Three vying for Indiana House District 71

Evening News and The Tribune, The (Jeffersonville, IN)

Oct. 16--SOUTHERN INDIANA -- Voters have three candidates from three political parties to choose from in the race for Indiana House District 71.

Rita Fleming, a longtime obstetrician and Democrat, says affordable health care is a priority for Hoosiers, and one she's dedicated to addressing.

Republican Matt Owen, a Jeffersonville City Councilman and shift commander for New Chapel EMS, wants to make sure District 71 reaps the benefits of the state's investment in workforce development.

And Thomas Keister, a Libertarian and small business owner, is happy to give voters a choice outside of the traditional political parties.

One of these candidates will replace the seat held by Democrat Steve Stemler since 2006. They each bring a different set of experiences to the table and have different priorities.

One thing they all agree on? Voters will show up at the polls in high numbers come Nov. 6.

THEIR PRIORITIES

Since winning her primary in May, Fleming says she has been focused on talking one-on-one with residents. Two things dominated Fleming's conversations with voters:

"People are sick and tired of extreme partisanship ... of a situation where there always has to be a very clear winner and a very clear loser," she said.

"I try to tell them not to be too discouraged, and I try to tell them this is why I'm running for office."

The second? Health care, a topic Fleming says often comes up before people learn she's a physician. If elected, Fleming says she would work to make sure people with pre-existing conditions, and the public at-large, have access to affordable health care.

"[But the public] needs to realize that it goes both ways, that health care is a right, but that we also need to take some responsibility for taking care of ourselves."

Fleming wants more emphasis on preventative care, including educating the general public, and turning to employers to incentivize healthy habits.

As a shift commander for New Chapel EMS, Owen's mind is also on health, particularly on the ongoing opioid epidemic.

"We deal with it weekly, still," he said.

Owen wants to see more access to treatment, and clearer pathways to getting there.

But it's workforce development that tops Owen's priority list. He wants to make sure that the millions of state dollars allocated for job training benefits Southern Indiana.

Keister admits that his policy priority is a "Libertarian cliche": The legalization of medical and recreational marijuana.

"Everybody thinks it's 'oh you just want to go out and get stoned,' but there's economic considerations," Keister said. "If you legalized recreational marijuana in the area, especially with a lot of the property along the riverfront ready for development, people need space to grow it, people need space to sell it, so there's a commercial real estate boom."

Eventually, he continued, that would mean a job boom for a new industry. Keister would also propose a marijuana tax and a licensing structure, something he says sets him apart from his fellow Libertarians.

Keister also champions marijuana's health benefits, saying "we're neck-deep in an opioid crisis," and marijuana could be used as a less harmful and less addictive alternative.

SIZING UP THE CHOICES

In terms of elected office, Owen has years of experience over this opponents. He's been a Jeffersonville City Councilman since 2012.

"My experience in local government over the last seven years is definitely an advantage," Owen said. "I understand how public policy can have unintended consequences and I understand how public finance works when we talk about infrastructure needs and bringing more workforce development dollars down from the state level. A little bit of institutional knowledge I think goes a long way."

While Fleming hasn't held elected office, she has experience with local government as a member of the Jeffersonville Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals.

As a first time candidate, she garnered just over 3,000 votes in the Democratic primary. Owen earned over 2,030 votes in his.

"I feel very good about those numbers," Fleming said.

Owen said he knew going into his campaign that District 71 is historically a "left-leaning" district. But voters are feeling less inclined toward straight-party tickets, he said. And of the more than 11,000 doors Owen says his campaigned has knocked, he's talked to registered Democrats who say they appreciate hearing him out.

"It's more about knowing the candidate and knowing what they stand for," Owen said.

Keister owns a tax preparation business that opened in January, a venture he says kept him from campaigning as much as he would have liked. He was nominated at the state's Libertarian Party Convention in May. And while he's never held political office, this isn't his first time running a campaign. Keister has run for New Albany Mayor, Clarksville Town Council and, in 2016, for President of the United States as a write-in candidate.

Keister said it's important voters know they have a third choice given the "toxic" environment dominated by traditional political parties. He hopes to sell people on the ideals of the Libertarian Party: limited government and individual liberties.

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