Monroe County LWV Candidate Forum - County Clerk and Prosecutor

- All right. to the public forum for candidates for county clerk. I'm your moderator, - Alana Stonebreaker, from Indiana University Libraries Bloomington and former county council member in This is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington Monroe County. are pleased - to have co-sponsors of IU Pace, Political and Civic Engagement, - Kappa Tau Omega, Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Monroe County Branch NAACP, the Monroe County NOW, and - the South Central Indiana Citizens' Climate Lobby. And let's just give our sponsors and

have forums and so happy that we're able to have this. - And also wanted to thank Katz - who is up in the top bleachers recording our event. So after this event, you should be able to access - the recording. I will take moment to review the ground rules which each of the candidates have accepted. - Candidates respond in turn to questions posed by me, the moderator, rotating which candidate will answer - first. Responses are limited to 90 seconds unless I specify a different time. - Audience members are invited to submit questions on the cards provided. And I believe that we want to - raise the hands of the cards. So there's your card first, so raise your hand if you're interested in - a card in terms of it. Just to give you an idea, as moderator I have about six questions and then we - switch over to questions from the audience. your hand if you need a card or can direct - one from the stage. - Each candidate will then be asked to make a closing statement of one minute. The candidates have agreed - to a civil discourse. I'd like to introduce our

three

candidates on the stage. There's Tanner Branham, - Joe Davis, and Tree Martin Lewis. Martin Lewis,

excuse me.

Lucas. Lucas, Lucas, oh my goodness. - I get extra points already.

- That was the first question, no I'm just kidding. So Lucas, so I'm going to start the first, oh so we're - gonna start with opening statements and we will go in order starting with Tanner.

Great. Hi

off by thanking the League of Women Voters for hosting this event and thank you - to Alana for moderating. - My name is Tanner Branham and I'm running to be your next county clerk. I am experienced and eager to - take on this role. I have been a lifelong resident of southern Indiana, lifelong Hoosier. I got my first - look at what public service looks like through my father who was a, he was a public office holder so - I spent my childhood going out knocking doors with him and getting involved with politics. - And then I went off to college and that led to me to seek a degree in political science studies. - In my 20s, I spent a couple years interning and working at the prosecutor's office and the public defender's - office in Lawrence County. After that, I substitute taught middle school and high school for a couple - years while also managing the bookstore, Inkling's bookstore down in Lawrence County. - For the past seven years I've been an employee at IU. I started out as a tech professional working in - web services support for IU, so maintaining the IU's web presence. That gave me a lot of skills - in technology. After that I went to

the Office

of Enrollment Management where I was an executive assistant. - And I am now currently, I've left IU and I am the chief deputy of the county clerk's office. - I've been a dedicated Democrat my entire life and I'm very excited to

have the

evening, my name is Joe Davis and I wish to be your Monroe - County clerk to make better of Bloomington and Monroe County to serve the people it is time to - for service, a political service. Just let's get it done. I want to thank all of you, the League of - Women Voters, those in attendance, the administration and staff who set up for this event tonight, and - all of you at home who are watching on Facebook Live or watching later on CATS TV, the proceedings of tonight's forum. - elections need to be trusted, accurate, and accessible for all. other roles of the clerk, administration - of the producing and managing records, and serving the people are the other areas that we need - to have the best we can have. And I thank you for listening to - all of our candidacy statements and please join me in electing myself, Monroe County Clerk. Thank you. -

Women Voters

for putting this on tonight. My name is Tree - Lucas and I'm running for Monroe County Clerk. I'm asking you to take - Oh fudge.

you hear

asking you to chance on me. I've done this - work. I've served as both the election supervisor and chief deputy and at times I've done both jobs - simultaneously. I know this office inside and and at times - I've carried the responsibility that be beyond my years. The clerk's isn't political. It's - personal. Let me say that again. The clerk's office not political. It's personal. It's about people. - Every person who walks through those doors deserves respect, kindness,

I believe strongly - in voting and voter participation. Why? Because every voice matters. I've built strong relationships - across our courts and our counties. And

I

know how to lead a team and get the job done. Experience matters. - I'm ready on day one. I appreciate your support.

