Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Miller picked up the party flag Monday, denouncing the misdirection of Gov. Frank O'Bannon and proposing his own initiatives of tax cuts and leadership for Indiana.
"Frank O'Bannon and (Lt. Gov. Joe) Kernan and the Democrats have it all wrong," he said. "The problem is that they are spending too much.
"Sixteen years is long enough to not have a Republican governor in Indiana."
Miller did, however, tell his Republican audience that his campaign was not solely about party, but principles.
Government, he said, is about people, and the governor should be meeting those people.
"We're going to reach out to everybody," he said. "We'll reach out to the Republicans, Democrats and Independents."
Reaching out was important for higher-education issues as well, Miller said. He proposed culling together the presidents of Indiana's universities to discuss the needs of education, and he said there needs to be a link between universities, the governor and the private sector.
He suggested universities could "loan" administrators or professors to the government to discuss issues specific to universities. He also said the governor could help find grants for universities.
"The governor needs to be our No. 1 salesman," he said.
Both the legislature and O'Bannon have said they may have to make cuts in education funding to help make up costs. According to Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale, the General Assembly has been favorable to education the past two years, increasing funding by three to five percent when no new money was coming in.
"We may have to ask for that money back," Espich said.
Miller did not say one way or the other if he would cut funding if similar circumstances occurred.
He said, however, he would listen to Ball State administrators' concerns, and he expressed the need to move away from short-term goals. He said the governor should work with universities to consider long-term plans, similar to the Strategic Plan currently in place at Ball State.
Many of Miller's proposals Monday night rang true to those issues supported primarily by Republicans this legislative session, including the abolition of the inventory tax and cutting spending before education.
"You don't need to cut education," he said. "That's a scare tactic."
Miller was referring to O'Bannon's recent warning of an impending budget cut, one which would affect schools, O'Bannon said.
O'Bannon blamed the General Assembly for failing to pass House Bill 1004, which had addressed the projected $1.3 billion budget deficit until it reached the Senate.
Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst, R-Greenwood, drafted a version of the bill that did not address $1.3 billion shortage.
Without any attempt to shore up the deficit, O'Bannon said, he would be forced to make cuts.
"I am angry," O'Bannon told the Indianapolis Star Friday. "At the time when we needed vision, some closed their eyes. At a time when we needed leadership, some turned their backs. At a time when we needed courage, some chose to do nothing."
Borst and other Republicans defended their version, saying the state should cut spending before it raises taxes.
Miller took a similar defense during his speech, and he cited one state expenditure in which the government was paying a consultant $372 an hour.
Miller, who spoke at MCL Cafeteria in the Muncie Mall, is founder of Advance America, a conservative advocacy group.
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