Last week, the LWVMC column provided a round-up of December 13’s legislative breakfast, with comments from Kelly Taylor, Ethan Hollander, Scott Feller, Jamie Peters, her dad Doug, high school student Travis Fulton, Dan Guard, Beth Lindsay, Kate Lindsay, Tippy Marten and TJ Warren, among others. The hottest issue was the closure of three early child learning centers, the loss of 200 seats, the waitlists for CCDF vouchers—the loss of all this infrastructure—along with the legislature’s passage of a flawed SEA 1.
Standing out among the comments directed at Senator Spencer Deery (R-23), Senator Brian Buchanan (R-7), Representative Jeff Thompson (R-88) and Representative Matthew Common (R-18) was Mayor Todd Barton’s. Speaking for a brief five or so minutes, he defended the concerns of the local community and received a standing ovation. It’s worthwhile sharing with the community at large.
Barton began by noting that he's served our community for four decades, in public safety and now in a fourth term as mayor, and as a leader, there are things that he thought needed to be said.
“Our representatives are elected by the people of this and neighboring communities to represent us in the Indiana General Assembly.”
He challenged the legislators to "Represent the communities and people who make up those communities. You weren't elected to represent a party caucus, an ideology, or a special interest lobby," which they seemed to have forgotten.
He pointed out that he serves on state legislative committees and sees what happens up close all the time. He called them out, saying they were elected to be independent thinkers and to evaluate matters before the legislature on their own. Going along with the party line and how they've been directed to vote by the party caucus. He said that if their votes are in sync with the party line every time, there's something terribly wrong, and they should take a long look in the mirror.
He acknowledged that "a couple of you recently voted on your own and not in line with party demands" and commended them, calling for more willingness to do that.
Then, Bartong noted that he thought all four of them voted yes on SEA 1, though he invited them to correct him if wrong. Deery said later he voted against the bill.
Barton continued saying they passed a bill that didn't create much residential property tax relief, but did include significant cuts for corporations by changing the business personal property tax structure. As he told the LWVMC a few weeks ago, this spells disaster for local governments and schools. He said that those who voted yes “marched right along in groupthink fashion,” along with what a few at the top want.
[Previously, one citizen asked why the statehouse passed a bill they knew was flawed. In response, Buchanan and Thompson said that's why they postponed full implementation. They'd realize they missed some key details and would learn as they went.]
Mayor Barton spoke to this: "In response to the common reply that we will work on this—that we know it's not right, but we'll fix it later—let me say that's a terrible way to govern." If Barton led that way, he said, he'd expect citizens to "fire me tomorrow."
Barton said he keeps hearing hollow promises "just like those we've heard at these breakfasts time and time again from members of the Indiana General Assembly." And, in spite of those, "we have a true mess on our hands."
He quoted Representative Thompson at the last legislative breakfast on Saturday, April 12: "This is merely a decrease to the increase. It isn't a decrease in funding to local governments. It will only decrease the amount by which they increase their revenue. Local governments will still receive more tax revenue than they currently do."
Barton told the legislators that two independent financial firms staffed with CPAs and legal advisors have run the numbers for our city. He noted that these were competing agencies that agreed on the numbers. By 2028, the city of Crawfordsville will receive $2.3 million less in property taxes than in 2025. Additionally, the city will receive $3.4 million less in local income tax than it did this year, for a total of $5.7 million less in revenue from 2025 to 2028. Adding some new income taxes and without other detriments, "the best we can do is lose $2.5 million."
This is not a decrease to the increase, Barton reiterated. "That's a decrease, period, no matter how you slice it."
He said that arguing numbers (and Thompson did go straight into the weeds on numbers from the beginning of the breakfast to the end) "with smoke and mirror responses," but the answers don't stand up.
"I know where the advisors I'm listening to received their accounting degrees, and I'm going to believe their numbers all day, every day, over the canned talking points that I get out of the Indiana General Assembly,” said Barton.
After the passage of SEA 1, Barton messaged each of the legislators asking for suggestions on what should be cut from local budgets since funding would be slashed. Should we stop paving streets? Stop funding parks? What about public safety? How many police officers should be let go? How many firefighters or paramedics should be cut?
He said that in the 7-8 months since, no one has replied. He'd told them that Indiana was now well-positioned in the race for the bottom. "Sadly, that is what is coming to fruition thanks to the poor leadership of the Braun administration and your decisions to blindly follow its lackluster lead." He noted the lack of independent thinking.
Economic development drives everything that happens in our communities, Barton continued, and Indiana has dropped in our economic development status. He gave some evidence:
In 2024, site selectors, the people who place projects, ranked Indiana as the 5th-best state in which to locate and do business. Now Indiana ranks 12th, right behind Mississippi. In other categories, we no longer show up; particularly the Cooperative State Government, where we dropped from fourth in the nation to not ranked.
Then Barton referenced the topic that came up over and over: the childcare and early learning "debacle," which he called embarrassing, pointing out that we've worked hard to address this issue. The community had been succeeding until it was "washed away by political stunts."
Everyone -- from Kelly Taylor (MCCF), Scott Feller (President of Wabash College), Jamie Peters (mother and member of the workforce) and Beth Lindsay (board member of the now shuttered Hand-in-Hand Childcare)-- called quality early learning and childcare an infrastructure issue that allows Hoosier families to work each day. Barton pointed out that these families need childcare that is high-quality and safe. The state of Indiana has exceeded revenue projections for eleven out of twelve months this year, said Barton. Cutting CCDF vouchers, trainings, and subsidies "aren't driven by fiscal pressure, instead by "a perverse political agenda" where working families are at the bottom of consideration.
He put the legislators on watch, saying this has been played out before, and the people know what is happening. Then he pointed out that all this happened while the Indiana General Assembly was debating congressional redistricting that Hoosiers indicated they didn’t want—"No matter what poll you look at."
“I'm a Republican,” he said. "This is not reflective of the ideals and principles on which our party was founded."
“I'm a Republican, but I must consider all views and make decisions based on facts and data, not rhetoric or talking points.”
“I'm a Republican, and I'm embarrassed by the supermajority of the Indiana General Assembly and the Braun administration.”
Barton takes serving our community "very seriously” and has dedicated his life to it. "No one should run for office to simply impose their personal beliefs on others," he said. Elected officials are obligated to listen to those they represent." They might not make everyone happy, but they can discern what the majority wants and “know what is right and what is not.’
Barton wrapped by saying people are paying more attention than before and that these legislators will soon be seeking re-election.
"I hope you take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourselves with total honesty who you've been representing." He asked them to look at their voting record, the bills they've introduced, and be honest with themselves. Who have they been representing? They'll need the answer to that question when they ask us all to hire them to represent us again in the next election.