- All right, this first question, and we're gonna rotate who goes first, so this first question will be - Joe. The County Clerk's webpage lists several functions. How do you anticipate allocating your time - and effort among court case filings and status reports, traffic violations, child support, protective - orders, record requests, and marriage licenses and elections? And there are 90 seconds for each

- I'm sorry, could

you repeat that question? Oh yes, I'm happy to repeat, hang on. The county clerk's - webpage lists several functions. How do you anticipate allocating your effort among court case filings - and status reports, traffic violations, child support, protection orders, records requests, - marriage licenses, and, one of the important ones for us, elections?

- I have the full faith and confidence of the existing staff in the voter registration office, in the - general clerks area where people file, be it to the courts or for a marriage certificate or a death - certificate is filed. Or if a person needs to address something, a civil matter or even a defense, a - criminal defense matter, - The clerk is the gatekeeper to the accurate filings of all of these documents and acknowledgments. clerk's office already is staffed with people who are doing a great job, but together we will improve - that job and we will provide even more clarity in what one must do in achieve their action - goal. This is what I will do - and my direct experience over the course of my life through being a practicing jurist, making many, - many legal filings over the past three to four years full-time, my past experience as a contractor when - I've had to seek redress through a property loan, lien, or getting married and eventually divorced. - through the clerk's office.

together we will improve and build upon the best system that we - can do as a community. Thank you. Tre, same

question. When you look

it is daunting. - We do so much in the department. Not only do we have all the legal aspects, but throw on top of that - elections. - How the office runs now is very efficient. The employees are wonderful. We also have technology that - helps us. We have technology such as Odyssey e-filing. It your, the person can file it home in - their pajamas. If they're se, they don't need an attorney, they can file themselves. And then that - filing goes to different areas of the department. If you're in small claims, you handle all the small - claims issues. - If you're in the divorce, you handle those. Protective orders, we've department too. The office - runs smoothly because we have good people. My goal is communicate with my people, but also listen - to the people that come into the office. They're not in familiar territory, we are. And the main goal - I have is to listen, and I mean truly listen, - Sometimes you're so busy trying to figure out the answer that you don't listen. If I don't know the - answer, I'll find it. My goal is simple, to treat

and professionalism. -

clerk's office has a lot of different responsibilities and I feel - like I would handle those equally. - Going back to the exact question, see, I would use my time equally among the various responsibilities - within the office. I have a lot of great experience working at IU, doing project management and working - with a variety of different departments to handle different issues. And that's the kind of

to bring into the clerk's office. Awesome, thank you. All right, our starting question is Tree. - Do you support or oppose having vote centers in Monroe County? And what would you do to

your - position? Vote centers, I love them. For the simple reason, on provisional day, we have to cast out - so many votes because people went to the wrong Can you vote? Absolutely you can vote. You - can vote anywhere you show up. Will your count? No, it won't. - the board will not accept your vote, and it's thrown out. If we had vote centers, all of those votes - would matter. Everyone would still have that voice. totally support vote centers. Now, to - get it accomplished, we would have to get another to agree with us. How do we get them to - with us? Well, we don't shove things down people's throat. We listen. - Oh, there's that word again, listen. to what they have against vote centers and see if we can - change it. Sometimes it may just be the location of the vote center. We have to meet everybody's needs, - can we? I don't know, but we can make compromises, but we won't even know about these compromises unless - we have those honest conversations with both sides' listenings, both sides' giving, and both sides' - Compromising. Vote centers are a great thing. Location is a great thing. The cost on the county, it - will better for that too, because we don't have to buy all those ballots. All those ballots that - we shred after the election. So it's cost saving too in the long term. Do I have the money in

Tanner, same question.

