What would be your top priority as Indiana comptroller?

Bring real discussion to the State Board of Finance. That board moves millions of dollars between state funds, and its meetings have routinely ended in under three minutes with no recorded discussion. The Comptroller holds one of three seats on it. That is not oversight, and I will not sit through it quietly. I will ask the questions before the money moves.

What qualifies you to serve as state comptroller?

Porter County elected me Clerk in 2018 and reelected me in 2022. My office manages court funds and keeps records that people count on being accurate. Before that I spent six years on the Portage Township School Board.

The Comptroller pays more than 33,000 state workers, pays the state’s bills, and sends money to every county, city, town, and school in Indiana. If that money is late or wrong, people feel it.

Porter County has trusted me with this office for two terms. I was named Clerk of the Year by the Association of Indiana Counties, and my office won a National Clearinghouse Award from the federal Election Assistance Commission. Those awards are about running an office people can trust. Now I want to do that job for every Hoosier as their Comptroller.

As the agency responsible for managing the Indiana Transparency Portal, how would you make the portal more useful for residents?

I would work directly with stakeholders and Hoosiers to test the portal to ensure it is user-friendly and provides the information residents want. Like the rollout of any information technology, we should strenuously test so that we are delivering up to the expectations of our customers — in this case, the residents of Indiana.
I would also make sure we use best practices in bids and monitoring for any contract to upgrade the portal. We have seen too often how insider deals and no bid contracts end up costing taxpayers money and delivering subpar results. I am not beholden to special interests and I will only look out for Hoosiers.

Since the “Find A Person” dashboard was taken off of the state government’s website, would you advocate for including details such as job title and contact information for state employees on the Indiana Transparency Portal?

Yes. These are state employees paid with taxpayer money. If you are trying to reach the person handling your permit or claim, you need a name, a job title, and a way to make contact. I would keep it to work information only. Public servants should be reachable at work.