A local candidate who lost a primary bid in a run for the Indiana House District 59 seat is now running for Indiana Senate.
Cynthia “Cinde” Wirth, 50, was chosen by a party caucus June 27 to fill a vacant Democratic ballot position for State Senate District 44, currently held by State Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford.
The district contains parts of five townships in Bartholomew County, and Wirth’s near downtown residence on Fourth Street is within that district, Bartholomew County Elections supervisor Shari Lentz said. It also includes three townships in southern Monroe County, a large section of western Jackson County, and essentially all of Lawrence and Brown counties, Wirth said.
During the June 2 primary, retired educator Dale Nowlin defeated Wirth to win the Democratic nomination for Indiana House of Representatives District 59. He is challenging incumbent State Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, in November.
Wirth lost to Nowlin by less than 500 votes, according to state records. Due largely to a good regional showing at the polls, it was only four days after the primary that Democratic party leaders were asking Wirth to consider challenging Koch, she said.
When asked what she felt were the most important issues, Wirth said they are the same as when she was running for the Indiana House.
One of the top concerns expressed is that the GOP has maintained a supermajority for more than eight years in both the Indiana Senate and the Indiana House of Representatives. That means Republicans in both chambers have a quorum to conduct business — even if no Democrats are in attendance.
Like many members of her power, Wirth said she believes that supermajority status gives statehouse Republicans unlimited and unchecked power.
While she has never held a political office, Wirth says she has written legislation at the federal level. The Columbus native was one of 14 American teachers to be selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator, which allowed her to serve almost a year in Washington D.C. to work on congressional legislation concerning science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
The former high school biology and environmental science teacher also criticized the Indiana General Assembly for refusing to provide sufficient incentives to move away from fossil fuels and toward alternative energy sources, which she says would help create a clean, healthy environment.
Wirth also maintains that changes made to funding formulas by the state Legislature have shortchanged public schools. She is urging lawmakers in Indianapolis to address the pay issue for educators during the 2021 budget year with strong representation by the teachers.
Other issues supported by Wirth include a living wage (a minimum of $10.70 an hour in Indiana), as well as affordable health care.
“We’ve lost sight of the fact that the job of health care is to make everybody’s lives better,” Wirth said earlier this year. “The days of using health care for lining peoples’ pocketbooks need to end.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Cynthia "Cinde" Wirth ” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Party: Democrat
Age: 50
Previous offices sought: Democratic nomination for Indiana House of Representatives District 59
Occupations: Teacher, scientist and business owner. Formerly taught biology and environmental science at Columbus Signature Academy – New Tech High School. Also served as an assistant instructor at Indiana University, where she taught underwater diving, research, mapping and exploration courses. A statement filed with the Indiana General Assembly states Wirth and her husband own financial interest in both Gross Self Storage and Wirth Investments.
Education: Columbus North High School in 1987; bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville in biology and Spanish in 1992; master’s degree from Indiana University in anthropology and archaeology in 2009. Currently pursuing a doctorate in educational policy and STEM education at Ball State University.
Professional honors and associations: Served two years as as a distinguished educator legislative fellow to the U.S. House of Representatives; 2013 BCSC Mindy Lewis Above and Beyond Diversity Award. Received two National New Tech Network Project teaching honors and three Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation innovative grants. Founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council.
Community involvement: 1999 graduate of Leadership Bartholomew County; Columbus Service League; former vice president of the Downtown Merchants Association; board member of Historic Columbus Development and the Bartholomew County Historical Society: Friends of the Commons, Uncommon Cause, and Columbus Comprehensive Plan board member.
Family: Husband, Trent. Two adult children.
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