Priority Detail
Housing & Utility Affordability
Young families can't stay if there's nowhere to live. We need smart housing policy that builds communities, not just developments. Same for utilities. Indiana has the steepest electric rate increases in the country. Utility CEOs earn $18 million while 174,000 households get disconnected. That stops.
Pike County hadn't built a new single-family subdivision in Petersburg in over 35 years until the Meadows at Parkview project broke ground in 2024. Holiday World in Spencer County built its own employee housing because workers couldn't find places to live. Crawford County held its first-ever housing summit.
Gibson County Council member Bill McConnell put it plainly: 'We don't need jobs — what we need is residents in this county.' Many of the 7,000+ Toyota employees commute from outside Gibson County because housing and amenities are insufficient.
Housing is both a cause and consequence of population decline. Every county except Dubois is losing people. I'll push for state-level tools that help rural communities build starter homes, reduce regulatory barriers, and attract families who want to put down roots.
Indiana residential electric bills jumped 17.5% in a single year. CenterPoint Energy, which serves most of District 48, now charges the highest residential bills in the state. After the IURC approved an $80 million annual revenue increase, average bills rose about $44 per month.
Three of the nation's largest coal plants sit in our district: Gibson Generating Station, Rockport in Spencer County, and Petersburg in Pike County. Workers face job losses while ratepayers foot the bill for coal-to-gas conversions.
I'll fight for real utility rate oversight, mandatory disclosure of executive compensation in every rate case, a genuine workforce transition plan for energy workers, and consumer protections that prevent utilities from charging ratepayers for dead investments.