Minus Rep. Jim Baird, candidates debate in 4th District
Plus, timetable comes into focus on demolition, construction tied to $250M project in West Lafayette Levee. And Purdue delays admissions deadline, again, due to FAFSA troubles
A few notes here from a 4th District candidates forum sponsored Tuesday by Stop the Water Steal, a local nonprofit rallying against Indiana Economic Development Corp. plans to eventually build a pipeline to carry millions of gallons of water a day from the aquifers in western Tippecanoe County to the 9,000-acre LEAP district in Boone County
Three of the five candidates on the May 7 primary ballot for the U.S. House seat – two Democrats and one Republican – took questions for an hour at the West Lafayette Public Library.
Not there: U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, a Greencastle Republican running for his fourth term representing a district that takes in much of west-central Indiana, including Tippecanoe and surrounding counties. Baird’s campaign said he was in Washington that night because Congress was in session.
Baird is being challenged in the Republican primary by Charles Bookwalter, an Army veteran and business owner from Thorntown who has campaigned that Baird isn’t conservative enough and too often sides with what he considers big-spending Republicans and Democrats. Also on the Republican ballot, but not at Tuesday’s forum, is John Piper.
Rimpi Girn, who lives in Plainfield and has an insurance business, and Derrick Holder, a Marine veteran who lives in Martinsville, are running for the Democratic nomination.
Here are a few of the issues addressed Tuesday in West Lafayette.
Do you support the plan to divert water from aquifers near the Wabash River for the LEAP district in Boone County? Is there action that the federal government can take to prevent that pipeline or other projects designed to facilitate carbon sequestration?
Bookwalter: He called the pipeline and the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s development of the 9,000-acre LEAP district near Lebanon part of “an age-old debate about free markets and socialism.” He said: “What we have right now is a third rail system that Indiana politicians and big government Republicans in the federal government use that’s called interventionism. And they think that it's taking the best out of a little bit of capitalism and a little bit of socialism and that they get the best of both worlds. But they don't. They actually get the worst of both worlds. So what this is, is central planning at its worst.” Bookwalter put some of the blame for the LEAP development and taking thousands of acres of farmland out of production on Baird because of the congressman’s vote for the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, saying that money led to plans to recruit a semiconductor company with hopes of a mega-facility at LEAP.
Girn: “Why they are putting the LEAP project in Lebanon in the first place when they know that the area cannot support the water resources, that’s number one.” She also criticized the closed-door decisions made during the development, saying Tippecanoe County should have been involved in the planning if it meant taking water from along the Wabash River. As for whether the federal government can step in? “If I get elected, yes, I can try to propose a policy in there. But first, you guys need to elect me.”
Holder: He said he was opposed to the LEAP pipeline, because it left farmers out of the equation. “We do need chip manufacturing in the U.S.,” Holder said. “But we must do it smart. We must include everybody within the community to discuss these plans. We cannot hide it.” He said bringing the EPA in from the federal level could help on environmental questions.
Do you agree with the assessment that the Earth is experiencing global warming promoted by human activity, and what are the consequences of public policy on that?
Bookwalter: “I do not believe in the climate change catastrophe ideology. The current climate may be slowly and gradually warming, but it is not a catastrophe.” He said thinking that way led to the rise in large solar fields in the 4th District and wind turbine projects “that are falling apart” and are “going to be an eyesore for time to come.” He argued that the U.S. shouldn’t turn away from investments made generations ago into oil and gas. “They promised us back then if we invest that we’re going to have cheap and reliable energy,” he said. “This policy of green energy … is actually leading to more expensive energy.”
Girn: “I totally agree,” she said about the science behind climate change. “What we need is clean energy, we need green energy, we need to make sure that we should have renewable energy. We need to propose more green tech policies.”
Holder: “Global climate change is true. And I do agree we need green energy. We need to do it smarter, though. We're not going to jump completely off coal and gasoline within the next week. We need to do it smart. We have to get it where the technology is right, to where it's cheaper, and that way we don't bankrupt everybody.”
