Floyds Knobs man among those vying for state offices

> SOUTHERN INDIANA — A Floyds Knobs man is one of three Democrats hoping to break into state offices that have long been controlled by Republicans.

The last time a Democrat held office as Indiana Secretary of State, Auditor or Treasurer was 1994, but with many voters looking for change in government, there is optimism in both parties.

Sam Locke, 28, is treasurer of the Floyd County Democratic Central Committee and chairman of the 9th Congressional District Young Democrats. After serving in the Air Force, he worked as a fundraiser, consultant and operations manager in the nonprofit industry raising more than $20 million.

As state auditor, Locke said he would do more to call out wasteful government spending and called it the auditor’s job to be the “independent voice of financial information.” He said his opponent, Tim Berry, has not done enough to speak out when the state has overspent.

“Over the last several decades, the auditor’s office has become a care-taker rubber-stamp administrative position,” Locke said.

Berry, 49, a Republican from Indianapolis, is seeking re-election for a second term as auditor after serving eight years as state treasurer.

“We have shrunk the size of government and reduced our expenses 12 percent back to 2004 levels,” Berry said.

He said recent cuts will reduce spending for Fiscal Year 2011 to 1999 levels. Berry said they started making cuts “before cutting budgets was cool.”

He said they have reduced spending through technology, including the implementation of a fully integrated financial system for state government that went live in September of 2009.

He also boasted a new portal at transparency.in.gov allowing easy access to information.

“We worked with the General Assembly trying to get transparency legislation passed, and when that failed with the Democratic majority in the House of Reps, we went out and developed our own transparency portal,” he said.

Locke said the website was a good idea, but when implemented, provided no new information. He wants to create a searchable database of all expenditure information.

“Everything that’s on the website now was already available through a mixed number of other sources,” Locke said. “We need greater transparency.”

Locke said accounts payable recovery audits, a computer-auditing process, would reduce waste and could save Indiana as much as $10 million a year.

Although Locke said he brings new ideas to the race, Berry believes his experience is important.

“Chief financial officer for the state is not an entry level position. It’s a position that requires experience and financial background and wherewithal to properly insure there’s accountability within the system,” Berry said.

Eric Knipe, 30, a Libertarian from Indianapolis, did not respond to requests for an interview. According to his website which provides few details, his aim is to limit the size and scope of the auditor’s office.

Indiana Treasurer

Richard Mourdock, 58, of Darmstadt, is seeking re-election following his first term as treasurer.

During his time in office, he said he has assisted local units of government guiding them through the financial crisis and earned more than $1 billion in investments for the state during his term.

He said when he took office there had been a long-standing practice of holding a public funds management seminar twice a year, but he has increased those to once a month spread across the state.

“We are working intensively with local government officials so they are investing their money safely,” Mourdock said. “We are not anywhere near close to being out of the so-called banking crisis.”

Mourdock said he invests state funds with the philosophy of safety first, liquidity second and then interest yield.

His opponent, Pete Buttigieg, 28, a Democrat from South Bend, has called into question whether Mourdock has invested safely.

“He seems to think it’s OK to invest in speculative or junk bonds. I think it’s too risky,” Buttigieg said. “It might make you look good at certain moments in time, but that high interest rate comes at a cost.”

He said it is highly unusual for states to invest in junk bonds, but Mourdock defended those investments saying they are the best earning in the state.

“One of my goals is to continue to be honest, not just put labels on things for political effect,” he said.

Buttigieg said the state also needs to invest more in banks headquartered in Indiana.

He said the biggest issue is jobs, and he proposes a plan he called the “Hoosier Capital Connector.” He would make low-interest loans available to any business that can create and retain jobs paying above the county’s average wage.

Buttigieg also said he would not accept bank political action committee donations so Hoosiers do not have to wonder if those influence investment decisions. He criticized his opponent for failing to make that same pledge.

Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar who studied economics at Oxford University and history at Harvard University. While Buttigieg boasts the impressive education resume, Mourdock said his 31 years of real world experience before entering full-time politics prepared him for the job.

Indiana Secretary of State

Vop Osili, 47, an Indianapolis Democrat, said the top issue for him is helping small businesses, noting the majority fail within the first five years.

Osili said every business must interact with the Secretary of State’s Office, so they have an opportunity to reduce that small business failure rate.

“How do we add more value to the interaction with the Office of Secretary of State? One way is funneling information available on loans, grants and programs,” Osili said.

As a small business owner, Osili said he knows it can take weeks or months to even get through the registration process.

He gave the example of someone considering joining the Women’s Business Enterprise. He said that person should be provided with data, pros and cons of joining the organization and information on how to join the day of registration with the Secretary of State.

“Let’s make the process efficient. Let’s make it simple and straightforward so by Day 2 you are about the business of running your business,” he said.

One way to better provide information, he said, is to create subclassifications for various types of businesses. He said that would make it easier to find programs applicable to that field.

In addition to businesses, he said he will work to assist those who are legally eligible to vote but do not have proper identification under the voter ID law. He said rather than tell those people that is their problem, the state should actively seek to help them acquire the necessary documents to register.

“It’s important we do not forget about them,” he said.

Charlie White, 41, a Republican from Fishers, did not respond to calls for an interview.

According to his website, his plans include creating a “one stop shop for business” to make it easier for businesses to comply with state and federal regulations. He also favors redistricting for simpler legislative districts that represent the local communities and said he will protect and defend the voter ID law.

White has been under fire for using his ex-wife’s address to vote in the May 4 primary election instead of a condo he bought in February. Democrats have accused White, a Fishers Town Councilman at the time, of committing felony voter fraud so people would not find out he had moved out of his district. Two special prosecutors, one Democrat and one Republican, have been appointed to investigate.

White has said it was an oversight, but Osili has been eager to pounce on the misstep.

“If we don’t abide by the laws we’re sworn to protect and uphold, how can we possibly enforce those laws on others?” he said.

Mike Wherry, 42, a Libertarian attorney from Greenfield, said he is running on the issue of making it easier for those outside of the two major parties to run for office.

He said he would lobby the legislature to reform voter law and lower the state’s threshold for ballot access.

“A lot of the election law, it’s too cumbersome and difficult to understand,” he said. “It’s rigged to keep incumbents in power. You don’t have much of a say.”

He said he is also in favor of recall legislation in which voters could remove a candidate from office with 65 or 70 percent of the vote.

Clark County

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Auditor, secretary of state, treasurer seats up for grabs

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