Vigo Commissioner candidates field questions at forum

Mental health, Wabash Valley Resources and budgets were among the subjects discussed when Vigo County Commissioner candidates running against one another in the May 7 primary participated in a candidate forum Wednesday evening at the Vigo County Public Library.

Republicans running for Vigo County Commissioner in District 2 are incumbent Chris Switzer and challenger Anthony Rubinacci. Democrats running for the same position are Dillon Moss and Courtney Indiana Weger. Moss’s absence at the forum was not explained.

Indiana State University Political Science professor Levi Allen asked the candidates questions from the audience.

Switzer said that mental health is his number one focus and said county government should put more attention on it, repeatedly stating that those with addiction problems should not be in jail but receiving help in overcoming their problems and re-assimilating into society.

Rubinacci, an ISU political science student, touted the school’s mental health initiative and said that it would be a top priority for him.

Weger, who is Vigo County Councilwoman Vicki Weger’s nephew, said, “Mental health is a big thing,” and advocated pairing recovering addicts with shelter dogs to help them on their road to sobriety.

Several questions involved Wabash Valley Resources being allowed to construct two deep underground injection wells for carbon dioxide in West Terre Haute and Vermillion County. House Bill 1209, allowing carbon sequestration in those locations, was passed in April 2023 without any input from local commissioners.

Switzer said, “The Commissioners found out the same way everyone did, by getting a letter from the [Environmental Protection Agency].” He added that the only way they could respond was by coming up with a plan to ensure public safety. He also noted that Commissioners were able to prevent a similar project by not allowing a site to be rezoned.

Rubinacci said the county needed to have better connections in Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis to prevent similar legislation in the future.

Weger called the legislation “miscommunication that shouldn’t be.”

Asked about what the role of commissioners should be in preserving historical properties, Switzer told the story of the Markle Mill Dam, which presented itself as a public danger and needed to be removed despite public sentimental fondness for it. After receiving grants, he added, the county only paid 20% of the project’s price.

Rubinacci said restoring the Indiana Theatre would “be huge for the county.” Weger advocated applying for grants for the rehabilitation of historic preservation.

The candidates were asked about their experiences managing budgets. Rubinacci, as a college student, and Weger said they didn’t have much, while Switzer said he has managed his family budget, the budget of a small business he once ran and the county’s budget.

A question about debt was met with Rubinacci and Weger merely suggesting spending less. Switzer noted the county’s bond rating is AAA, that it only owes money on the Convention Center and new jail, and that there were projects that could benefit from higher budgets.

The candidates all agreed that all future projects must be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations and that demolishing blighted homes was a necessity and a positive, though Weger gave an example of a demo project area that had not been cleaned up in months.

Republican incumbent District 3 Commissioner Mike Morris and Democratic challenger Tony Kassissieh are running unopposed during the primary and will compete against one another on the November ballot. They participated in the post-forum meet-and-greet with those in attendance.

Kassissieh, a news cameraman for a local TV station, said he signed an agreement that the station’s logo would not appear in any of his campaign materials — he could not be seen wearing a shirt or driving a company vehicle with the logo visible. He is also not covering any story for the station involving county politics.

Future candidate forums will feature those running for Vigo County Council on March 27 and Indiana House of Representatives on April 2. They will begin at 6 p.m. at the Vigo County Public Library.

Candidate forums are co-sponsored by the Greater Terre Haute NAACP and the Tribune-Star.

Primary election Day is May 7. Early voting begins April 9.