> SOUTHERN INDIANA — Leadership SI requests debate in Southern Indiana



On Aug. 20, Leadership Southern Indiana signed a letter with both Indiana University Southeast and One Southern Indiana inviting the Indiana 9th Congressional District candidates to consider participating in a moderated debate Oct. 15 at the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center on the IU Southeast campus in New Albany. The candidates invited to this event are Congressman Baron Hill, Democrat; Todd Young, Republican; and Greg Knot, Libertarian.

As one of Southern Indiana's premier nonpartisan leadership organizations, our board felt it was important that all Floyd and Clark residents as well as the rest of the district's Southern Indiana counties in the Louisville media market deserved to hear for themselves our Congressional candidates, addressing the concerns of all our citizens prior to the November election. With no debate currently planned for our area, we respectfully want to encourage the candidates to accept our invitation to participate in this jointly sponsored event.

The proposed event is tentatively set to be a modified debate format in which each candidate will be furnished with a selection of questions that will be asked on that night via pre-recorded video of local citizens by area newspapers and student news organizations. The event organizers will also ask each of the campaign teams to submit five additional questions to be posed to all candidates. Of these, two will be selected for use by an impartial panel at the debate.

As of this date, the only communications received so far has been from the Knot campaign of their interest to participate in the event. It is hoped that the two other candidates will be responding positively to our group's offer by sending campaign representatives to meet with the organizing event committee as soon as possible to solidify the plans for the debate. I look forward to their calls.

— Mark Eddy, Executive Director of Leadership Southern Indiana



Reader condemns political fliers



In recent days, three multi-colored fliers have been delivered by the post office that castigate Shane Gibson, claiming he misused his duty when serving as deputy prosecutor. The cases mentioned in the flier refer to his role in cases involving plea bargaining.

What is omitted is why plea bargains are used. The main reasons are: 1) the evidence against the accused may be weak; 2) there is no certainty as to what a jury may decide; 3) there is a long backlog in many courts and plea bargains are a major mechanism to reduce that backlog; 4) if the plea bargaining option were not available, many more prison cells would have to be built and staffed, which would mean higher taxes for us.

Beyond those factors, it is a judge that makes the final decision on a plea bargain, not a deputy prosecutor.

The fliers were sent by the “HRCC” or the House (Indiana Legislature) Republican Campaign Committee. These fliers are disgraceful and should be condemned by everyone.

— Thomas P. Wolf, New Albany