Editor’s Note: Submissions appear as the candidates submitted them without editing.Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. Except where noted, questionnaires are only being published for contested races.
Jill Long Thompson
• AGE: 55
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS:
- B.S. in Business from Valparaiso University (1974).
- M.B.A. from Indiana University(1978)
- Ph.D. in Business from Indiana University (1984)
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 4th Congressional District (1989 to 1995)
- U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture (1995 to 2001)
- CEO and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy
- Fellow at the Institute of Politics in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
- Mark E. Johnston Chair of Entrepreneurship at Manchester College
- Adjunct Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University South Bend
- Adjunct Professor at Indiana University/Purdue University-Fort Wayne
- Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Valparaiso University
- Lecturer at Indiana University in Bloomington
• FAMILY NOTES: Jill is married to Don Thompson, a commercial airline pilot, and they reside on their family farm in Marshall County.
1) Why are you running for this office?
“I am running for Governor to put Indiana and its economy back on track.
“Across Indiana, good paying jobs are leaving our state and families are struggling to pay their mortgages, pay their taxes and keep up with the rising costs of healthcare. Once-thriving communities are slowly dying as people and businesses move away.
“I believe that Hoosiers deserve better, and I think that with my experience in both the public and private sectors, I am best qualified to lead our state in a new direction. In Congress, I stood up against bad trade deals that, unfortunately, have resulted in thousands of Hoosier jobs being moved overseas. During my time as Under Secretary of Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I helped save and create new jobs right here in Indiana.
“My plan to Reinvest in Indiana will provide the policy changes we need to help get Indiana's economy going again, including a comprehensive overhaul of our tax structure, creating health care pools to bring down the cost of health care, improving our high school drop out rate and training our workers and students in the jobs of the future.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“Unfortunately, after eight years of George W. Bush and four years of Mitch Daniels, there are a lot of big problems facing Indiana. From the declining economy to the selling off of state assets, we need to take our state in a different direction.
“I believe that the most important issue facing our state is the consistent loss of good-paying jobs and having them either not be replaced or be replaced with jobs with lower wages and no benefits.
“By reforming our tax structure, changing health care and improving our schools we can make great strides in keeping businesses here, helping them grow and expand and make Indiana a more attractive place for new businesses to locate. Indiana really can be the envy of the Midwest and the rest of the country when it comes to high-paying jobs, good schools, affordable and accessible health care and quality of life.
“We simply cannot afford another four years of the Daniels Administration allowing good jobs to leave our state because the tax, health care and education policy is keeping us from reaching our full potential.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to the state if you are elected governor?
“Unlike my opponents in this race, I understand that there is a lot more to this state than the city of Indianapolis. I grew up on a farm in rural Whitley County and currently live with my husband on our farm in Marshall County and I know what many parts of our state are going through.
“Our small-l and middle-sized counties and communities are struggling and I know people are hurting. As jobs leave our communities, they leave behind families who struggle to pay for health care and mortgages, schools face critical funding shortages, local governments face huge deficits and communities try to cope with high unemployment.
“This is a critical time for our state and Indiana needs a Governor who will tackle the problems facing each and every one of our 92 counties. We need to do more to keep and attract jobs in counties and communities in every corner of our state. I know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work because we're a very diverse state, but there are common-sense policy reforms we can enact to help every community turn the corner towards a better future.”
4) What do you think should be the state government’s role and responsibility in dealing with illegal immigration?
“As Governor, I will ensure that state and local agencies have the resources they need fully enforce each and every law that's on the books in the state of Indiana. The illegal immigration problem is, unfortunately, a federal issue and won't be fully addressed until the folks in Washington choose to truly tackle it.”
5) What are your opinions of the recommendations made by the Kernan-Shepherd Commission’s report?
“I commend the Commission for articulating such a thoughtful and detailed proposal. The changes recommended in the report, especially the idea of a County Executive, deserve serious consideration.
“However, calling for a change to our state's Constitution is no small matter. I believe we need to seek significant input from the public, including taxpayers in small and medium-size counties, before instituting dramatic changes.
“I agree modernization and stream-lining of our local governments can save taxpayer dollars and improve quality of service. However, I would caution against a one-size-fits-all approach. The needs and abilities of our smaller counties can and are much different than our larger ones. We should be judicious and thoughtful when considering changes of this magnitude.
“I also call for caution when it comes to mandatory school consolidation in Indiana. For many counties and school corporations, the move to district sizes of at least 2,000 students will create many difficulties and significant costs up front to meet larger district sizes. Schools already account for over 50 percent of the local budgets — increasing that burden by creating huge, new infrastructure and transportation needs could create more problems than solve them.”
