Latest news with #ChuckMoseley
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic leaders share vision for party's future in Valparaiso town hall
State and Porter County leaders discussed the future of the state and national Democratic Party during a town hall Saturday at the Laborers' Local 81 in Valparaiso. The town hall was led by Indiana Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian, State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, and Center Township Trustee Jesse Harper. About 45 people attended the meeting, and a handful of them submitted questions on note cards about the future of the Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm elections, voter turnout, party messaging and engaging younger people to run for office. While a lot of people are mad about the current national political landscape, Harper said an equal amount of people are mad at the Democratic Party. 'They are angry and mad at the Democratic Party. We have to take responsibility for our losses. We have to figure out what happened,' Harper said. 'Everything you're concerned about, I'm going to tell you right now it doesn't mean a damn thing. The reason it doesn't mean a damn thing is because we can't do anything about it because we don't have the votes. The only way we get those votes is by getting Democrats elected.' For the midterm elections, Tallian said the state party has been reaching out to all the county chairs, holding town hall meetings and creating a program to focus on candidate recruitment. 'This year, we're in an off year, we need to build and to recruit candidates,' Tallian said. 'We've got 92 counties, and every one of them has down ballot elections. We have township advisory boards, we have county councils, and now we have school boards. All of these down ballot positions need to get filled.' Every precinct committee person also needs to help with voter registration and canvassing, Tallian said. In 2024, 330,000 Hoosiers registered as Democrats but did not vote, she said. 'One of the things we're trying to do this year is to canvas neighborhoods for those people and find out why,' Tallian said. 'We need to get that done this year so that people can be ready for the elections in 2026.' For Democrats to win in Center Township, Porter County and in Indiana, Harper said Democratic candidates need to secure Republican votes. 'It's not this elusive Independent vote … you've got to get Republican votes,' Harper said. 'The way to do that is you are the adult in the room and you talk about issues that people are scared about.' For example, Harper said health care cuts impact the elderly, children and people with disabilities, which is 'a bipartisan issue' that also allows Democrats to be 'the adults in the room.' One of the questions raised concerns about 'watering down' Democratic values to get Republican votes versus 'doubling down' on Democratic issues to encourage more Democrats to vote. If the party were to double down on Democratic issues, 'there aren't enough Democrats' in Indiana to vote on those issues, Harper said. 'It's a question of mathematics,' Harper said. 'We have to decide what our Democratic messaging is, when we use it and how we use it. I think we can have a strong Democratic message.' When it comes to messaging, Moseley said property taxes, future economic stability and health care are major issues that the Democratic Party can focus on. 'People want to vote for something, not just always against something,' Moseley said. Another important issue in Northwest Indiana is the environment, as it's located near Lake Michigan and environmental protections are rolled back, Pol said. Pol said public education is also an important issue the party could focus on because public education in Indiana has been experiencing a 'death by 1,000 cuts' with each passing legislative session. The state's voucher program allows wealthy families to receive a discount for sending their children to private schools, while public education has been eroding through various pieces of legislation, he said. 'It's the funding of defunding public education, is what it is. We'll give you money to send your kids to a private school, so you don't send your money to a public school,' Pol said. As she talks to people at town halls throughout the state, Tallian said the themes she's heard people should focus on are the economy, 'Big Brother' and stability. Under 'Big Brother,' Tallian said Republican Party leaders 'at the state and federal level are telling us what to think, they're telling us what our universities can do and they're cutting who can go to which schools.' 'The 'Big Brother' aspect of what's going on in this country is, to me, one of the scariest things going on right now,' Tallian said. When it comes to stability, Tallian described the constant switch between tariffs being on and off and chaos caused by the deportation methods under President Donald Trump's administration. 'Things keep moving every day in Washington and you can't keep track of anything,' Tallian said. 'We want to have stability.' When it comes to engaging younger people, Tallian, a former state senator, said Pol took over her seat and he's younger than her youngest child. The party needs to 'build a bench,' Tallian said. 