(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) I often mention the fact that every local government in Indiana is regularly audited by state government. I repeat it because it’s one of the most important things we citizens should know: our tax dollars are in good hands and being used legally. … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) I started this weekly column a couple years ago, after serving more than two decades as an elected school board member. One of the first things I came to realize after taking the oath of office was how little I really knew about … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) They account for a mere 1.4 percent of our total acreage, and yet they’re one of the biggest reasons people move to – or stay in – Hendricks County. The quality of the county’s six public school systems is widely recognized as one … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Local seniors tired of paying property taxes may be excited by Governor Braun’s recent suggestion that they should no longer have to pay them. If you’re preparing to celebrate, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. First, he lacks the power to make that … Read more
(As appeared in Inside Indiana Business, June 11, 2026) You see it all over social media: advice, templates, and tools that promise to help anyone write their own marketing copy. It’s never been easier to get words onto a page. So why should anyone hire a copywriter? Because the gap between “getting words down” and … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) It’s pretty easy for me to become cynical, but down deep, I’m an idealistic optimist. For proof, you only have to consider my lifelong devotion to God’s favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. That’s why it’s hard for me to admit that I believe … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) There’s a perception that everything to do with public education is inherently broken and desperately needs to be fixed. Generally, people making that statement have what they believe to be an obvious solution that’s being ignored by clueless school boards and bureaucratic administrators. … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) First off, my sincere admiration to everyone who had the interest and the courage to put their names on the ballot during the recent primary. Whether you were new to the process or seeking reelection, you joined a remarkably tiny percentage of the … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Hendricks County has changed a lot over the last 25 years, and its local governments have done the same. Just how much change has there been? It probably won’t surprise you to know that voter records are stored digitally. That wasn’t the case … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Tuesday, May 19 marks the beginning of the filing period for people who have decided to run for a seat on their community’s school board. Between then and noon on Thursday, June 18, anyone who wants to serve on the board for one … Read more