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As governor, what would you do boost the economy of rural Indiana?
Indiana’s future will not be successful without a prosperous, vibrant rural economy. We cannot ignore the vast potential of its land and its residents and expect to compete and win in the global market.
We must end the top-down strategy of economic development in which local officials and companies are merely an afterthought.
While our biggest cities garner the most attention, anyone traveling the state will tell you our rural areas are where our true strength may be found.
As a native of southwestern Indiana, I understand both the foundation for this divide and the roadmap for bridging it.
In my capacity as lieutenant governor, I serve as Indiana’s secretary of agriculture and rural development. We work with Hoosiers in rural Indiana every day. I’ll take my experiences with me into the Governor’s Office.
While our agricultural business numbers are staggering (contributing $35.1 billion annually to the Hoosier economy), rural Indiana has so much more to offer economically.
As lieutenant governor, I led the $256 million state program through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs to expand broadband in rural areas. Our Next Level Connections and IN Connectivity Program awarded this funding across 81 counties, expanding broadband access to more than 70,000 homes and businesses.
An increased broadband network means more Hoosiers have access to a larger job market, students have more education options and businesses can recruit talent in rural areas more effectively. As governor, I’ll make sure Hoosiers are connected to the last mile.
And as governor, I will ignite rural Indiana’s economic engine. We will focus on barriers such as child care, housing and transportation, unleashing an untold amount of economic activity.
Additionally, I would maximize the expertise at Purdue University when it comes to the agricultural biosciences. Indiana should be a worldwide leader in this field and the jobs and economic stimulus it creates.
A Crouch administration would also reform and restructure the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to ensure leaders from our rural communities, especially agriculture, have a voice.
The exclusion of rural and agricultural communities from discussion about the proposed LEAP District is the main reason it has become so controversial.
It’s also one of the reasons I’ve pledged, as governor, to create a statewide water plan. Rural Indiana isn’t just a spigot for our state’s urban centers and mystery projects.
As governor, I would continue investing in Indiana’s Main Street initiatives which I oversaw as lieutenant governor. They’ve helped create investments of more than $2 billion in the past seven years. Rural communities cannot be successful without a vibrant main street.
All Hoosiers deserve to be full participants in our prosperous economy. As governor, I will ensure that rural Indiana and the Hoosiers who call it home are not left behind.•
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Crouch, a Republican, is Indiana’s 52nd lieutenant governor. She also served as Indiana’s state auditor from 2014 to 2017 and was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives. Send comments on this column to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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