An Indiana state senator who secured millions of dollars for projects at Ball State University during his almost 27 years in office announced Monday his plans to retire at the end of his term next year.
State Sen. Allie Craycraft, D-Muncie, who represents District 26, which is Delaware and Madison counties, said retiring after November 2006 will provide him the opportunity to spend more time with his family. Craycraft has more seniority than any other Democrat in the Senate.
"It's a matter of years that I have had the honor of serving this district, and that's just the result of good people at home who believe in me and have believed in me," Craycraft said at a press conference at the Delaware County Democrat Headquarters in downtown Muncie.
Craycraft, who was first elected in 1978 and is completing his seventh term, said he strove to bring industry to Muncie. He sparked funding for economic development and infrastructure projects at Ball State and throughout Delaware County.
He remembers helping to get the second half of Ball State's Architecture Building built in 1979.
"Every building project that has come to Ball State, I have been instrumental in getting Senate support and getting it through the Senate because it's been important to me," Craycraft said.
Hurley Goodall, who worked for 14 years with Craycraft as a state representative in Muncie, said he and Craycraft were also responsible for securing funds for several other university buildings, including the Robert Bell Building, the Ball Communications Building and John E. Worthen Arena.
"Every single building on campus north of Riverside, we got money for them," Goodall said. "I know Worthen Arena, that's a story in and of itself."
Goodall said late Indiana Gov. Robert D. Orr's "A-Plus" education package, which extended the school year and required student achievement exams, required a Democratic vote to pass because Republicans controlled the House. Goodall agreed to vote for the package as long as the state approved the construction of University Arena. The arena opened its doors in 1992 and was renamed Worthen Arena in 2000.
Craycraft also recalled putting in an amendment to secure funds for the university's chiller plant, which runs campus air conditioning systems. The amendment passed but upset a few people who did not want the plant to be built in Christy Woods, he said.
In addition to sparking much of Ball State's economic development, Craycraft created a state worker's compensation law, enhanced the state's unemployment insurance system and wrote legislation to create Indiana's first veterans cemetery in Madison, Ind., in the mid-1990s. He said he would like to see his seat remain Democratic after next year to provide for a more balanced representation on the Republican-controlled Senate.
"What we need is someone with fresh ideas +â-óGé¼" a tireless worker who will be willing to represent Delaware County and District 26," Craycraft said.
Goodall said the move to keep Craycraft's seat Democratic is critical. If not, the Republicans could "go and do anything at all without any kind of debate," he said.
Craycraft currently serves as the assistant minority caucus chairman and is the ranking minority member on the Senate's Ethics Committee, in addition to the Homeland Security, Utilities and Public Policy Committee. He also serves on the Senate's Commerce and Transportation; Natural Resources; and Appropriations standing committees.
Goodall, who is now retired, said he and Craycraft became good friends through their work and were the first black and white legislators to room together.
"I could always tell him what happened in the House and he could tell me what happened in the Senate," Goodall said. "We were never surprised."
Craycraft said he will keep working hard until his final day in office and would like to see more money put into education during the remainder of his term.
"I'm hoping that by the time I'm going, some new revenue has developed, come up in one way or another where we can possibly do some things," Craycraft said.
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