‘There are ways to help’ domestic violence situations
To the editor:
As October comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the fact that this month is Domestic Violence Awareness month. While domestic violence and intimate partner abuse is something we should be aware of every month, October is a chance to bring attention to something that affects every single part of Indiana and our nation.
As your prosecutor here in Brown County, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the nature of domestic violence and give the residents of our community some helpful tips on how we can all do our part to combat it.
In Indiana, more than 42% of women and 27% of men experience some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This violence can take the form of physical, verbal, sexual, or psychological abuse including stalking, harassment or intimidation. Sadly, things have only gotten worse over the past few years, due in part to the COVID pandemic.
Too often domestic violence goes unreported for a wide variety of reasons. Many survivors feel trapped, have nowhere else to go, or think no one will believe them. They may have reported in the past with no meaningful results. When there are children and/or pets for the survivor to think of, too. A victim’s reasons for staying in an abusive relationship can be all the more complicated.
But there are ways to help. Make sure to safely check in on your friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances and understand the signs of potential abuse. Some are easier to identify than others such as bruises, black eyes or unexplained injuries. Other signs of physically or emotionally abusive and controlling relationships can be more difficult to spot. These may include abrupt personality changes, loss of self-esteem, constantly checking in with their partner for approval, frequently changing plans, and not visiting family or friend.
If you think someone you know may be suffering from abuse, do not be silent. Talk to the person you are worried about and share your concerns. Listen to them and let them know that you care and are available to help. Continue to check in on them and don’t be afraid to alert the authorities and direct them to available resources.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24/7 and can be reached at (800) 799-7233. Other resources are available such as Turning Point, which offers shelter, advocacy, education, and other resources. The Brown County Prosecutor’s Office employs a full-time Victim Advocate, Jill Seward, who can be reached at (812) 988-5470. Law enforcement officers have the ability to reach Ms. Seward after hours in acute cases.
New refinement in our criminal code also can help protect victims. Recently, Indiana passed a bill that will help domestic violence survivors who might be testifying against their abuser. It adds a possible charge of Obstruction of Justice against anyone who tells a witness to lie or not show up to a court proceeding. Many survivors are bullied into not cooperating by their abuser or the abuser’s family members. This new law should help address that behavior and further protect survivors.
Lastly, I want you to know that our office takes these kinds of cases very seriously and will do our best to ensure abusers in Brown County are held accountable for their criminal actions. I would also invite our entire community to help our fellow citizens in domestic violence situations. Together, we can help provide a safer community for all of our fellow citizens.
Ted Adams, Brown County Prosecuting Attorney
Still time and resources to learn about candidates
To the editor:
Do you know which polling place to go to vote? Do you want to see who is on the ballot this year? And more importantly, do you want to know more about each candidate and their position on important issues? I’ve seen questions on Facebook about where to find those answers and I wanted to share with you information that I have found very helpful. The League of Women Voters has developed a new website that can answer those questions for you, and more! The web address is www.vote411.org and I can attest that it is very easy to use and very informative. To use, you just go to the website, enter your address and the candidates on your ballot are listed. There is a pull down tab where you can select your party preference but you will get more information if you select “all” as you can then see the candidates for school board. If you click on the candidate’s name, the site will take you to each position’s job description.
The League submitted questions to every candidate regarding their position on important issues and you can read each candidate’s answers. As always, some candidates chose not to answer the questions, but many of our local candidates did offer thoughtful insight. You can find state and local candidate information, and it includes school board candidates. Please know that the League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidates, and is a non partisan organization.
The League of Women Voters of Brown County recently co-sponsored candidate forums,and these forums were recorded and are now available via YouTube. You can find the recorded forums at www.lwvbrowncounty.org and learn about our local candidates, and the very important Brown County Schools referendum that is on the ballot this fall.
Learn more about the candidates and exercise your right to vote! Democracy is not a spectator sport. Early voting has started and election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8!
Carol Birkemeier, Brown County
‘Participate in forums for the voters’
To the Editor:
First of all, thanks to the local League of Women Voters for hosting and to the Democrat for publishing the recent question and answer forums involving the candidates running for elected office.
Especially in local elections, I try to decide who to vote for based on what the candidates say are their plans and policies for governing if they are elected, not on their political party affiliation. Other than gossip, I find the League of Women Voters debates often the only way of finding out these details. So it is discouraging when a number of candidates for office decline to participate.
What I can say to the candidates is this: If you want my vote you had better show up for these discussions, or have a very good excuse why you can’t.
