GOSHEN —
Candidates for Indiana State District 12 senator met early Saturday for a debate.
Republican incumbent Carlin Yoder and Democrat challenger Jim Ball squared off in the Goshen Chambers of Commerce building at 8 a.m. Saturday. Debate topics included Right to Work, education and state infrastructure, among others.
Yoder and Ball voiced opposite opinions on Right to Work legislation, the controversial bill signed into effect Jan. 31 that bars union contracts from requiring non-union members to pay for representation. Getting rid of Right to Work legislation is one of the main issues for Ball, he said.
“It doesn’t bring jobs here,” Ball said. “It’s a wash. It also lowers wages.”
Ball called the legislation a “union-busting tactic.”
Yoder, who was a chief sponsor of the bill in the Indiana Senate, said he supports the choice it gives to workers.
“For the first time, unions are forced to come up with a product people want to pay for, instead of forcing people to pay,” Yoder said at the debate.
Both cited conflicting studies and statistics supporting their side before moving on to other topics.
Education was also a large theme at Saturday’s debate. Both candidates expressed similar ideas that parents should be held more responsible for a child’s education.
“This is one point where we can agree,” Ball said, addressing Yoder. “Parents need to be more involved. Education is important — it’s the foundation, and if you have a shaky foundation, you can’t build anything.”
However, they disagreed on recent measures taken through the school voucher system to give students choice over where they’re educated. Ball said the state should focus on empowering public schools, not money for private schools, while Yoder said he supports giving families, especially those that couldn’t afford private school on their own, a choice for their children.
“To a kid living in Gary, Ind., where the public schools are failing them, I don’t think it’s fair to tell them that the public school is their only option,” Yoder said. “Here in District 12, we have good schools. We don’t have to worry about that. But it’s offensive to me to that people with money have school choice, but a single mother whose kid is picked on has no choice, no other option, but public school.”
Moderator Vince Turner also asked the candidates about how their unique life experiences affect their outlooks and opinions. Ball, who spent time in the Army and in the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department, among other places, said he has learned to handle difficult situations. From working in Abu Ghraib prison after the U.S. military abuse scandal broke to working in the county jail, a calm mind is necessary, he said.
“Coming out of high school, I wanted to be a policeman,” Ball said. “Being a police officer often means not meeting people on the best of terms. I learned you have to work to calm them down — not throw gasoline on the fire.”
Yoder said his background in education, especially his time spent at the Bashor Children’s Home, opened his eyes from seeing the world in black and white to realizing things can be in shades of gray.
“Dealing with those kids opened my eyes to the reality out there,” Yoder said. “We need to protect our most vulnerable. It helped me be more empathetic to other’s situations, and definitely colored my outlook on legislation.”
For more information on the candidates, visit www.carlinyoder.com and www.hoosiers4jimball.com.
Local News
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Carlin Yoder Ball.jpg
Candidates debate on union law, vouchers
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