- Yes, I am an extremely strong supporter of vote centers. When we had the vote center referendum last - year, I left public comment to the elections board in support of vote centers. I've been a strong advocate - for vote centers in the county. As for bringing them to the county, it's all about collaboration and - compromise, as Tree just said. Unfortunately, we live in a Republican-dominated state. We do have an - elections board that has - a Republican member, and we need to work with them in

centers to the county.

with my colleagues. I think that vote centers are a way of the future, but it - comes down to a question of convenience versus efficiency. If they're vote centers, that probably means - that it's going to be necessary to close some of the existing precincts - Some of those are very disparate from the center of Blooming or the center of Monroe County. - So those folks, those very rural locations, they will need to be able to have other convenient means - of getting registered to vote or voting on the ballot. That means an increased outreach with mail-in - voting. That means trying to enable the most - opportunity for early voting so that people can early vote when they come into Bloomington. - So vote centers, yes, but we have to consider that with vote centers, probably they'll be closing the - closing of many of our more rural precincts. And that is hard on the elderly. It's hard on the student - who might be going to Ivy Tech - who lives out almost at the reaches of one of our neighboring counties. So let's continue to have this - discussion, make sure that it's transparent, and bring the most logical way for us to have everyone - be able to access the equally with equity. Thank you very much.

- Next question, I think we're starting next with Tanner. Okay, so this position is a department head - who manages a staff of people. What experiences do you bring to that part of the role and what is your - approach and philosophy to managing people?

Yeah, so I've been very lucky throughout my career to have - a lot of really great managers and I hope to just bring their spirit to the office. - I also have a bit of experience managing people myself. I've been a campaign manager here locally, so - I've had a lot of experience managing volunteers for multiple campaigns. I also, as I mentioned earlier, - I worked briefly as a manager of a small bookstore, which is a great experience, you know. So I have - a lot of experience managing people there. And then during my time at IU, in the Office of Enrollment - Management, I was not exactly a manager, - I was an executive assistant for someone who was a manager and I worked very closely with them with - managing their multiple groups and departments. So yeah, I bring a good management experience - and I just wanna bring a spirit of

understanding to the office

Growing up, - I have had to manage farm operations. my longest career as a natural builder, a designer and - I needed to manage my crews and bring on new crews often seasonally. And the thing that I learned - over all these years is that people have their own strength and confidence in their abilities and if - one fosters - independence and gives them some leeway such that they can be the captain make decisions appropriate - to them but verified by myself, then I can guarantee a very successful team, a collaborative team where - everyone looks to push the team in I see no reason - to believe that that's not already in existence in our Monroe clerk operations. I believe though, - however, that there is always opportunity for And that means from the newest clerk who - was just hired on and in training to the most experienced other staff members, everyone should be feel - free to make - contact with the boss My door will always be open because that's what

is necessary

for the best - of Service to the people. Thank you sure you same question

Supervising of people

it come naturally? - I think it when I was chief deputy I supervised about 40 people in the office and - as election supervisor during the election cycle, that number would rise from 250 to 300. Did I - a personal relationship with the 300? No, I did not. But they knew what they could expect from me. I - had their backs. When that phone rang, I answered it. When they had a problem, I sought a solution. - People are not disposable. If they have a bad day, we all have bad days, don't we? - And we don't do our jobs as wonderfully as we did the day before. And that's understandable. - If it's a habit, it's one thing. If it's standard procedure, it's another. Corrective training is the - answer. Not firing someone. When someone walks out that door, you've invested time in them, invested - money in them, there goes knowledge. Institutional, - Knowledge. You can't replace institutional knowledge. So if you have a problem with an employee, you - speak to that employee. You make a plan for corrective training. You communicate. You might find out - that the person hates their job and would rather do protective orders. Then that's where you should - move them. Everyone has a personality. Everyone has a life. Work is only part of that life. There has - to be a balance

between work

and home.

- And I think Joe is next. And the question that we have is one submitted from the audience that I wanted - to put in here, which is, do you see it as the clerk's role to increase voter registration and voter - turnout? And if so, how Do you need me to repeat

it? Yeah, Joe. Could you

please - repeat it? Yeah. Do you see it as the clerk's role to increase voter registration and voter turnout?