Michael Day, Brown County
2022 General Election Candidate Forums thank you
To the editor:
As many readers know Nov. 8, 2022 is Election Day for the 2022 midterm elections. The deadline for registering to vote is over and early voting has begun in the Salmon Room, upstairs in the County Office Annex Building. Recently the League of Women Voters Brown County co-sponsored two weeks of candidate forums which were recorded on zoom and can be accessed at our website www.lwvbrowncounty.org . Candidate information can also be found on www.Vote411.org. This is a valuable function that the league provides for the county in order to inform voters on the candidates’ positions on a variety of topics.
So many thank yous are in order. First I would like to acknowledge our members Shari Frank, Laurie Teal, Sunny Leerkamp and Maddison Miller for their invaluable service – setting up zoom, power point slides, hosting the zoom site and moderating the forums. All this effort takes time and patience. Also an acknowledgement should go out to all the league members who participated in crafting the questions that were asked of all the various would-be office holders. We thank the long list of co-hosts for the forums, who support the importance of giving voters an opportunity to know candidates, including LWV Bloomington-Monroe County, LWV Brown County, LWV South Central IN, Chamber of Commerce Brown County and Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce; NAACP Monroe Co. chapter, Hoosier Action, and more.
This year we did something special teaming up with partners to be able to offer information on more races. A special thank you to Members of the LWV Bloomington -Monroe Co. especially Debora Shaw and the Monroe Co. chapter of NAACP, especially member Maqube Reese. In the shared forums for Brown and Monroe Counties, Maqube welcomed all and asked everyone to VOTE.
We are in a unique position with no incumbents running in our newly drawn districts for US District 9 and State Representative District 62. US District 9 includes 17 counties with Brown Co. plus part of Bartholomew Co. State Representative District 62 includes Brown Co., Monroe Co. and part of Jackson Co.
A big thank you to all the candidates who took time out of their busy schedules to show up and answer live questions on their positions. It’s important to note that all candidates were invited. In the US District 9 race, we heard from Mathew Fyfe (d) and Tonya Millis (L) – Erin Houchin (r) was not present. In State Representative District 62, we heard from Penny Githens (d) who joined Kurtis Cummings (d) of District 46 in order to hold a candidate forum. Dave Hall (r) candidate for D 62 did not participate in the forum or answer questions sent to him by the League for www.Vote411.
Local candidate forums began with Nashville Town Council, where Anna Hofstetter, an incumbent, answered questions alongside newcomer Andi Wilson. Nancy Crocker could not attend due to death in family. Melissa Parker and David Rudd did not participate in the forum, nor did they submit written responses to Vote411.
The following week we held a forum for School Board candidates. Thank you to Carol Bowden (D1); Jenise Bohbrink (D22); Vicky Harden (D2); Kady Lane (D2); Kevin McCracken (D3); and Edward Wojdyla (D3) whose participation made for lively interaction. School board candidates who did not participate were Kevin D. Patrick (D1), Stephen D. Payne (D3), Mark T. Smith, (D3).
The next night a panel discussion was held to explain the School District referendum which is also on the ballot; more information can be found on the School website: http://www.browncountyschools.com.
And finally we hosted candidates for Brown County Commissioner District 2 and County Council Districts 1-4. Participating in this forum were County Council District 4 candidates Jim Kemp and Marcia Taylor. Not participating were County Council Candidates Gary Huett (D1), Darren Byrd (D2) and Joel Kirby (D3), although Joel Kirby did participate in Vote411. Commissioner District 2 candidates who joined the forum were Stephanie Kritzer (d) and Jeff Harden (Ind); the third person running, Ron Sanders (r), did not respond to the League forum invitation or submit answers for the Vote411 voters’ guide.
In closing, I want to commend all the candidates who participated as they care to have the voters know their positions. You can see recorded forum videos at our website: www.lwvbrowncounty.org and you can access information about the candidates’ views at www.Vote411.org and at Brown Co. Democrat Voters Guide.
Pam Raider, LWV Brown County Secretary
‘Yes’ referendum vote is ‘crucial’ for school programming
To the editor:
I want to urge each voter in Brown County to vote “Yes” on the Brown County Schools Referendum. A “Yes” vote will ensure that several important initiatives here in Brown County will continue.
These include: The continued operation of the Brown County Career Resource Center, the continued operation of an effective Pre-school program for the young children in our community, and the ability of Brown County Schools to hire (and retain) high quality teachers and support staff to effectively educate all the children in our community.
Quality schools are one of the indicators of adding property value within a community and attracting young families. The schools within our District have earned many distinctions in recent years and they have accomplished this with minimal funding from the state.
Your “Yes” vote is crucial to continue an effective program with choices for our children and their parents. Please strongly consider giving your support to our children, the single most valuable resource in our community. Thank you in advance for your support of the Brown County Schools Referendum.
David Shaffer, Former Superintendent, Brown County Schools
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