6) Do you consider yourself a progressive? how would you define progress? what gets left behind in your vision of progress?
“I believe that progress for Indiana doesn't leave anyone behind, but instead lifts up all of our counties and communities. I believe that, under the current Governor, we are not seeing any progress and too many of our smaller and medium sized communities are currently being left behind.”
“By reforming the tax structure, health care and education so that we can get our economy moving again, we can achieve real progress for our state and leave no one and no community behind.
“Indiana really can be the envy of the Midwest and the rest of the country when it comes to high-paying jobs, good schools, affordable and accessible health care and quality of life.”
Jim Schellinger
• POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
• AGE: 47
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: “Jim put himself through Notre Dame working the second shift at Capital Tool & Die in South Bend, Indiana. He earned his architectural degree and went on to work as an architect for CSO Architects.”
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “Jim landed his first job at CSO Architects in Indianapolis. Within a decade, he had worked his way up to become President and CEO of the company. CSO now employs more than 100 Hoosiers and was named one of The Indianapolis Star’s Top Five companies to work for.”
• FAMILY NOTES: “Jim grew up the six of eight kids in one of South Bend’s working class families. After graduating from Notre Dame and earning a job at CSO Architects, Jim met his wife Laura. They now live in Indianapolis with three sons, Nick, John and Zack.
1) Why are you running for this office?
“I’m running for Governor because Indiana can and should be doing better, and we deserve better leadership in our state. Governor Daniels’ failed stewardship is what has held us back in our state, and it’s time for Indiana’s working families to get the leadership they deserve. I’m running to help grow and preserve our middle class by strengthening education, solving this tax crisis, providing affordable and quality health care, and, most importantly, creating and maintaining jobs in our state. I have a plan to move all of Indiana forward beginning on day one, and I will always work hard to ensure every Hoosier has the opportunity for a better life.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“Our state is facing a number of challenges today, and we must have a Governor who will build consensus and present actionable solutions to solve those challenges. That’s why I’ve proposed my ‘Pick Up Indiana Jobs Plan’ to help maintain and create new jobs in our state through three areas: increasing workforce skills, education, and training; working with small businesses that are moving Indiana forward; and promoting sustainable economic development by creating green collar jobs. As the only candidate for Governor who has built a small business, I know our state needs leadership that will act now to pick up Indiana’s families and help grow our economy. It’s important to note though that everything is connected to everything. That’s why I placed an emphasis on education in my jobs plan because the answer to a truly successful economy is an investment in Indiana’s schools. In order to truly move Indiana forward, we must place an equal emphasis on providing affordable health care to Hoosiers, solving our tax crisis once and for all, strengthening education and creating a world-class economy. I invite every Hoosier to read and comment on the plan at www.pickupindiana.com.“
3) What unique contribution will you make to the state if you are elected governor?
“I bring a unique perspective to this race as the only candidate who has built and grown a small business based on the principles of listening and building consensus. Not only do I have the experience as a businessman our state needs to grow our economy, I have the consensus-building approach to unite our state and move all of Indiana forward. This current governor has failed to listen to the people of our great state and has carried our state in the wrong direction. But I bring an entirely different approach that focuses on listening to people and bringing people together.”
4) What do you think should be the state government’s role and responsibility in dealing with illegal immigration?
“First and foremost, it is important to point out this is a failure of the federal government. Our state law enforcement is already overburdened without adding the responsibilities the federal government failed to fulfill. At the same time, we have to approach the issue of illegal immigration and undocumented workers with an approach that is tough, fair and practical.”
5) What are your opinions of the recommendations made by the Kernan-Shepherd Commission’s report?
“It is important to note that a number of the Kernan-Shepherd recommendations are much-needed changes and provide a great starting point for where we need to go as a state. Unfortunately, that work has remained unchanged since Governor Daniels has not taken the initiative to make any of those recommendations a reality in our state. Until our state reforms both state and local government, we will not provide the meaningful tax relief Hoosiers need to see.””
6) Do you consider yourself a progressive? how would you define progress? what gets left behind in your vision of progress?
“First and foremost, it is important to point out this is a failure of the federal government. Our state law enforcement is already overburdened without adding the responsibilities the federal government failed to fulfill. At the same time, we have to approach the issue of illegal immigration and undocumented workers with an approach that is tough, fair and practical. It isn’t right for businesses to knowingly hire illegal aliens and depress wages for all Hoosiers. At the same time I understand that it can sometimes be difficult to determine the status of a worker, a responsibility that the federal government had abdicated. As Governor Jim will look to hold companies accountable that break the law in order by hiring illegal aliens.“
