Editor’s note: Republican Melinda Griesemer is one of two candidates for Indiana House District 57, which covers a portion of Johnson County. See a Where They Stand interview with Griesemer’s opponent, Republican Craig Haggard, in Friday’s Daily Journal. The Q&A below includes answers by Griesemer in her own words. It has been edited for length and grammar.
Two candidates are seeking an open seat for Indiana House District 57 in the Republican primary May 3. Following recent redistricting, the district was moved from Shelby County and now covers portions of Johnson, Morgan and Hendricks counties.
The Daily Journal asked both candidates questions about their priorities and what voters could expect from them if they are elected.
» Why are you running for office?
I’m concerned about freedoms being left for my posterity. I come from a family of patriots, and I want to be able to pass down to my children the freedoms I’ve been able to have. I’m very concerned about what happened in the Statehouse during the first term of this last session, during the COVID-19 shutdown.
» Why are you qualified for this position?
I’m a conservative Republican. I believe in the Republican party platform as it is now. I’ve got the experience serving in the community. I’ve served in various positions. I’ve been on the Johnson County Council. I now have experience on the local level to be able to go to the Statehouse and serve my constituents.
» What are your top priorities and how do you plan to push legislation that addresses them?
Freedom from mandates. Employees should not be mandated to do things against their conscience. During the first session of the Statehouse in 2021, our Statehouse representatives did not speak up on our behalf — there’s only a couple who did — and allowed the governor to legislate by fiat and the will of the people was not heard. That can never be allowed to happen again. I would have preferred the governor allowed the state legislature to decide how our state was going to proceed with handling COVID-19. This allows the will of the people to be heard, and if the will of the people didn’t like what was decided by their state representative, they would have the option to vote them out of office.
Everybody, all of those representatives, including the governor, took an oath to defend the Constitution, and they usurped it by not allowing individuals to be heard. … This short session, they have tried to recoup some of that, but our state legislators did not speak up on our behalf the first term because they were seeking federal funding to our state for the emergency shutdown. The will of the people was not heard and our freedoms are not for sale.
The state of Indiana has plenty of money; we’ve never had financial problems. There’s no reason why we should have required people to shelter in place to accommodate this emergency to get federal funds to our state. We can’t afford to lose this position to someone who isn’t a bold, strong leader to push back on this. It’s an election year, and people will say whatever they can to get elected. We need someone with a proven history of fighting for freedom and I’ve done that. My stances haven’t changed to accommodate special interest endorsements or money. Again, my freedom is not for sale.
Support for small businesses. The governor started dividing people between essential and nonessential. I don’t like that division; that should have never happened. Everybody’s jobs are essential. As a result, many of the small businesses had to close or shut down during that time, and as a result, many of them couldn’t reopen, while keeping the big box stores open. Small business owners were done dirty by being forced to be shut down, so we owe it to small businesses to support them.
As far as infrastructure, in 2017, the Indiana Statehouse passed the gas tax. This raises the tax rate on our fuel a percentage every year. Currently, the state of Indiana is the 7th highest in the nation for a gas tax. I will work to get this reversed because the people of Indiana don’t deserve to have to keep paying every year and having it go up every year when the state is sitting on $5 billion.It’s unnecessary, it’s overreaching and it’s abusive to the people of Indiana, and we have state legislators who voted for that.
Mental health/substance abuse. It’s an ongoing issue with the breakdown of the nuclear family (a family group that consists only of parents and children) in our society and the cultural trends. There’s more stress on people, and some haven’t learned good coping skills so they turn to substances, or there are mental health issues in their family that have never been addressed. The breakdown of the family doesn’t allow for support for individuals who need it. As a society, we have to do better to educate, provide support and make it a priority for our state. We all want to be productive to society and contribute, but some people just need some help, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I would much rather use some state funds and redirect them from special interest projects for something that benefits the entire state. When everyone is emotionally healthy, we all win. We as a society have to do better at providing support for one another and for individuals’ decisions to live life and pursue happiness in the way the Constitution allows us to.
» How do you plan to help your district specifically, and communicate with constituents about what is going on at the Statehouse?
I plan on communicating through social media and email. I also plan to host a town hall meeting where people can hear from me about what’s going on during the legislative session and can ask questions at that time.
» How would you address, at the state level, the concerns of parents and teachers about what is being taught in classrooms?
I support teachers. Their jobs aren’t easy. However, I do also know from my own personal experience going through school and through that of my family, there are teachers who interject their personal opinions into the classroom. I don’t agree with that. I will support legislation that curtails that. We need to stick with the fundamentals. I know the House passed an education bill and it went to the Senate and was modified through amendments. But I’d rather see a bill passed that didn’t have amendments (and) stayed in its original form.
School board seats. If you want to go back to it being partisan, I support that.
» This year, state lawmakers cut some of the state’s tax revenues due to a bigger-than-expected surplus. What are your thoughts on possibly cutting both business personal property and/or individual income taxes again next year?
I side with the individual taxpayer. I know recently the governor authorized a tax refund back to taxpayers, but those are pennies compared to what we paid in. It’s not justified taking in more money. I am for reducing personal income taxes for the state of Indiana.
» Is there a bill that you disagreed with during this year’s legislative session? What would you have liked to see passed instead?
The education bill was the one that had the most visibility and influence; that’s the one I wanted to see better handled in the Senate.
I would love to see the 2017 gas tax repealed. I’ll gladly submit that bill. I’ll gladly submit or cosponsor a bill to abolish abortion in Indiana. As a woman who was once in those shoes as a young person, and who chose life, I will fight against abortion in our state.
» Anything else you would like to say to the voters?
I’ve held true to my beliefs and held true to the platform; I’m a proven entity. We can’t afford to let this seat go to an unknown, inexperienced person — to somebody who is more interested in getting endorsements and money than doing the right thing. My freedoms and your freedoms can’t be bought. I’m doing this so what happened to us during the COVID shutdown never happens to us again. There’s too much at stake. A state representative has the power to vote to shut down your businesses, keep your kids home from school and from their activities, and keep them away from going to prom. … Being state representative is a big job, and we need a proven fighter — that is me.