'The bench can't just be people who want to burn everything down and start over. We've seen the burn down, start over (with) DOGE,' Tallian said, referencing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Indiana's Democratic Party leaders at the county level range in age from 22 to 82, Tallian said, and she wouldn't 'throw out anyone' because they are either too young or too old. 'But building the bench is something that we absolutely need to do, and I'm encouraging that every single place I can,' Tallian said. Pol said when he first joined the Senate he was 37 years old and he was the youngest senator at the time. Pol said he's now 41 years old and he's still the youngest Senator. 'I think that's criminal because there are younger people who are much smarter than I. There are younger people who have a voice that needs to be heard,' Pol said. Pol encouraged young people to get involved in political groups and organizations to have their voices heard and engage in the process. Moseley said anyone coming to town halls or other political events should bring a younger person they know to the event to educate them on the process. 'It's up to us to let them know, 'Hey, you are welcome,'' Moseley said. Tallian has come under fire after an IndyStar opinion piece written by Elise Shrock, sharing her story of being dragged out by sheriff's deputies from an Indianapolis City-County Council meeting earlier this month for seeking accountability for survivors of sexual assault. Shrock shared her disappointment with the state Democratic Party's silence on the issue. In response to a question about the situation Saturday, Tallian said it's 'partially an Indianapolis problem.' Referencing her written statement issued after the op-ed was published, Tallian said just days apart, she saw U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from California shoved to the ground and handcuffed at a news conference in Los Angeles, and in Indianapolis, multiple women were shoved out of a public meeting. 'Forcibly removing people from a public meeting is not the way that we fix our problems in this country,' Tallian said. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Porter County first with program to aid autism interactions with police
Porter County will be the first in Indiana to offer countywide the Blue Envelope Program, which is designed to foster better communication during a traffic stop between those on the autism spectrum and law enforcement. In December, the Porter County Commissioners gave their blessing to the Porter County Sheriff's Office to participate in the program that was started in Portage Township. State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, in this current legislative session introduced House Bill 1179 to institute the Blue Envelope Program statewide. The bill failed to make it out of committee. However, Moseley was able to convince the state's Bureau of Motor Vehicles to start a pilot program in Porter County, where the blue envelope materials will be available to the public at the Valparaiso and Portage BMV branches, said Joyce Russell, the Portage Township community relations and outreach director who also heads the Portage Township Autism Action Coalition. Russell said after a meeting with Porter County Sheriff Jeff Balon and police chiefs on Wednesday, all of the law enforcement agencies in the county agreed to participate and become distribution points for the Blue Envelope Program. 'It's a big deal. We are the first in Indiana to do this. Porter County can now be a model for the rest of Indiana,' Russell said. 'It's also a good thing that Porter County is becoming more sensory friendly and aware of autism.' Russell said she hopes that the blue envelopes can be available by around April 1. For now, the blue envelopes are available at the Portage Township offices, Portage Police and the Porter County Sheriff's Office. The way that the Blue Envelope Program works is the person on the autism spectrum puts their driver's license, registration and contact information inside the envelope to be placed inside the vehicle. A message can also be included to advise the officer about special conditions the driver might have. A blue envelope sticker is placed on the back window to alert a law enforcement officer that they are dealing with a driver who is on the autism spectrum. The envelope also has instructions to aid the driver with autism if they are stopped, such as to make sure they keep their hands on the steering wheel and to roll their window down. A person on the autism spectrum can start 'stimming' — engaging in repetitive body movements like rocking back and forth — because they are stressed out by the traffic stop, Russell said. That can lead to a law enforcement officer misunderstanding the situation. Russell said she believes the program, which has been used in other states, is 'simple and effective.' 'It can save lives from an incident gone bad,' Russell said. Since January, Russell said that 20 blue envelope packets have been handed out by Portage Township. The material has been available at the Porter County Sheriff's Department and Portage Police Departments. Eight states have the Blue Envelope Program in place. Russell said she hopes that the program can spread to neighboring Lake and LaPorte counties and eventually statewide. 'We will have the state see this is a program that's important and will make a difference,' Russell said.
