A trio of Indiana lieutenant governor nominees promised to champion farmers and rural residents — albeit through different means — during a Tuesday agriculture-themed debate.
Republican pastor Micah Beckwith, Democrat and former rural development officer Terry Goodin and Libertarian real estate broker Tonya Hudson took on water policy, property tax relief and more before a crowded room of Hoosiers.
Danville-based agricultural advocacy group Agriinstitute hosted the debate, which took place at the Indiana State Fair. Inside INdiana Business host Gerry Dick moderated.
Water policy took center stage.
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The Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s (IEDC) plan to pump 100 million gallons of water daily from Tippecanoe County to a massive planned industrial park in Boone County has sparked sustained backlash.
Asked how they’d balance agricultural water needs with economic development, the candidates took different tacks.
Democrat lieutenant governor candidate Terry Goodin speaks on the debate stage on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Beckwith called the turmoil a “transparency issue” stemming from the IEDC, which he dubbed a “shadow government.”
He said the Republican ticket would involve locals in the water debate, but indicated an interest in the project.
“But I think we’ve got the resources,” Beckwith said. “It’s more just: how are we going to get those resources into the right place?”
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Goodin said that although oil has motivated many past wars, he believes the next wars will be fought over water.
He called for development of a detailed water policy.
“Indiana needs to get together. We need to put together a policy of all those folks who are impacted by the use of water, and make sure that we put the right process together moving forward,” Goodin said.
Indiana has few restrictions on large water withdrawals. Several water policy proposals motivated by the IEDC’s plan died in the most recent legislative session, even those with GOP authors.
Hudson, meanwhile, emphasized “balance” but said she’d “work with” lawmakers on clean water and air.
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“Water shouldn’t have to be a commodity, because it’s a necessary thing we all (need) in our lives,” she said.
Easing the property tax burden
Candidates also fielded questions on property taxes, with a journalist on the panel asking questions noting that farming simply require more land than others professions.
Libertarian lieutenant governor candidate Tonya Hudson speaks on the debate stage on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana uses recent sales to assess most property types, but farmland is different.
The Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) instead determines a “base rate,” a rolling average with six years of capitalized net cash rent and net operating income. DLGF drops the highest value of the six and averages the remaining five years.
“Farmers have seen an increase from last year to this year: (a) 26.2% increase in property taxes. That’s insane,” Beckwith said. “That’s absolutely out of control. And farmers need the relief.”
He and running mate Mike Braun, he said, would deliver.
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The duo released a proposal last month that would increase the state’s homeowner deduction and cap property tax bill increases to just 3%.
“Ultimately, though, it’s the Legislature’s job to fix it,” Beckwith added. “What Mike Braun has done with casting vision — he’s given the legislature cover, finally, to fix this issue.”
Hudson went further.
Her ticket’s plan would abolish the property tax altogether.
“You should not be paying property taxes on a home that you already own,” Hudson said.
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“We have this mafia-style tactic where, through a Sheriff’s sale or whatever, if you can’t pay your property taxes, you get kicked out of the home that you own. We should not be doing that.”
Running mate Donald Rainwater’s plan would replace the property tax with a 7% sales tax on home purchases. Hoosiers could pay it upfront or over seven years.
Goodin, however, accused his opponents of cutting funding for police and other emergency services.
“It’s very simple. If you want to have good quality services you have to pay for them,” he said.
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He and running mate Jennifer McCormick have yet to release a property tax plan. But he asserted that his party’s approach would push the state to “grow” rather than “cut” its way out of the “property tax crisis.” And he said state government should replace lost property tax revenue if needed.
“We’ve got to repair the property tax system,” Goodin said. “We’ve got to put … all those taxes together, we come out (and) we figure out what is the most important priorities that we have in the state of Indiana.”
The role sought
Indiana’s lieutenant governor is first in line to lead the state if a sitting governor can’t fulfill the top spot’s duties. The lieutenant governor also presides over the Senate, and casts tie-breaking votes.
Indiana Code also gives the officeholder 26 additional roles, according to the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association. That includes overseeing the State Department of Agriculture, the Office of Community & Rural Affairs and more.
The lieutenant governor separately chairs the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable, the Intellectual and Development Disabilities Task Force, and the Civics Education Commission.
The Indiana Pacers are a team to watch as a seller in the upcoming trade deadline.
Before Feb. 5, the Pacers should be expected to move at least one player and possibly more. Some members of the Indiana Pacers On SI staff pondered which player would be the likeliest to be traded.
Ethan J. Skolnick
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Indiana has only two players earning more than $20 million, and one won’t be moved under any circumstances (Tyrese Haliburton) and another (Pascal Siakam) is likely staying unless Indiana is blown away. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith seem to be parts of the future.
So the most likely candidates would seem to be Obi Tobbin (a pending free agent making $14 million) and TJ McConnell (on an extension paying him $11 million). As valuable as McConnell has been for the Pacers, he still could have value to one of this season’s contenders, so we will go with him as an option to land a future pick and younger option.