do this? Yes. - It is the clerk's role to However, the has to operate within the bounds - of statutory and rule of law when it comes to the election rules in the state of Indiana. - Now, some of these things are constantly changing. That means that the clerk needs to be abreast of - what lawsuits are happening and where they might be going because when they take effect, one - able to turn on a dime. Democracy requires the maximum accessibility to every voter. That is where the - power is that - can unlock that individual and turn them from a victim who thinks that they have no control over their - life to the point where they are powerful. And maybe it starts only one vote, but that could be - the launch pad for them to do other things. And all of a sudden, if we become a community of powerful then we can change our community for the better - much more easily because especially when this happens, partisan politics all fall away because it's - who you, is your neighbor, your friend, and your family member that is important. Thank you very much. - All right,

Trudy, next question. Same question. This

matters a me, and I've put some - research in it, so I'm gonna tell you what I feel. - I believe the clerk's office plays a critical role in making voting accessible while always remaining - nonpartisan. There's that word again, nonpartisan. And if we're serious about strengthening voter engagement, - we have to focus on four things. Clear information, accessibility, smart technology, and real community - outreach. First, engagement starts with understanding. - Voters deserve clear, consistent information about registration deadlines, early voting, and where to - vote. And we have to do a better job of reaching younger people, meeting them in schools and on the - digital platforms they use every day. Second, accessibility matters. Voting location and hours must - be convenient, well publicized, and supported by real people - who can answer questions and help voters when they need it. Third, technology should make things easier, - not harder. I will continue improving online tools so voters can quickly check their registrations, - understand their options, and feel confident walking into the process. And finally, true engagement. - What does that mean? It means up, partnering with schools, - local offices and community organizations.

Yeah. Yes. Getting people

- registered to vote and to participate in our electoral process is something I'm deeply passionate about. - I am currently the chair of the Monroe County Young Democrats. And in that role, I've been tabling at - every possible event we can to get young people engaged with politics and registered to vote. - So I'm very passionate about that. And in the office, I hope to do a lot more voter outreach, especially - using modern tools, modern technology. Social media, obviously, that's where people are, and that's - how you have to reach them these days if you

yeah, thank you. - Thank you all. My next question is going to be for Tree. And the question kind of relates to that same question. - How will you approach ethics, transparency, and conflicts of interest so people can trust the decisions make? Let me know if you need

That's a big word itself with a - lot of meaning. I think I'm a very ethical person, and I hope that my life that I've lived has shown - of my ethics. I go into the office, I view it as nonpartisan. - There's that word again. Meaning everybody can walk in and we help everybody regardless of their party - affiliation. At this time there is no conflict of interest with me. believe - that the office is nonpartisan. People are people wherever they go. If walk in that door I'm gonna help you. Try to your need. Answer your questions. Listen to your concerns. - and provide help if I need to. There's a big difference between giving legal and trying to steer - people in right direction. The clerk's office cannot give legal advice, but we can steer them in - the right directions. I can give them the number to Middle Way House. I can give them the number to - the shelter, the Shalom Center. suggest the rise. So ethics, integrity, - Conflict of interest, I'm good Thank you.

to Tanner, and I'm - gonna repeat the question again in terms of it. How will you approach ethics, transparency, and conflicts - of interest so people can

trust

you make? Well, I of course wanna bring a non-partisan - attitude to the office. I wanna work bipartisan with our - you know, Republicans, I want them to feel welcome in the office. I want to treat my personal political - views as separate, right? Tanner, the political activist, the campaign manager is different from Tanner, - the clerk's employee, the clerk, potential future clerk. So yeah, that's how I want to approach the - office and ensure that there is no ethical concerns there. - Transparency, I want the office to be as transparent as possible. I want our data to be accessible

for people

Thank you. Joe, same question. When it comes to gaining - the trust of the public, it is based on the ethics of the office staff, - the ability for the office to be transparent in how they conduct their role according to the law, and - should there ever be any sort of problem or issue that it's quickly revealed and there are measures - taken to correct that oversight or whatever the issue might be. That's how one trust - So obviously, - We know that the office is all about service. There is no partisanship at all that should be found there, - even though some of the staff have to Republican or they have to be Democrat in order to be able - to check each other in the voter registration office where people visit the people who come in to be

vote. There can be always improvements - and tools that can be created to help individuals better understand what their options are. And these - self-help tools can help that individual decide for themselves. It doesn't mean that the clerk is providing - legal advice. Providing the many options that are available so people can serve themselves is always - the way that we should be heading toward a better, efficient, - system for us all.

