Gubernatorial candidate John Gregg spoke directly about students leaving Indiana for employment after graduating due to the lack of good job opportunities.
On Friday, Gregg visited the Delaware County Democratic Party Headquarters to talk about the issues facing citizens, including employment, which he said worries most Hoosiers.
The Democratic candidate said employment and education issues are intertwined. If there are no jobs for graduates, they will leave the state, which he said is unacceptable. He said he understands some graduates will leave Indiana because they are looking for something different, but he doesn't want any graduates to leave Indiana because they can't find a job.
"If you're going because there's no opportunities, that's kind of shame on me, shame on the [state's] leaders," Gregg said.
If elected, Gregg said he plans to create a program targeting college students to give them incentive to stay in Indiana. Not all the details about the program are available because it has not yet been announced to the public.
Gregg is running against Republican Mike Pence and Libertarian Rupert Boneham.
Pence, a lifelong resident of Indiana like Gregg, visited Muncie in January. According to a Daily News report, he is also making jobs his number one priority.
In 2009, the Daily News reported that Pence brought more than $7.2 million to Delaware County. Pence said almost $300,000 of that grant went to Ball State.
Boneham is also focused on employment issues, but rather than create jobs, he would like to see state government develop a business environment that encourages entrepreneurship and greater job training and placement, according to his campaign's website.
He said he also believes in improving schools by allowing more choices for parents. Boneham said he would like to see change in government by eliminating wasteful spending and reforming the election process.
Besides employment issues, Gregg said he wants to focus on making higher education more affordable and encouraging citizens to take advantage of in-state universities, including Ball State.
"I get excited thinking about what Ball State has done," Gregg said. "I've been amazed. ... It's an asset to the state of Indiana."
Members of Ball State University Democrats attended the event to show their support for Gregg.
Nolan Born, a senior political science major and president of University Democrats, said education is one of the biggest issues for him in the election.
"I would like to stop what's going on right now and put more focus on public education," Born said. "Ball State has received millions of dollars in budget cuts, and we're going in completely the opposite direction of where we need to go."
Dameon McCoy, a junior political science and business major, attended the event with the University Democrats, and said he would also like to see changes in education.
"So much has already been done, but more can be done as far as making college education more affordable," he said.
Gregg said because he is not a career politician, he will be the most effective candidate for bringing about more bipartisanship and change to government.
"We don't [change] from the top down," he said. "The best ideas don't come from Washington, D.C., that's a broken system. We've got to be able to do it from the bottom up."
Born said he believes Gregg would be the best candidate for governor.
"I think he has the best of both worlds," Born said. "He's lived in Indiana his whole life. He's been in politics his whole life, but he's been out for a while, so he can offer a new perspective. He knows what the Indiana voters are going through."
Gregg ended the meeting by asking for everyone's help in the upcoming election.
"I may be the name on the ballot, but we all are running," Gregg said. "The best ambassadors I can have are each and every one of you sitting around here today."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
