"Good Enough" Would Be an Improvement

Press Release

When I announced my candidacy for Governor I said, "Far too long we've been satisfied with "good enough'…for Indiana today, good enough is no longer "good enough.'' Well, in the short two months since then, I can say that Indiana is no longer a place that is even good enough. We have seen numerous scandals and missteps in state government that have me worried about the direction Indiana is headed. Worried for our children, our teachers, our state workers.

The most recent scandal that came to light was the news that the second in command of the Department of Child Services (DCS) apparently resigned after sending text messages to a college intern that were inappropriate and cringe-inducing. Clearly this man was allowed to resign, rather than be fired, despite the fact that the intern had made complaints to human resources officials.

The same thing happened at the Indiana National Guard. Governor Eric Holcomb asked for the resignation of National Guard leader, Maj. Gen. Courtney Carr. Carr is facing a lawsuit from a former Indiana National Guard contractor who claims that when she spoke out about an alleged affair between Carr and a subordinate, she was subjected to intimidation and retaliation. Carr will reportedly retire with full benefits.

Neither of these cases was dealt with appropriately by Governor Holcomb and state officials. Neither individual was punished by their employer, the State of Indiana, in the way their complainants would have liked or deserved. Sadly, that job of uncovering the truth was left to the media and the court system.

There are larger problems that are even more troubling.

The statewide ILEARN results will soon be released and the news is not good. At least $45 million in Indiana tax dollars has likely been wasted since Hoosier school districts, who have already gotten their results, now say they can't be sure the test is an accurate measure of student, teacher and school performance.

What about the $40 million wasted on Indiana Virtual Education, Inc. who may have lied about their enrollment and is now under federal investigation.

And certainly not least of all, there is the scandal at the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Money meant for those who bravely served our country and their families was allegedly misappropriated and in some cases even given to agency employees above the allowed cap.

Where is the oversight? This is an absolute failure of leadership. I never thought I'd long for the days when things were "good enough." One thing is clear, Indiana needs a change.

Dr. Woody Myers is a third-generation Hoosier who is running as a Democrat to be Indiana's next Governor. Dr. Myers served as Indiana State Health Commissioner, was an attending physician at the Wishard Hospital Emergency Room, a teacher, an experienced business executive, and a nationally recognized leader in public health -- focused on improving health care quality for working families. You can find out more by visiting www.drwoodymyers.com.

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