Lt. Governor Beckwith conducts spirited discussion at local town hall meeting

Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith says he enjoys an open house town hall to address issues being discussed at the Statehouse.

The new Indiana Lt. Governor has no fear of a good old town hall meeting.

Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith says he enjoys an open house town hall to address issues being discussed at the Statehouse.

“I think first and foremost I work for the people. Whether I agree or they agree with me or there is divisiveness, I think it’s important for elected officials to have the backbone to get out and talk to the people and listen to the people,” said Beckwith in an exclusive interview with the Shelby County Post. “I may not agree with them, but I also like iron sharpening iron – that’s what the bible tell us.

“This idea that somebody’s ideas are going to challenge my ideas which makes me have to know what I know and know why I know it. If I don’t know what I believe and can’t defend it, I have no business being in government and representing the people.”

Beckwith did not hold back on answering any topic. He spoke to Post reporter Jeff Brown after a recent town hall.

Beckwith’s campaign was built on creating a “more conservative state” which includes limiting government influence. Now that he is elected, he still wants to travel the state to talk about the pros and cons of any issue deemed relevant.

“It tells me that we have some real serious issues that they are concerned about like what are we going to do with local funding. Right now, the big conversation is property taxes and tax cuts and government cuts. Anytime that happens there are always unintended consequences. How can we still maintain a government that functions well for the people while at the same time bringing a little bit of DOGE (President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency) mentality to Indiana as well.”

 Here are some of Beckwith’s comments to questions from those in attendance:

• On cutting property taxes and how it would affect school system budgets: “We are not going to let local communities be without. We are in the second quarter of a four-quarter game. Governor Braun’s plan was the first plan that was out. … There will be a lot of horse trading back and forth between the House (of Representatives), the Senate and the governor. … What governor Braun has done is shooting for the stars so that we get the moon. We are not going to not have money for schools or not have money for fire or police. That is not true at all. We are absolutely going to make sure there is money for everything that needs to happen. I will say this, schools, particularly in some of the donut counties, have been terrible stewards of the money they have been given. We see property taxes going through the roofs and they spend $14 million on things like tennis courts. They are spending millions of dollars on Olympic class weight rooms, which are awesome, but only a very small portion of the community uses it. All the while, property taxes continue to rise.”
• On state government dictating policies to county government: “I am always going to error on the side of local control. … I think it’s healthy when the city pushes back against the county, and the county pushes back against the state, and when the state pushes back against the fed. There is no greater joy that I have as a state official when I can tell the federal government to go pound sand. It’s amazing. You also have to do that to the state because if not the state will come in and steamroll you, take away all your authority, say we know better than you. I think you need to push back on that.”
• How do you represent all Hoosiers when some lifestyles clash with your faith and beliefs: “Everybody is made in God’s image is what I believe. … I don’t care if you are black, white, brown, gay, straight, however you identify, Christian or non-Christian, you have immense worth because God sees you as this awesome thing that he has created. I, first, go into every situation that way. While I do represent every Hoosier, that doesn’t mean I have to take on every Hoosiers’ ideology because how do I do that? We are seven million people who have differing … no one person is the same. I told you what I believe when I ran. … For four years what I will do is honor and be true to my word what I said I was going to do and how I came to those conclusions. Four years from now, that’s the test. You say I like it and can vote for me again or say I don’t like it and you don’t have to vote for me again. To say I have to somehow represent all Hoosiers means I have to do what all Hoosiers want me to -- that’s impossible.”
• Being paid a six-figure salary as a public servant: “Every one of the secretaries you are referring to are not getting paid until they find that much (money) to cut first. That is what Braun told them. The way it was structured beforehand, you could not organize and lead an efficient system with no leadership. What governor Braun did, he said I have no generals. You can’t win a war if you don’t have any generals. It was all directors coming to governor Holcomb and saying do this or don’t do this. He had 32 agencies doing that. You can’t lead that way. So what governor Braun has done is brought in actual good principles of leadership. ... That is why it’s working so well already. They are cutting. They are finding places to cut. They are finding inefficiencies. They are finding two or three people doing the exact same job in government. … Yes, it’s a big pay. $250,000 is a huge paycheck. I have never made that much money in my life. But, he said find it in your budget to justify your salary so we are not spending more, and they are finding more ways to serve you better.”
• On protecting crucial supports and services for people truly in need, especially those with developmental disabilities: “I am working with ARC to make sure there is proper funding and these budget cuts don’t take away their abilities to care for their loved ones who have severe special needs. … With the Department of Education, I think it would be better served to get the money and hand it to the states. When it comes to Medicaid funding, let’s see what happens. Again, shoot for the stars and hit the moon. Trump is doing the same thing. Braun is doing the same thing. I think they are saying we are way out of control and slammed on the brakes. It doesn’t mean we are not going to spend. We just need to see what is really going on because we are hemorrhaging everywhere.”
• On the state continuing to increase the amount of money for vouchers for private schools: “I am all for parental choice when it comes to their children’s education. Making sure whatever money your kids get to go to a public school, if a public school is paying this amount per kid, and a parent wants to take their kid somewhere else, I think it’s fair that that money goes with the child and the family. … We are looking to increase (the vouchers) to universal so it doesn’t matter what you make. If it’s your tax dollars and you want to send your kid to a different school you should be able to do that. It’s not fair to say your tax dollars are going to go to that school (left) when you receive no benefit from that school.”
• On legalization of medical marijuana: “I am not for it, personally. … (In Michigan) it has increased every negative impact on society you can imagine. They have seen more DUIs. Kids are moving to the next drug, not just marijuana in schools. My brother-in-law is a state trooper (in Michigan) and it’s made things much worse. … I’ve seen the negative effects on society and it doesn’t increase the revenue. Michigan sold it to its residents that they will build new schools. They haven’t built one new school since they legalized marijuana. Colorado is trying to walk it back a little bit now. They are starting to see it’s more of a problem than they realized. They are trying to push the genie back in the bottle. That is where I stand and I know that’s not consistent amongst the Republican party.”
• On mandating local school board members running with a political label: “I am for that bill. I think it’s a good thing because it brings more transparency to voters. Most people have a very hard time finding out anything about people running for school boards. I have dealt with this around multiple counties in the state where people say how do I get information on school board members. … I just see this as more transparency. You don’t have to say ‘R’ or ‘D,’ just put an ‘I’ next to your name. … I don’t think it hurts. I just think it creates more transparency about the person running.”