From: Richard Gold
Columbus
The race for our future is well underway.
To keep our economic flywheel spinning, we need to attract and retain a capable workforce. This will sustain our tax base, our quality of life, our community, region, and state. Make no mistake, we are in a fierce competition to attract the next generation of employees, thinkers and leaders to our town and region. This is about our home values and all the amenities we enjoy. There is no bigger economic lever.
A vote for Dale Nowlin is another step toward winning that competition.
Dale is a dedicated community leader in education, in the downtown and in his church. His credentials in K-12 and higher education are undeniable and impressive. He’s nurtured a lot of our young minds over the last 40 years.
More importantly, he is committed to making public schools the best they can be and he has the knowledge and expertise to do that. He is not about eroding our public school system, but improving a platform that is good and has more to deliver — a system available to every single student regardless of background or income. Dale knows the single biggest investment we can make is in education. It drives our economy and it is the strongest tool to curb the opioid crisis.
Dale’s focus is also on school safety. He knows this has to be a locally grown and delivered response. It isn’t about arming more people. It’s about a data-driven decision by local folks who understand our facilities and our kids. It’s life and death.
Dale knows we also need to attract the next generation of families here.
A simple way to say “welcome here” is to enact hate crime legislation — legislation Governor Holcomb advocates despite the warnings from the likes of Micah Clark and others who quarterbacked the RFRA debacle of several years ago, which embarrassed Indiana nationally, cost our region millions in lost revenue and public relations repair.
It’s a statement that we value all people and as a state will not tolerate those who commit crimes based on religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and veteran status. Dale’s opponent opposes hate crime legislation. Why? There is no downside. Who is guiding his thinking?
We don’t know all the issues that will come before the next District 59 representative. But we do know we want someone who listens more than he talks, who is open to other viewpoints, who understands the data and makes decisions in the best interests of all of us. Dale is that person.
Locally, we have lived through a mayoral administration where someone was sure she had the right answer when she entered the room. It was a challenging and divisive time for our city. Dale’s opponent is the former mayor’s campaign leader.
A vote for Dale is a vote for a better future for our region. It’s about working together to build a stronger economy, a stronger city, a stronger region, a better state.
