Sarah Shydale

Candidate Q&A

How do you plan to work across party lines in the Statehouse to get legislation passed, especially given the Republican supermajority?

One of my priorities would be to remind the Republicans in the Statehouse that even though we are a minority, we are still representative of those in our districts. To not sit down or be quiet when they are debating topics that puts life and limb on the line, and to be a constant reminder that progressive policies should be sought over the conservative when there is nothing left for the average citizen to conserve.

In your view, what was the most important issue to come out of this year’s legislative session, and how did you or would you have approached legislating the issue?

SB182, I didn’t even have to look it up because it’s been occupying my mind so much. This bill was nothing but pure hate and discrimination manifest, the fact that it got as far as it did is repugnant and if I were in the chambers, I would be spending every waking moment to prevent it from passing.

Companies proposing data centers in Indianapolis had touted jobs and local tax revenue as benefits. Residents, many of whom have fiercely opposed the proposals, are concerned about pollution, energy bills and property values. What is your stance on the future of data centers in Indianapolis?

Data centers provide many construction jobs up front, but only a few hundred max ongoing after construction is complete. Considering the noise they produce and how they siphon Indiana’s water and power with reckless abandon, they do not belong here. At the minimum data centers should be located FAR FAR away from population centers. At most, the construction of them should be banned.

Indianapolis residents are facing steep increases to the cost of living at the same time federal benefits are being pulled back. What is one policy you would pursue to ease the financial burden of your constituents?

Rent controls. The average person is being bled dry by many things, but one of the bigger ones is sky high rents. Usually prioritized under homeowners, we need to allow those renting the financial ability to breathe come the start of each month. No more than 600 to 700 dollars per bedroom in an apartment or house. Following this we also need to build more low cost, safe housing to meet demand.

More than 1 in 10 Marion County residents were born outside the country. President Donald Trump’s administration is pursuing a immigration agenda that has led to mass detentions and at times resulted in the deaths of citizens and noncitizens. What is your role in maintaining the safety and due process rights of immigrants and other residents in Marion County?

Nothing short of kicking ICE out of the state will suffice. If we need to make the federal government accountable for their actions, so be it.

How should public dollars be spent on education? Do you support property tax funding for charter schools? Should Indiana fund students’ tuition to attend private schools?

Public money for public schools, private money for private schools. We must properly fund our public schools before gallivanting off to shirk the first amendment and fund religious schools through the voucher system (itself needs to be either reworked completely or tossed)