My next question is for Tanner in terms of it. And it is, what - is your top priority to support women, LGBTQ plus folks, and marginalized genders in Monroe County?

Great. So for protecting LGBTQ folks, continuing to be an advocate for LGBTQ rights, and particularly - same sex marriage, and respectively, clerk's office, right? - Of course, a lot of that is dependent on state law, state and federal law, but remaining to be compliant - with those and continuing to support same-sex marriage is top priority. Supporting women, I have been - very lucky to have so many amazing women that I've worked with throughout my career and in the office. - There are so many amazing women who work there and I want to continue to support those employees - in the office. Also lot more voter outreach to those communities. So as I had said previously, - in my personal capacity camp tabled at different events throughout the county and just encouraging voter - registration among those groups to support them. Thank you. I'm just going to pause and

if you - have any questions, we're nearly to the end of our questions. So put your hand up high. - Ralph or someone else can come and get them if you have

them in terms of it. So Joe,

same question. - And would you mind repeating that again? Oh yeah. What is your top priority

folks and marginalized genders in Monroe County? My top priority to support women, the LGBTQ community - and other minorities - Be they trans or even they just be black and brown people who are very vulnerable these days in our - those ways to support them is to keep the clerk's office and the courts and the jail - downtown where they belong. They have been here for over 100 years ever since the inception of Monroe County. - It needs to stay here. This is where the population center is. This is where people's, the groups that - serve the communities who need the most assistance are located. Moving the jail and the courts and the - clerk's office out to the North Park area makes whatsoever. Providing more free legal, Indiana - free legal help kiosks around - the city of Bloomington besides just the public library and the Charlotte T. Justice Center would - help. We need to have some of these in other towns and also in the courthouse itself and city hall here in Bloomington. People can help themselves. They just need to be able to see some tools that can show them - The way forward, that is well how I will help the women, the LGBT

community and those minorities that - need the best support here in town. Thank you. Same question. My

top priority for

women is basically - keep marching forward. We've gained ground, but there's more to do. As for the LGBTQ plus community, - My advice is if you need someone to stand with you, I you want to get married, I do those marriages. Why? Because everybody has a life. Everybody needs to be a part of our society. We can't branch off - into different sections of the world. We have to work together. We have to be a part of the team. - don't like how we always find differences in each other. I would rather we find what we have in common. - Common ground so we can discuss things and we can work on things together. Collaboration, that's wonderful. - If the county opens back up and there would be jobs again, because you know we're in a freeze right - now, I would hire anyone that applied. If they could do the job and up for work,

So this next question is for Joe. - Under current laws, ballots cast during early voting cannot be scanned until election day. Do you think - earlier scanning should be allowed, and what concerns or benefits might this introduce? this - one, I'm just going to give people a minute, because I think it's a little bit more straightforward - of a

So, okay, go ahead. Oh, yeah, I can totally,

I guess it's not a straightforward question. - Under current laws, ballots cast during early voting cannot be scanned until election day. Do you think - earlier scanning should be allowed, and what concerns or benefits might this introduce? So earlier scanning

and mail-in ballots. My position on the scanning of early voting ballots is - no way, no how, - scan them on election There are too many risks. If there was scanning before that time, it puts - the anonymous secret ballot component at risk. People are supposed to be able to cast their ballot without - anyone knowing who they have cast their, you know, - office holder ballot choices. It's important that everybody feel confident that their vote is accurate, - but yet it must secret. Otherwise, we stand a chance of losing the public's trust. Just - how often we get that our data has been compromised. We must protect this at all costs. - Thank

you. So Tre, same question. And I'm just going to read it. Under current laws, ballots cast during - early voting cannot be scanned until election day. Do you think earlier scanning should be allowed? - And what

