Muncie Star Press - Lt. Gov. Candidate Dislikes Privatization
By Nick Werner
Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Dennie Oxley said he and running mate Jill Long Thompson would reconsider recent privatization initiatives and focus on green jobs.
Oxley was in Muncie Thursday to explain the Long Thompson/Oxley platform to The Star Press and meet with local Democrats.
"Jill and I have made it no secret," Oxley said. "We don't agree with this privatization madness."
Oxley is a former math teacher from English who represents Indiana House District 73, which covers eight counties in southern Indiana.
He was most critical of the decision last year by Gov. Mitch Daniels to privatize the delivery of welfare benefits, including Medicaid and food stamps.
Critics have said the private contractor was unprepared for the job, cutting off poor Hoosiers from assistance they needed.
But Oxley also called the leasing of the Indiana Toll Road a disappointment for local governments who haven't benefited financially from the agreement as much as the state has.
If elected, Oxley said, the Democratic administration would appoint a bipartisan committee to review all privatization contracts.
"I can't tell you we're going to come in and cancel every contract," he said. "I can't tell you we are going to cancel any contracts."
Oxley also emphasized a need to create "green" manufacturing jobs in Indiana as a way to revitalize the economy.
"Hoosiers are getting it socked to them and they don't know if the next job that gets cut will be theirs," he said.
Green jobs could include building windmills and solar panels, Oxley said.