Meet the candidate for Indiana House District 89

Two candidates are running for Indiana House District 89: Democrat incumbent Mitch Gore and Republican candidate Michael-Paul Hart. 

District 89 covers parts of eastern and southeastern Marion County, including the city of Beech Grove. Gore has held the seat since 2020.  Hart currently serves on the Indianapolis City-County Council, representing District 18.

WFYI sent each of the candidates five questions to help voters prepare for early voting and Election Day, Nov. 8. Their answers are presented in alphabetical order.

Editor’s note: Candidate responses were edited for AP Style and grammar, and any numbers used were checked for accuracy. When a statement required more clarification or could not be independently verified, WFYI reached out to candidates before publication. Those instances, and those candidate responses, are noted throughout in editors’ notes.

Mitch Gore

What do you see as the most pressing issue lawmakers will address in the upcoming legislative session?

I’m hopeful that the General Assembly will finally do the hard work of finding a way to treat mental illness and addiction as a public health issue, and less like a criminal issue. Our jails are full of sick people, and we desperately need the room for the violent criminals who are plaguing our streets.

Indiana’s schools are facing numerous challenges including teacher shortages, racial achievement gaps, reading ability and declining college-going rate. What do you see as the state’s top education issues, and how would you address them?

We need to rapidly close the gap in learning caused by COVID, but the only way we’ll do it is by having enough qualified teachers and paying them what they’re worth. Instead, Indiana has gone on a years-long expedition to put more on teachers’ plates, reduce required qualifications, and do little to adequately pay the people who educate the next generation. We also need to ensure students and their families see the value in going to a trade school or apprenticeship if college isn’t the right choice for them.

Indiana lacks affordable housing inventory and communities across the state deal with landlords who shrug off local health and safety violations. How would you address the state’s lack of affordable housing and laws to protect tenants from bad-acting landlords?

As the former leader of Marion County’s unsafe building program, I tore down over 600 abandoned, dangerous buildings in Indianapolis. The state needs to do a better job of helping municipalities fight slumlords. Instead, the state has actively restricted their ability to do so. I believe city and town officials know best how to address these issues so I think we should get out of their way as quickly as possible.

In recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers have tried to regulate local decision-making; two examples are wind turbine regulation and bail reform. How would you approach issues of local versus state control as a lawmaker?

I’m proud to represent two cities, Indianapolis and Beech Grove. I recognize that one-size-fits-all regulations are often not the best solution, even for my cities that are so close geographically and culturally. Sometimes, we need to move forward together as one state, but more often, it is imperative for the state to give local communities the tools they need to accomplish their goals in the way that works best for them while ensuring responsible use of taxpayer money.

Indiana lawmakers voted to ban most abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest and certain serious medical complications and emergencies. Would you support the legislature revisiting Indiana’s abortion law? What would you change?

Yes, I think we should revisit it immediately to reverse the damage that has been done to Hoosier women by a mostly male legislature. The government does not belong in between a woman and her doctor when these personal and intimate decisions are being made.
 

Michael-Paul Hart

What do you see as the most pressing issue lawmakers will address in the upcoming legislative session?

District 89 needs safe roads to drive on, lower gas prices, lower rent, affordable housing, accountable landlords, more parental choice over their child's education, expanded mental health support, and a criminal justice system that keeps criminals behind bars.

Indiana’s schools are facing numerous challenges including teacher shortages, racial achievement gaps, reading ability and a declining college-going rate. What do you see as the State’s top education issues, and how would you address them?

The primary issue is that the state has created a one-size-fits-all educational system that teaches how to pass a test. We need to create an educational system that gives parents, not the government, the power to decide what educational opportunities are best for their children. And any increased education funding should be targeted where it belongs: teacher pay.

Indiana lacks affordable housing inventory and communities across the state deal with landlords who shrug off local health and safety violations. How would you address the state’s lack of affordable housing and laws to protect tenants from bad-acting landlords?

Inflation has destroyed the affordable housing inventory. To keep down the price of housing in Indiana, I will fight to destroy policies that lead to inflation. As for the bad actors, we need to hold them fully accountable for the egregious health and safety violations and the harm they are causing Hoosiers. 

In recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers tried to regulate local decision-making; two examples are wind turbine regulation and bail reform. How would you approach issues of local versus state control as a lawmaker?

As a City-County Councilor for Indianapolis and a supporter of small local government, I believe if the small government body can fulfill the responsibilities of governmental duties, it should remain that way.

Indiana lawmakers voted to ban most abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest and certain serious medical complications and emergencies. Would you support the legislature revisiting Indiana’s abortion law? What would you change?

I would support the legislature in revisiting the abortion law. We must produce a balance for pregnant women to make their own health decisions and provide protection for an unborn baby, as it progresses towards independence outside the womb.

How to vote in Indiana:

Vote by Mail Application Deadline: Oct. 27, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (local prevailing time).
Election Day is Nov. 8, and you can find your polling place at the Indiana Voters Portal.