The League of Women Voters sponsored a forum for county commissioner candidates for districts 2 and 3 Thursday night at the Monroe County Library.
This is the second part in the League of Women Voters’ forum series.
Julie Thomas is running for reelection for the District 2 seat. Thomas was first elected in 2012, and previously served on the Monroe County Council.
Thomas said she is proud of the work she has done so far, particularly with energy efficiency and the solar panel installations on the Showers building and Charlotte T. Zeitlow Justice Center. Taxpayers will save at least $158,000 from these investments, according to her website.
Thomas said she should be reelected because she has more work to do, including efforts on the County Fleet Committee to focus on energy efficient vehicles and new planning and zoning ordinances to promote brownfield redevelopment, or the reuse of existing buildings.
“I want to do all I can to ensure government is accessible and approachable,” Thomas said.
Thomas is running against Republican Nelson Shaffer, an IUPUI professor and business owner.
Shaffer said county accounting and business practices are weak and many county assets, including the airport, fairground and tech park are underused.
The Democratic Party has been in power too long, he said. New, objective and innovative leadership is necessary to bring Monroe County forward.
Shaffer plans to increase tourism by establishing a Limestone Heritage Park, grow the tax base rather than expand the tax rate, and support sustainable practices and recycling.
This would all be part of a responsible, but limited government, he said.
Handling the taxpayers money is a sacred honor, and the county has had some missteps, Shaffer said.
“I want to have a transparent, efficient and more representative government,” Shaffer said.
Republican candidate for the District 3 seat Paul E. White Sr. said the homeless population has become a problem in the county.
Over-regulation and zoning issues have made the county unappealing to new businesses, White said. The county wants businesses to want to locate here, however, these issues have discouraged businesses from starting, staying or moving to Monroe County.
“It is over-cumbersome to start a business today,” White said. “We need to make Monroe County more business friendly.”
A modern, localized version of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s public works could improve the economic environment, White said.
White said transparency in government is the most important.
A problem in county government is the dismissal of employees who uncover something unsavory about their government, White said. He pledges not to dismiss employees at will.
Amanda Barge is a social worker and the Democratic candidate for the District 3 seat.
Barge said she wants to ensure that Monroe County is a safe and healthy place to live by promoting energy efficiency, getting children involved in government and building a crime correction center to relieve some stress from the county jail.
Job coaching will additionally help the job rate in the county by helping residents find jobs and keep them, Barge said.
It is also vital to tackle the opioid epidemic in Monroe County by creating an addiction task force, she said. Opioid overdoses cost Indiana $1.4 billion in 2014, she said.
“We cannot stand by while our residents are dying,” Barge said.
Jim Stainbrook, Bloomington resident, said that he will be voting for Julie Thomas and Amanda Barge because he perceives them as transparent people who are willing to listen to all of their constituents to make the most informed decision possible.
“They’re progressive people,” Stainbrook said.
William Ellis, chairman of the Monroe County Republican Party, said he found it very telling that the Democratic candidates did not respond to questions about county corruption.
The only way to end corruption is by pledging not to fire employees without cause and due process, Ellis said.
“What type of person wants that type of power?” Ellis said. “I don’t think someone we should elect.”
