INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mitch Daniels waded into the time zone fray Tuesday afternoon when he released a letter he wrote to federal officials asking them to add Daviess, Dubois and Martin counties to the Central time zone.
In the same letter, Daniels asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to deny St. Joseph County's petition to move to Central time.
Seventeen Indiana counties applied to be moved to join the 10 counties already in the Central time zone. In a proposed decision released Oct. 25, the U.S. Department of Transportation - which is responsible for drawing the time zone boundaries - said St. Joseph, Starke, Knox, Pike and Perry counties should be moved. In Southwestern Indiana, Daviess, Dubois, Martin and Lawrence counties also asked for Central time but were not initially slated for a move.
After three hearings statewide, federal officials are expected to make a final decision by the end of this year.
In Tuesday's letter, Daniels said Daviess, Dubois and Martin counties must also be moved to Central time to preserve the "unity of this natural region."
"In Southwest Indiana, your proposed rule would divide a multi-county region that ... has expressed a clear argument and desire to be placed together on Central time," Daniels wrote to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.
For local county commissioners who voted for the switch, the letter was a welcome intervention.
Dubois County Commissioner John Burger said Daniels has supported home rule in other areas, so he's glad but not surprised that he would back their county's petition.
"It would have been difficult (for Daniels) to say otherwise," Burger said.
"That gives me hope now that our petition will be granted."
Martin County Commissioners President Michael Dant was happy with the letter but not necessarily with Daniels.
"It's good that he finally got enough courage to say something," Dant said. "This guy created the problem."
And while the law that opened up the time zone debate requires the state to "support the county executive of any county that seeks to change the time zone," Daniels is bucking the request of St. Joseph County.
In his letter, he asks the U.S. Department of Transportation to reject St. Joseph's bid for Central time because "a unified metropolitan region would be divided."
For Eastern time backers such as Kevin Brinegar, president of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the letter wasn't good news.
While Brinegar supports the governor's stand on St. Joseph County, he was disappointed with the recommendation for Southwestern Indiana.
Rep. Dave Crooks, D-Washington, said he's pleased with the recommendation for Southwestern Indiana but still thinks the whole state should weigh in on the debate.
But in his Tuesday letter, Daniels said adopting daylight-saving time statewide was the most important issue and that most counties are happy with their time zone designation.
"Obviously, one time zone statewide would be ideal but this goal has proven unattainable," Daniels wrote.