County councilman pursues state office

Mark Stoops enters the race for State Representative for district 61 armed with a myriad of local concerns which he vows to drastically reform, he said in a speech Monday. Stoops' extensive history with advocating and orchestrating county projects has coined him as an aware philanthropist in the minds of his fellow Democratic Party members and Republican colleagues, said Charlotte Zietlow, a previous county commissioner and a democrat.\nAfter serving two terms in the Monroe County Council, Stoops said he decided to concentrate his efforts at the state level in order to provide more expedient solutions to the problems agonizing district 61. Redress concerning overcrowded jails and substance abuse, logging in state forests and the building of I-69 will constitute the bulk of Stoops' campaign, he said.\nIn the speech, Stoops said the correctional facilities and prisons have reached full capacity and lack even a full staff to maintain them. To correct this problem, Indiana has already built two new prisons, but they are currently vacant because of insufficient operating funds. According to the Indiana Department of Corrections' Web site, www.in.gov, the 2000 census figures show in the last decade, the number of people behind bars has jumped 60 percent to 34,676 prisoners statewide.\nIn his campaign, Stoops criticizes the criminal justice system, calling for alternative sentencing and prevention procedures, which would cost one-sixth the amount of incarcerating individuals and ideally deter repeat offenses, he said. \nStoops also stands in opposition to the construction of new highways in Indiana. He said Indiana cannot afford to ignore the 86 percent of county roads, which are rated "critical" or in need of repair, 30 percent of the bridges, which are functionally deficient, or the inability of the normal highway maintenance program to keep up with road deterioration. The estimated $1.75 billion required for immediate repairs equals the $1.7 billion initial construction estimate for the new-terrain I-69. \n"Indiana already has the fourth-highest interstate density in the country," Stoops said. "The benefits of simply concentrating our limited resources on fixing the roads we already have will far outweigh any supposed benefits of I-69, and not just in a limited highway corridor, but all across the state. It is critical to this community to have a representative in the state legislature that will bang the drum on I-69."\nStoops' main environmental issue centers on the need to preserve and protect public lands -- state forests in particular. Every year, Indiana cuts hundreds of the oldest, largest trees from publicly -owned lands, offering subsidies to logging firms, Stoops said in his speech. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' Web site, www.in.gov/dnr/forestry, "logging operations in the state of Indiana are eligible to apply for cost-share dollars that will help defray the expense of 'Best Management Practices' installations." Indiana will pay up to $650 to loggers to cover the costs of labor, equipment and supplies.\nStoops said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources refuses to investigate the cost or benefit of logging in state forests. He also said he will expand and preserve the wilderness acreage, leaving the logging firms no choice but to cut from the other 87 percent of forestland which is privately owned. \nCharlotte Zietlow, a previous county commissioner, supports Stoops in his run for state representative. Zietlow said a burden currently straining the county is unfunded mandates from the federal government. The function of the County Council is to appropriate funds within the county, but the state's reaction time has proven slow and inconsistent. Zietlow tried to acquire new voting machines in the 80s, yet the upgrade remains an unresolved problem. Stoops said he experienced many of the same grievances regarding financial support and an under-informed state legislature. \n"There are so many issues affecting the efficient operation of local government that are decided at the state level," Stoops said in his speech. "It is time for a top-to-bottom restructuring of county government."\nZietlow believes Stoops possesses the initiative to make amendments to the system.\n"Stoops has been a very conscientious member who does his homework beyond the call of duty," Zietlow said. "He will use the experience gained at the county level to influence the state to change county law." \nRepublican Sue West, current president of the Monroe County Council, said she understands Stoops' desire to advance to the state level.\n"I congratulate Mark on his passion for the county," she said. "His political interests and passions cannot be accomplished at the county level anymore."\n-- Contact staff writer Allison Ricket at aricket@indiana.edu.