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By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — “… All I read this session was how I was retiring. My son graduated from high school and was going to Miami and I was going with him. … When I did my closing down at the statehouse on the budget, I said … contrary to popular belief I’m coming back … I’m going to tell you tonight, in the city that this all started in, that I am running again in 2024.”

That was the official announcement of Indiana State Sen. Ryan Mishler Tuesday evening, Sept. 19, at a reception in his honor. Mishler is seeking his fifth term in office. He was first elected to the state senate in 2004.

Indiana State Sen. Ryan Mishler.

Mishler noted three things he wants to accomplish before he retires from the State Senate.

One is the pension fund — pay off the liability. He noted there is pension deficit. “When I started we were about $17 billion in the hole. Now we have it down to about $5.5 billion.” He said it cost the state about $1 billion a year out of the general budget for those liabilities. “So the thing I would like to do in my time is to pay off that liability.”

The second thing he wants to do was a 100% homestead reduction on property taxes. He noted the discussions regarding income tax and how he has been working on reduction of that, however, he has started “going down a different path. All I hear is problems with the assessments of property and people getting homes and after a certain time, they are on a fixed income and they can’t afford it any more … I started working on a new plan to have a 100% homestead reduction, so every family gets one deduction. … If we do away with our second largest tax, … but we have a broad range to choose from and if we do away with some of those, if we get into a pinch with the economy we have no where to go. On the property tax side you still have property taxes, you take away one segment, you still have a balanced property tax revenue stream.”

Brad Chambers

The third accomplishment deals with education. He reflected to the beginning where public schools were funded. Then the state wanted choice. “So we created charter schools and we started funding charter schools so we had a little bit of a choice, and then we went out and did vouchers and so now we have another choice, so we funded three different types of schools … so I sat down with our new treasurer … we have a platform where the money will fund the student and not the schools.” Mishler committed himself to work with the state treasurer on that path. “We just really haven’t done anything with it. But all I hear from families is … fund my child, not a school. So we really need to think about what are we going to do. Are we going to fund the school or fund the child? … that will be a tougher one to do. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on that one, freedom of education … Those are the three things I’d like to see before I decide to retire.”

Mishler went on to state it has been his honor to work for those in his district and the relationships he has built that are lifelong relationships, built from the position he holds. “To me that’s the most important thing. When I decide to say this is it, that’s what I’m proud of, the relationships made with all these people.”

Mishler was introduced by Brad Chambers, former Indiana commerce secretary and gubernatorial candidate. Chambers noted Mishler is “an important voice of reason … knows what he is doing.” “I couldn’t have done what we done in two years without his leadership … we need 100 more Ryan Mishler’s … to run this state into the future, for our kids, our grandkids, to bring them back, have them make their lives, create their lives here…”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Prior to Chamber’s introduction of Mishler, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita briefly spoke about Mishler. “Ryan Mishler is genuine and honest. He can give you information that is good, bad or ugly. But you can count on it,” said Rokita. “That feature, accurate information, honest information. That’s worth more than gold and it should be cherished and it should be respected. … and we have that in Ryan Mishler.”

Both men are no strangers to Mishler. Rokita and Mishler grew up together and played basketball in high school. Chambers and Mishler grew up together on Lake Wawasee. Mishler also shared a few “factoids” about both men.

Mishler also recognized current and past colleagues who were present, his mother Brenda Mishler and uncle as well as those who hosted the night’s event — Congressman Rudy Yakym, Dave Wilkins, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, Warsaw Mayor-elect Jeff Grose, Erie Wiggins, Pat and Shari Boyle and Brad and Lynnette Jackson.