and concerns might this introduce? OK. I'm almost squirming to answer this question. - I've worked early voting. I do believe we should scan early. There is no way to connect the ballot to - the voter. They walk up to the scanner, and they put it in. - Boom, it's gone. There's 100 other ballots there. I don't know which one is yours. It's a great thing. - On election day, all we have to do is pull that V drive, and that's what it's called, a V drive, put - it into tally, and then the ballot is totaled. It's not totaled when it is put into the scanner. That - doesn't take place until we put it into system called tally. Oh, the dead voter law. How could we - get around that? - Your vote doesn't count if you vote early and you die on the way home. Your vote only counts on election - day. So what do we do about that? Oh, we can go in and do a, what's the word? A trunfication of the number. I don't know you voted, but I can find your ballot and I don't know, I can't see it, - but I could actually take that ballot out of the V drive. So that vote is Dead voter laws. - You have to live in the state of Indiana to vote. And if you're dead, you're

credit for that. Someone

told me that and it was like, oh, it's that light bulb moment. I understood. - am I in favor of early voting scanning? Absolutely, I am.

- All right, let's move on to Tanner now. I

would request it, yeah. So yeah, I would say that I would - support it, yes, as well. It is an issue that I want to do more research on, just on kind of the pros - and cons. Obviously, the big pro is that we get the election results faster, which who can argue with - that, get to count votes faster. So yeah, I

would support it. Awesome. So - a question from the audience, and I think - Who are we at? Oh, we're at Tree. So why did you feel the need to run for county clerk? And is there - a specific opportunity or problem that we

run for - the clerk comes from something simple but I have a deep commitment to public service and a - belief that experience accuracy and integrity truly matter. - Public service is not new me. It's who I am. It's been the center of my career and my connection - to the community. I'm running for clerk because this office matters. It's essential to making sure our - courts run efficiently, transparently, and correctly every single day. I've spent years working inside - the systems that make Monroe 12 years at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, - in the administration side and eight years in the clerk's office as the election supervisor and the - chief deputy. I've done the work. I've seen firsthand how critical organization is, communication and - attention to detail. We have to earn and keep the public trust. What I would change or make - communications within our department and the courts. That relationship is hand and glove. - When we look good, they look good. When they look good, we look good. If we get along, we talk, we know - what's going on, we can do a better job for our community. And that's what it's all about, making our a better

same question to Tanner. Why did you feel the need to run and - is there a specific opportunity or problem that

we need to address? Yeah. - I decided, well, as I started out saying earlier, I've just kind of always been involved with public - service, right? I saw public service firsthand through my dad, and that kind of just always felt like - a natural path to seek public service. I've been a dedicated member of our Democratic Party, and - always been a little back and forth on whether I wanted to run for office myself, but back in last - summer, our current clerk, is of course term-limited, and we needed somebody to run for clerk, - I was asking around the party and there was just nobody else who really seemed like they were gonna - step up. And so I thought, you know, I have a background that fits this role. I've been passionate about - public service. I think it's finally time that maybe I give it a shot and try running for office. - And so, you know, as I said earlier, I also, you know, I've been very passionate about like bringing - vote centers to the county and that's something I really wanna get done in the office. So yeah, that's - why I'm running, hopefully to serve my community and hopefully bring vote centers to the county. - So thank you.

- Joe, same question, why did you feel the need to run and

- we need to address? reason that I am running for Monroe County Clerk is because of the - core values that I was taught growing up on the farm in our small community. All the farm families - we hung out with, - just believed in serving each other. And so it comes naturally. My mom was a trustee for our township - for over is just what people do when they care about each other. County Clerk? - Well, honestly, when I first registered for office as a candidate, I registered for Monroe County Council - District - But then I saw that clerk was also too a position that was going to be open. And I thought about it - and I realized I have a depth of experience of interacting with the clerk's office as a user, - as a client, as a community member. And I have seen ways in which the interaction between the courts - and the clerk's office can be improved. I personally have experienced - degradation of evidence because of mistakes that have happened between that relationship. now I - have to dig myself out of a matter before the appellate court which was unnecessary. But is why - I know that I will be able to provide better tools to the existing system and I

thank you. - All right, this is gonna be my final question before closing statement. And since we've been talking - about coordination with the courts, it's about the courts. So what do you believe is the, what do - believe, sorry, how do you believe it's important to work in coordination with other offices? And what - do you do to help facilitate the relationship with those offices, i.e. the courts? And then the second - part about this is, - which I think is related, but if it's not, I'm very sorry. How would you handle petitions for orders - of protection, meaning domestic violence in terms of it? And I'm gonna start with, I think we start -

