(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) If there’s one thing Hendricks County communities dislike, it’s change. Whatever your idealized vision of your community may be, it’s probably based on the way it looked years ago. Grow up here, and you probably think about the great stores that lined Main … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Short answer: because it isn’t one. A local government body, board, or agency is a form of legal organization that is vastly different from a commercial business. People generally start businesses with the goal of making money. Government isn’t allowed to do that. … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Your local high school’s athletic facilities are probably pretty impressive. So much so that they’re often a source of criticism, especially from older residents. “We didn’t need all those facilities or fancy scoreboards in my day!” “They must have twice as many fields … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) I’m writing this on the morning of our nation’s 250th birthday. I realize you’re reading this weeks later. Much of the celebration understandably focused on the Declaration of Independence. While I marvel at Jefferson’s words and their impact upon the world, I wish … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) It could have been any one of a remarkably long list of things, but whatever it was, it made the individual angry enough that they deployed their most fearsome weapon. “I’m gonna sue you and make you pay!” Gotcha. Anything else I can … Read more
(As appeared in Inside Indiana Business, July 14, 2026) I hear it all the time, usually delivered with a shrug and an apology: “I know I should be putting something out there, but I just don’t have the time to write.” They’re not wrong. Most of the people saying this are genuinely busy. They’re running … Read more
(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Given that I was elected to my former role six times and served 23 years, you’d probably assume I’m not a fan of term limits — and you’d be right. If that makes you angry, I’m pretty confident that you’re frustrated with the … Read more
(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