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Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Jeremy Brener
The Pacers are in a unique position in their gap year with Tyrese Haliburton out with a torn Achilles. The team is absolutely plummeted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, making them a seller at this year’s trade deadline. However, there’s no clear cut answer as to who they could part ways with because they are trying to contend next season.
Most of the roster is either injured or too valuable to trade at this moment in time. If there’s anyone that doesn’t fit either bill, it could be third-year forward Jarace Walker. If the team is not pleased with Walker’s progress before February, the Pacers may look to move him if there is a decent trade offer between now and then.
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Tony Mejia
Indiana’s largest financial commitments are tied to injured point guard Tyrese Haliburton and versatile forward Pascal Siakam, so I wouldn’t expect too big a splash.
If the Pacers are looking to trim salary or change things up on the heels of their first Finals appearance in a quarter-century with Haliburton sidelined, the two most likely players they can move are wing Bennedict Mathurin and backup guard T.J. McConnell.
Mathurin’s rookie deal is coming to an end, while McConnell’s savvy and playoff experience could make him attractive to contenders looking to add a proven commodity who can add a spark off the bench.
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Alabama football completed Step 1. The Crimson Tide beat Oklahoma 34-24 on Friday, earning its first College Football Playoff victory.
With the first round completed, UA has a tougher test ahead. No. 1 Indiana awaits in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. As Alabama celebrates its victory and begins to prepare, here’s what to know about the 13-0 Hoosiers.
The coach
To say that Curt Cignetti has done a good job at Indiana is perhaps college football’s largest understatement. Cignetti, who took over last season, has turned the Big Ten’s ultimate doormat into the nation’s top team.
Cignetti joined up from James Madison before the 2024 season. He immediately took a program that had grown stale under Tom Allen to the CFP, then turned around and did even better this year.
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“I just know that winning lifts all boats,” Cignetti said after the playoff field was announced. “In terms of fan support in the stadium, donations, all parts of the university, downtown when you pack the stadium, bring a lot of people to Bloomington, it helps their sales. A lot of pride in Hoosier Nation. The largest alumni base in America, over 800,000 people. I’d say right now the arrow is pointing up. We probably got a lot of momentum going in those kind of areas.”
Cignetti has a connection to Alabama as well. He worked as the Crimson Tide’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator under Nick Saban from 2007 through 2011, helping set the groundwork for Saban’s dynasty in Tuscaloosa.
In addition to Indiana in James Madison, he was a head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Elon after leaving the Tide.
The quarterback
For the first time in program history, Indiana has a Heisman Trophy winner. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza beat out a group of finalists that included Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.
Mendoza has thrown for 2,980 yards this season, with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has completed 226 of his 316 passes so far.
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“Our focus right now is winning the College Football Playoff,” Mendoza told reporters Monday in Bloomington. “That’s what would make this trophy so much sweeter. I believe this trophy is a little bit of a push of confidence on us, on the team, that we’re making history for the IU team in history to be 13-0 and also to bring home a Heisman Trophy to Bloomington.”
The junior, who hails from Florida, transferred into Indiana from Cal this year. He spent two seasons in Berkeley before joining the Hoosiers.
The season
Indiana was the losingest program in the Football Bowl Subdivision entering this season. Some predicted it would be a step back for the Hoosiers, who lost several key players from last season’s playoff team.
Instead, IU won its first Big Ten title since 1967. It enters the CFP undefeated.
“I think that if we hooked everybody up in this room on a lie detector test and told them, hey, do you think Fernando Mendoza is going to win the Heisman this year and we’re going to be 13-0, Big Ten champs, the team has a lot of self-belief and unwavering belief, but I think it’s tough to make those predictions,” Mendoza said Monday.
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To cap off the season, Indiana, which had faced criticism for its strength of schedule throughout the year, pulled off a huge upset in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers beat then No. 1 Ohio State, earning the top seed in the CFP and a spot in the Rose Bowl.
Months after being named the 2024 Indiana Thoroughbred Owner’s and Breeder’s Association’s Horse of the Year for 2024, multiple stakes winner Demolisher was euthanized after a bout with laminitis.
“We went from the highest highs as Indiana Horse of the Year to the lowest low ever when we had to say goodbye,” said Resia Ayres, who bred and raced Demolisher with husband Ken.
Unraced at 2, Demolisher proved worth the wait as he won the first five starts of his career in 2024, topped by stakes wins in the Governor’s Handicap and the To Much Coffee Handicap. All five of those wins came at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He closed out the season with an unplaced start in the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.
In March the son of Dominus was honored as ITOBA’s top Indiana-bred 3-year-old male and its Horse of the Year.
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“It’s about as high as we ever expected to have any of our horses,” Ken Ayres said at the time. “It’s hard to put words to it. Obviously, we’re super excited about it.”
