He used as an example the movie “Cars.” The town was hurt economically because the interstate bypassed it.
“The 31 bypass is our downtown,” he said. “It is the main hub of the community. We’re asking people to bypass Kokomo to save nine minutes.”
Miller said the new bypass would help Kokomo and not hurt the community.
“It will draw people into Kokomo,” he said.
Snow said the bypass would be devastating to the local economy and will cost the community a number of jobs.
“It’s a bad idea, taking people away from the city,” he said.
Clements said the new bypass could become a problem and that local leaders need to offer incentives for people to come into the community.
Snow said the state needs a permanent cap on property taxes but that the proposed constitutional amendment would hurt small business owners.
He said the 3 percent cap on business would have to be adjusted.
Any change in the language of the constitutional amendment, which has to pass two sessions of the Legislature before a referendum vote, will start the process all over.
Clements said she favors the legislation as written, noting the caps were a maximum and could be lowered.
Miller said he supports the caps as written.
Herrell said he will vote for the legislation but has some concerns about including the caps in the state constitution.
“We need to wait and see what the impact will be before putting it in the constitution,” he said. “My concern is a decline in the assessed valuation of property and funding for local government will decline.”
When asked about a recommendation in the Kernan-Shepherd report to consolidate schools with less than 2,000 students, the four candidates expressed differing opinions.
“I favor consolidation,” Miller said. “There should be a minimum of 2,000 students.”
Herrell said he was concerned with the 2,000 number and added that consolidation of schools with fewer than 1,000 students should be considered.
“Young people in the smaller schools have more opportunities to be involved in school activities,” he said. “Without school activities, they will find something to do.”
Herrell said consolidation has to be a local decision.
Clements said 2,000 is not the magic number.
“We shouldn’t force schools into consolidation,” she said.
Snow simply called it a bad idea.
He later said smaller classes would provide students with a better education and consolidated schools would result in a lack of school related activities.
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