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INDIANAPOLIS – The candidates for lieutenant governor squared off in a debate Wednesday at the Indiana State Fair – a tradition that focused on agriculture and rural Indiana.
The turnout at the Indiana Farm Bureau building was great, with hundreds sitting and standing around the edges of the room.
Indiana’s lieutenant governor has traditionally overseen state efforts on agriculture and rural affairs.
Rep. Dennie Oxley, D-English, won the coin toss and delivered his opening statement first, touting his qualifications as well as those of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jill Long Thompson.
“Jill and I firmly believe that every county, every community and every citizen of Indiana matters,” he said. “How long has it been since you felt like you had a seat at the table and a voice in the discussion?”
But Republican Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman wasted no time talking about the change she and Gov. Mitch Daniels brought to state government.
“Change makes a great sound bite,” she said. “But if you are looking for real, positive meaningful change for Indiana, you don’t need to look any further than Gov. Daniels and myself. In 2004, we said we were people of change and we meant it. In 2004, we said what we would do, and we did it.”
A panel lobbed 12 questions at the candidates. But there was no rebuttal, which limited swipes between Skillman and Oxley.
One question was about the growth of large confined-feeding operations for dairy cows and why the Indiana State Department of Agriculture doesn’t have a strategic plan to foster the growth while safeguarding environmental concerns.
Skillman said she talks to a lot of local officials about the issue and noted the state needs to make sure its regulatory structure can keep up with the growth. As far as a plan, she said a task force was appointed last year, and she expects recommendations this year.
Oxley said he wants production to increase but only in a responsible manner.
“Livestock operations are fundamental to Indiana’s economy,” he said, noting a few bad actors have caused some of the negative attention. “We support these operations, but they must be done responsibly.”
The long-debated issue of property taxes arose as farmers around the state receive bills that reflect an increase in how their land is valued according to an established formula.
Skillman said while homeowners were the focus of tax relief this year, part of the plan will remove entire programs from property taxes, which should help all taxpayers.
“I’m beginning to talk to a lot of farmers now that statements are going out and they do feel like they are unduly burdened,” she said. “Maybe we can do something.”
Oxley mentioned a bill that House Democrats pushed in 2007 to reduce property taxes that included a provision to keep the value of farmland the same. But he said the Republican administration did not support it.
He also used that question to point out that Skillman, when she was a legislator, voted for several budgets that helped cause the massive structural deficit in state government that she referenced fixing twice in her remarks.
And she noted that before she and Daniels took over, Indiana was only one of a handful of states without a specific agriculture department.
nkelly@jg.net
