Five Republicans are hoping to claim the seat at the Indiana Statehouse long held by Rep. Woody Burton.
Bruce Armstrong, Heather Bline, Michelle Davis, Jay Hart and J. David Hopper are all vying for a shot at the House District 58 spot. Whoever wins in the primary will face off against Democrat Cindy Reinert in the fall general election.
State legislators author and vote on bills that come before the General Assembly, as well as approve the state’s bi-annual budget. District 58 represents parts of Greenwood, Whiteland and New Whiteland in Johnson County.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Former council member would address city issues at state level
Armstrong was a longtime member of the Greenwood City Council, where he served for 16 years. He lost the seat during last year’s municipal elections. When Burton announced his retirement late last year, Armstrong thought an experienced politician such as himself should replace him, he said.
“After 16 years in city council, it was time to move up to the next level to handle issues that cannot be handled at the city level,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong retired recently from his engineering job at Faurecia. He worked previously at General Motors.
Armstrong’s top priority is economic development and reforming tax increment financing (TIF) districts across the state. During his time on the city council, he thought TIF monies should be used for development only in the district where the money is raised, not anywhere in the city, he said.
“This should not be spent as a fund that can be raided by the city to do anything it wants,” Armstrong said.
Other issues he would address include infrastructure improvements that move away from putting roundabouts at every intersection. Roundabouts are good at some low-traffic intersections to replace stop signs, but “shouldn’t be used as a solution for everything,” he said.
Armstrong would also aim to improve bipartisanship in the General Assembly. If elected, he will work with everyone, including members of the Democratic Party, he said.
Family at the forefront for Greenwood native
Bline is a newcomer to running for public office. It is something she’s always wanted to do, but she never had the time, she said. When Burton announced his retirement, she decided to go for it.
Bline works as a legal assistant in downtown Indianapolis. A Greenwood native, she’s spent most of her life working and raising her son as a single mother. Now, with her son in college, she has time to pursue state office.
The biggest issue facing Hoosiers is the drug epidemic, primarily drug addiction prevention, Bline said. She’s personally seen the effect drugs can have on people she cares about, including her son’s father who died when she was 22, and her sister, she said.
“I’ve been watching it grow for the past 20 years of my life, and I’ve seen it destroy the people around me,” Bline said.
She would also focus on promoting strong family units for those going through a divorce or separation, as well as education reform. Curriculum’s should challenge students and teach them skills for life, she said.
“When my son was in school, they would get assignments and as long as they were turned in before the end of the year, they would receive full credit,” she said. “It’s setting the youth up for failure, and it doesn’t teach them good time management.”
Educator wants to be voice for average, working Hoosier
Davis is also new to running for a public office. A lifelong Johnson County resident, Davis has been the Director of Adult Education at Central Nine Career Center in Greenwood for seven years. She served previously as dean of high school students at the vocational school.
She’s running for the District 58 seat because she loves serving the community and wants to see more representation of the day-to-day workforce in the General Assembly, said Davis, who was endorsed by Burton.
“I want to be the common sense voice for average, working, everyday people,” she said.
Education in Indiana is Davis’s top priority, specifically ensuring that a quality education is provided to all students.
“I want what’s best for the students, focusing on conservative values, and ensuring education dollars go to the classroom,” Davis said.
She also wants to protect taxpayers in the state, and would focus on economic development in the aftermath of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to focus on ensuring the appropriate priorities are considered in the next budget session,” she said.
‘Conservative’s conservative’ focused on spending, guns, youth
Hart is running for District 58 because he wants to see change in the district, he said. Having lived in Greenwood for several years, Hart aspired to help the city in whatever way he could. He ran for city council in 2019 and lost, so the next step is running for a Statehouse spot, he said.
Hart works in motorcycle restoration and has been featured on television and in magazines. He’s been involved with the local Republican party for 20 years, he said.
“I am a conservative’s conservative … I’m not new to this,” he said.
Looking at TIF money is a priority of Hart’s. Cities, including Greenwood, need to be more mindful of spending that money, he said.
“It’s become a slush fund, and they spend and spend and spend … the city council, (which) allowed the TIF districts to be formed, didn’t realize the power,” Hart said.