What changes, if any, do you favor to deal with the recent changes in leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and the way it has paralyzed Congress?
Bookwalter: He said he’s OK with efforts to oust current House Speaker Mike Johnson if he isn’t willing to stand for conservative goals and promises made during the last speaker change. “If they want to make these promises, then they need to be held accountable,” Bookwalter said. “I was with the few … that flipped the speaker back in January. And I think that we can do that again. It doesn’t concern me at all that we have this. Folks, the country is unraveling in front of our eyes, and we know it. So, if you're going to talk a game like you are concerned, then we have to be prepared to make drastic measures. And that requires getting rid of leadership. Jim Baird is not going to do that.”
Girn: “I know there is a national issue in our Congress in D.C. about leadership and everything, but right now what I’m worried about is District 4. … My main concern is that in my district, everyone should have access to quality health care (and that) women should have a choice to make about their bodies.”
Holder: “Twice in two years, that’s how many speakers we’re going through. … Is it because Republicans can’t decide on who to lead them in the House? I mean, twice. That tells me there is a serious rift in the party. You didn’t see that when (Democrats) were majority. You could say some stuff about who we had as speaker. But we didn’t go through ‘em like we were changing clothes. It is not supposed to be a speaker (change) every time somebody gets a hair up their backside. … We all know who they are.”
Do you favor U.S. military aid to Ukraine?
Bookwalter: “As a combat veteran who's seen the horrors of war and the waste, fraud and abuse that happens in the military, I will oppose interventionism on almost every front. … I do not support any more funding to Ukraine, and I do not support interventionism abroad that leaves us weak and vulnerable as a country with open borders where war refugees are pouring across our border, fleeing their war torn societies that are being created by bombs from European and American planes.”
Girn: “As a human, it’s really hard to see children … dying over there. But like Mr. Bookwalter said, we do need to worry about our country, also.”
Holder: He said his parents defected from the former Soviet Union and is a Ukrainian American. “Yes, we need to stop Russia from invading even further to Ukraine, because they will not stop there. They will keep marching across Europe. And we have to provide weapons and materiel to the leaders of Ukraine. They're not asking for boots on the ground. They don't want boots on the ground. They just need help. And we need to continue to support them.”
What is your position on whether a woman should have the ability to seek a medical termination of her pregnancy? Should the issue be decided at a national or state level?
Bookwalter: “I am 100% pro-life. … I believe life begins at conception. And I agree with the Dobbs decision (by the U.S. Supreme Court) that puts this decision back at the state level. Indiana is a great example of this. I encourage local activists to get out there and fight this at local level and pass strict pro-life legislation at the state level. Because a federal abortion (law) can be overturned and we can have a federal ban on abortion. … And you don't have to have a uterus to have that opinion.”
Girn: Neither, she said. “No one has a right to make a choice about how a woman can live their life. … It's a health care decision. I don't support whether the state legislators or at the federal level they make a decision about women's bodies. No, we should have a right to make a decision on our body. I would say the person who does not have a uterus does not have a right to make a choice about our bodies.”
Holder: “Woman's body, woman's choice. It should be between a woman and her doctor. It's not politicians in D.C. or an Indianapolis that should make the choice. … No uterus, no opinion.”
What will be different if you are elected to Congress?
Bookwalter: “It'll be different merely by us doing the same thing that we're doing right now by showing up, by being available, by doing the job. Where's Jim Baird? He’s the incumbent and he’s not here. Where’s he been? He only comes back when he needs your vote. … Our goal in our campaign is to do what Green Berets do all over the world. We recruit, train and fight alongside our allies. We have recruited hundreds of people to get involved and get involved in local office, running for local positions. … We have a chance here to disrupt Washington, D.C., from Indiana in a good way.”
Girn: “What will be different is I will not take your right away to make a choice about a woman’s body. I will be fully backing you up on that.” She said she would advocate for green energy, health care and sustainable farming in the 4th District.
