The Republican race to replace outgoing Indiana State Senator John Crane is heating up with early voting underway between Anne Engelhardt and Brett Clark. The winner will face Democratic challenger and former Greencastle City Councilor Veronica Pejril in the November general election.
For Engelhardt, who lives in neighboring Avon, she told The Putnam County Post that with her experience and considering the current needs within Indiana, she is the "best choice" to fill Crane's seat.
"As a current school board member, I work daily with the other members and educators to provide a safe and strong educational environment. Students in Avon are seeing great gains since Covid. With this background, I am the right person to work with other legislators and the Department of Education to support students across the state," Engelhardt said.
In addition, she said her professional career as a commercial broker has given her a strong background in economic development and she will have high expectations for transparency concerning new developments.
"Additionally, I believe new developments must be expected to provide benefits to communities. Public input sessions should be a requirement of any new development and when taxpayers' money is being used to finance the development," Engelhardt said.
If elected, Engelhardt noted she would continue to work on addressing literacy rates for third graders.
"Discussing the retention of third graders should be paused until the new changes are implemented. Kindergarten and first grade student indicators will bring awareness if a student needs extra support and we should be more focused on the early educational years. The state, also, needs to make changes to ILEARN. The ILEARN exam does not provide useful data on how a student is achieving and educators need accurate information when making recommendations for supporting students," she said.
In addition to education, Engelhardt said she will be focused on addressing rising property taxes, especially for residents on a fixed income, as well as other issues.
"Another concern is safety and security especially due to the crime coming to Indiana from the open border. I will be a leader who will speak out against the open border and support law enforcement. I am experienced in establishing great relationships at the county and state level. I can solve thorny problems and can do so in a complex environment. My campaign is growing daily with new supporters," Engelhardt said.
Engelhardt said in the time she has spent with voters and residents in Putnam County, she has gained a great understanding of the issues facing residents.
"In education, students are losing educational opportunities that are needed to prepare them for post-high school advancement. I would advocate for school corporations to have access to grant writers so the schools can apply for grants to fulfill the needs of students. Many of the lost opportunities are due to funding and grants can supply the needed funds. I am also concerned about the need for infrastructure throughout the county. Many of the roads and bridges need repair and the county will need to locate another source of funding. Applying for grants is another option," she said.
With early voting underway and the May 7 Republican primary rapidly approaching, Engelhardt said she has a message for any undecided voters or those who may not have voted yet.
"I have the knowledge, experience and ability to be a collaborative leader. The state of Indiana is facing some real challenges and I have the skill set needed to meet the needs. I will be ready on the first day and will wholeheartedly serve the constituents in Hendricks and Putnam counties. To learn more visit standwithanne.com. I can also be found on Facebook and X. Thank you for considering me to be your next State Senator," Engelhardt said.