Hart is anti-abortion and supports constitutional carry, which permits people to own firearms without a license.
“I don’t think we should license any of our rights,” he said. “Can you imagine me saying, you know, if you don’t pay this $180 fee, we’re not going to guarantee you the right to the 14th Amendment, and someone can come up and enslave you?”
He added that he would also focus on programs for impoverished youth in the state, giving them incentives to work hard.
Experienced state employee eyes changes to state’s health care
A long-time Greenwood City Council member and state health department employee, Hopper said he is the “perfect fit” for the District 58 seat given his experience in local and state government. He is a lifelong Johnson County resident and has served on the city council since 2012, including two years as president.
He works at the Indiana State Department of Health as a liaison between the state health department and the state’s 94 local health departments. He previously worked as an attorney for former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita.
“I won’t have to spend the first two years up there trying to figure out what I’m doing,” Hopper said. “If there’s an alphabet soup at the state level, I’ve probably touched on it.”
If elected, Hopper would prioritize economic development, fiscal responsibility and quality of life in the district, he said.
On the Greenwood City Council, he helped pass eight balanced budgets and promoted development in the city, he said. He would continue to pass honest budgets at the state level, he said.
“I’m a big believer in not spending money you don’t have,” Hopper said.
Considering his background, Hopper would also focus on improving state health care, he said. Now, especially with a global pandemic on our hands, he hopes Hoosiers realize the importance of public health, he said.
He would work to reform health care costs and promote price transparency at hospitals. For example, if patients know a procedure is cheaper at one hospital versus another, hospitals would ideally lower prices for care to compete with each other, he said.
“As conservatives, we believe in those free market principles, so when they start competing against each other to lower costs, the consumer wins,” Hopper said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the job” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Indiana House District 58
Represents: The southern part of Greenwood, Whiteland and New Whiteland in Johnson County.
Duties: State lawmakers author and vote on bills that come before the General Assembly, as well as approve the state’s bi-annual budget.
Term: 2 years
Pay: $26,490 (2019)
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Armstrong File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Bruce Armstrong
Age: 63
Residence: Greenwood
Family: Wife, Susan; 2 adult sons
Occupation: Retired engineer at General Motors and Faurecia
Education: Decatur Central High School; General Motors Institute; graduate of University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada with degrees in computer science and mathematics
Political experience: Greenwood City Council member from 2004 to 2019
Memberships: Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church; University of Evansville Parents Council
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Bline File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Heather Bline
Age: 38
Residence: Greenwood
Family: Single mother; one son in college
Occupation: Legal assistant at the Cincinnati Insurance Company in Indianapolis
Education: Greenwood Community High School; studied criminal justice at IUPUI
Political experience: None
Memberships: Vineyard Community Church; Johnson County Republican Women’s Club
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Davis File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Michelle Davis
Age: 50
Residence: Whiteland
Family: Husband, James; 2 adult children
Occupation: Director of Adult Education at Central Nine Career Center
Education: Franklin Community High School; studied elementary education at Ball State University; master’s degree from Purdue University
Political experience: None
Memberships: Indiana Association of Adult and Continuing Education; Region 5 Workforce Development Board; Indiana Literacy Association
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Hart File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Jay Hart
Age: 48
Residence: Greenwood
Family: Wife, Brittney; six-year-old daughter
Occupation: Vintage Motorsports fabricator, musician and record producer
Education: Frankfort High School; studied political science at IUPUI
Political experience: Ran for Greenwood City Council District 1 in 2019
Memberships: Antique Motorcycle Club of America
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Hopper File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: J. David Hopper
Age: 43
Residence: Greenwood
Family: Wife, Carlie; three children
Occupation: Director of Local Health Department Outreach at Indiana State Department of Health
Education: Franklin Community High School; studied political science and biology at Indiana State University; law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law; Master’s in Health Administration from Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health
Political experience: Greenwood City Council member since 2012
Memberships: Mt. Pleasant Christian Church; Indiana State Bar Association; Indianapolis Bar Association; Johnson County Republican Women’s Club (Associate Member); Indiana Association of Mediators; Indiana State University Alumni Association; Indiana University Alumni Association
[sc:pullout-text-end]
