A new state transportation funding bill would mean higher gas prices for all Hoosiers, but the impact could be bigger for convenience stores on the state’s borders.
Welcome, Eric Holcomb, to Indiana’s most important and difficult job.
Every day for the next four years, you’ll carry the awesome responsibility of trying to improve and to protect the quality of life of 6.6 million citizens.
We wish you success, for the sake of our state and our fellow Hoosiers.
And we were encouraged this past week when you released your first legislative agenda, which rightly focuses on job creation, education, improving Hoosiers’ health and upgrading Indiana’s transportation network. Your proposal to appoint rather than to elect the state superintendent of public schools is sound. The governor and the head of the Indiana Department of Education need to share the same vision and goals in administering more than half of the state budget.
Also sound is the plan to appoint a key person in the governor’s office to lead the fight against Indiana’s heroin epidemic. Drug abuse is devastating families and communities across the state, and having a person close to you with a deep knowledge of the challenges posed by the opioid crisis could prove invaluable.
Still, we wish you had been bolder in proposing an expansion of the state’s pilot preschool program.
That initiative, started by outgoing Gov. Mike Pence, has been a great success by any measure. In recent years, thousands of at-risk children from low-income families have gotten the start they need to succeed in school.
But the demand for access to high-quality preschools far outstrips the state’s investment. And while your proposal to increase funding to $20 million a year would move the state in the right direction, it’s still far short of what’s needed to ensure that all children in Indiana are ready to learn when they reach kindergarten.
As you take the oath of office Monday, we hope that you’ll remember that you represent a diverse state with many different needs. Not every Hoosier shares your political background or personal beliefs, but every Hoosier needs you to be a strong leader with an inclusive, forward-looking vision.
Welcome to office, Gov. Holcomb. Our state is counting on your best every day.