So hey, so I've been, I have experience collaborating with different departments - at IU. That's kind of the energy that I wanna bring to the office, right? I wanna collaborate with the - different, - courts, all of their offices and ensure that everybody feels heard, that we're not like, - a stern stance and saying my way or the highway to all these other people, right? We want to - work collaboratively. We're all on the same team. We're all trying to just, you know, accomplish our - given responsibilities. - Can you repeat that second part? The

second? All right, so good working relationship with those offices - is the first part. And then the third part is, how would you handle

orders of protection? - How would I handle petitions for orders of protection? I'm going to say that that's an issue I need - to look more into. Again, I would just kind of bring that collaborative energy and work with my fellow - colleagues to accomplish

those. Thank you. Joe, same question.

- Collaboration is what makes work get done. Many hands make work. I can speak to you specifically - about one instance in which I was seeking a protective order from an unhoused gentleman who was repeatedly - trespassing and vandalizing my front porch my curiosities. Eventually, the gentleman was caught. - I filed for an order of protection with the protective order project in the clerk's office. And their - assistance was so valuable to help me get this PO filed. Unfortunately, gentleman could not be found, - he could not be served. And my time was running out to be able to have the court issue - this order of protection. On the 31st day, - One day after the order or the process expired, the gentleman was picked up by BPD. I immediately got - a call from the victim assistance staff member and she told me that he was shortly to be arraigned before - the judge. And so I hurriedly ran down to the clerk's office and I filed a notice with the court to - ensure that - that he would be able to be served with this PO. And it was able to happen because of the collaboration - that took place. And that is what I'm talking about. That is how justice is served. Thank you. Chi, - same question. Why do

you believe it is important to work in coordination with other offices? And how - would you help facilitate a good working relationship with specifically the courts? And then the second, - The second kind of question is how would you handle petitions for orders of protection, which I'm gonna -

look at

my

judges in the room and I think the two are connected. So working with the courts is

imperative - with the clerk's office. We are handing love. If we don't function, they don't function. Think of the - clerk's office as the hub and the courts going out as the wheel. It starts with us, but it goes out. - In the spring of 2026, which is now, - The state is taking over Odyssey. It goes from Odyssey e-filing to Odyssey IN filing. This is supposed - to be easier for the pro se litigants to file and also easier for them to look it up on their iPhone - or their iPad. And I'm gonna brag on our courts. Our courts now send out text reminders. Mind blown. - I don't know about you, but I would never make my dental appointments if it wasn't for text reminders. - They send out the text message that says when your court date is. It's a reminder. They are the pilot - county. As for protective orders, our office does a fabulous job. We have two dedicated women that listen, - understand, and help the victim through the process. Then from us, it goes to the judges. The judges - are phenomenal. - They keep everything confidential, they do the best that they can in the situation, and they give the - help that the person needs. In that respect, we are so blessed to live in Monroe County. We are a county - that

thank you everyone, and thank you everyone for your questions. We're - gonna now move into a closing statement, and we are gonna start with Joe.

- Thank you all for coming tonight and listening to our respective messages. I believe that each of us - would do a fantastic job Monroe County clerk. The is, do we want to systems improved? - Every one of us is going to be operating from day getting the job done because we're just all those - type of individuals where we're going to prepare. - and we are going to the ground So the question becomes, will bring you the - pro se individual, the who's not an attorney, the ability to find your power, to take your - action, to get it filed? am the one who is going to bring that to you. And this will ensure that not only - We find the best clerk interconnection between government, but also to our best service for all - the people. Vote Joe Davis for Monroe County Clerk. Thank you. Tree was next

Yeah. We can barely hear

you on

this

end.

Oh,

I'm

so sorry. I'll be more in the

microphone. OK.