Holder: “I promise to remain accessible and responsive to all of you, my constituents, to ensure everyone has a voice. I will hold monthly town halls, both virtual and in person, where I can listen to your concerns, be it Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, green or any other independent, and gather your insights. Together, we will address the challenges facing our community and create solutions that make a real difference in our lives. And as a Marine, I just want to say the Army can stand aside, a Marine’s here will lead the way.”
For a full video of the forum, here’s a link.
For more on the May 7 primary
Where to vote: This week, voting is open at the Tippecanoe County Office Building, 20 N. Third St., Lafayette. Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. More sites will open later in April and into May. For a full schedule, including on Election Day, go to: www.tippecanoe.in.gov/449/Early-Voting-Schedule
The candidates and races: For a look at all the candidates who will be on Republican and Democratic ballots in the May 7 primary in Tippecanoe County, check here.
Your ballot and voter registration check: To check your voter registration and to see candidates who will be on your Republican or Democratic ballot, go to the Secretary of State’s portal at www.indianavoters.com.
THIS AND THAT …
GROUNDBREAKING IN JUNE FOR $250M WL LEVEE PROJECT: Demolition of buildings and construction on a $250 million mixed-use project on the West Lafayette Levee is expected to start in June, developers Landmark Properties and LV Development LLC said this week.
That follows a vote Wednesday by the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission that assigns up to $5.5 million in tax increment finance revenues from the project to pay for road and utility work connected to redesigned streets through that part of the Levee area. The final governmental vote on the project could come as soon at the West Lafayette City Council’s meeting on May 6.
The city approved a planned development rezoning for the project more in summer 2023 for a project that includes a mix of 590 apartment units, up to 1,350 beds and 21,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space in a pair of seven-story buildings.
Part of that plan included the city getting Landmark to incorporate the downtown-style grid street layout contemplated by the city’s downtown plan between River Road and Tapawingo Drive. The rezoning request included a layout that has Brown Street ending near the current intersection with Howard Avenue. Howard Avenue would head straight north from there, rather than angling toward River Road, as it does now. The stoplights at River Road and Howard Avenue would feed a street that would head directly east, stopping at the edge of the Levee Plaza property.
According to an agreement initiated last year, Landmark will realign and build roads and utilities to city standards. The West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission will repay up to $5.5 million of that, using 50% of that the additional tax revenue generated by the Levee development.
Several businesses in the footprint have cleared out or are getting out, including Bruno’s, Campus Inn, Rubia Flowers, Hacienda, China One and the former Puccini’s.
Landmark officials said this week that the full project is expected to be done in 2027.
ADMISSIONS DECISIONS DELAYED AGAIN AT PURDUE DUE TO FAFSA PROBLEMS: Purdue again on Thursday pushed back its admissions and campus housing deadlines for prospective students as ongoing delays in the federal financial aid system known as FAFSA. Announced Thursday, the deadlines will be June 1, after Purdue already had extended it from May 1 to May 15 earlier this year.
“We still don’t have the correct records for more than half of our prospective students, and we won’t have this information until May 1 or later,” Cherise Hall, vice provost for enrollment management, said in a university release. “Given the additional delays, Purdue wants to provide more time to students and families so they can make the best decision possible.”
Purdue Provost Patrick Wolfe had told the University Senate earlier this week that this move was likely. Wolfe said the university was working to shoulder as much as possible for students and families making college choices without getting through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process and knowing what financial packages they might qualify for at each of their college choices.
For context, this was the lede in a Thursday afternoon post from The Hill about the delays in the rollout of a new FAFSA process this year:
“The Department of Education acknowledged Thursday that it’s been a ‘challenging year” for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process as officials are desperate to get more forms filled out.
“’We’re not at the point we would like to be at,’ Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal told reporters before revealing about 7.7 million FAFSA applications have been received from college applicants. Around 18 million forms are filed in a typical year.”
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
Thanks Dave for posting the debate questions and answers with Bookwalter, Girn, and Holder. Bookwalter is only interested in far right talking points. The other 2 candidates are for supporting their constituents. In my opinion.