- I've done understand the responsibility and I know what it takes to keep this office - smoothly for our courts, for our voters and our community. I'm ready to step in and lead from day one, - not with a learning curve, but with experience, steady leadership and a commitment to doing the work - the right way. - Monroe County deserves a clerk with dedication, transparency, and a clear vision for the future. And - I'm ready to deliver that every single day. office is elected for a purpose. Not appointed, the - clerk is elected. And why is that? Because I won't have a boss to have to reckon with. My boss is the - citizens of Monroe County, and that's why it's elected. - I would be honored to earn your vote, your trust, and the opportunity to serve. Again, my name is Tree - Martin Lucas, and I'm running for clerk.

coming out tonight. I'm - running for clerk because qualified individual. I've been passionate, a passionate supporter - of our Democratic Party, and I will be an amazing clerk for the county. - I am currently the chief deputy clerk in the office. So I am currently doing the job and I'll be able - to ensure that there'll be a smooth transition if I am to be your next clerk. I have a lot of experience - working with technology and technology is more important now than ever. And that's kind of experience - that we need in the clerk's office. So I hope that you will support me to be your next clerk and I hope - that I can win your vote for Tana Branham for clerk. Thank you very much.

- All right, so first let's thank all the

behalf of the forum - sponsors, remember to

vote.

Election day is Tuesday, May 5th. Early voting begins Tuesday, April 7th. - And for those that are sticking around, we'll next be doing our county prosecutor. And I'm just gonna - say that we're gonna start that at - 703, so we're gonna give us 10 minutes in between. So 703 is when we're gonna start that. So everybody for forum is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Monroe County and we're - also pleased to have our co-sponsors IU Pace, Kappa Tau Omega, Chapter of the Kappa Alpha. Monroe County - Monroe County Branch NAACP, Monroe County NOW, and the South Central Indiana Citizens' Climate Lobby. - And thanks to CATS for recording the event. And

- I'm just gonna go through the ground rules, which the candidates have accepted. - Each candidate has one minute to make an opening statement. Candidates respond in turn to questions - posed by me, the moderator, rotating which candidate will answer first. Responses are limited to 90 - seconds unless I specify a different time. Audience members are invited to submit questions on the cards - provided, we have some cards over here in terms of it. We have, like I said, seven questions prepared today. - Each candidate will then be asked to make a closing statement and the candidates have agreed to a civil - discourse. So I'd like introduce our two candidates, Benjamin T. Arianton and Erica Oliphant in terms - of

it. And

just really give them a round

for sure. And so without further - ado, we're going to start with opening statements starting with -

start out by Erica Oliphant for breaking barriers. - Breaking barriers matters and her election as woman to hold the office as the elected prosecutor - is an important milestone. And it's wonderful that she's going to be a senior prosecutor having served - two terms. But if elected. - I will be your first black prosecutor in Monroe and only the third ever black person elected - as your chief law enforcement officer for the county. For a

as a chief law enforcement - officer in a judicial district carries profound weight. the darkest chapters of our nation's history, - and the long struggle for equal justice in the law. Every single time we see a Confederate flag flying -

just about history, it's about serving our future. Your time's -

up. And I thank

you for considering voting

for me. Awesome. Erica.

Thank you. - Thank you to our forum hosts and to our moderator, Alana Stonebreaker, today. I appreciate the time. - My name is Erica Oliphant, and I am running for re-election as your prosecuting attorney. I have proven - my dedication since my election in 2018 to community service, compassionate justice, and constitutional values. - My activities in office have earned awards, including the 2019 Haynes Turner Peacemaker Award from CGM, - the 2022 Women Excel Bloomington Award from the Chamber of Commerce, and the 2023 John L. Kraus Award - for Public Policy Innovation from IU's Public Policy Institute. - If retained in office, I will continue to partner with organizations who support those with mental health, - substance use, housing, and other critical needs, continue to expand diversion opportunities, and dedicate - most of our resources to those repeat and violent offenders who cause the most harm in - Please vote for me in the Democratic primary on May

both. Let's give them a round of applause.

- All right, so my first question is for Erica. How should our prosecutor prioritize potential cases to

So we tend to take cases to trial when we can't come to a plea agreement. 97 some percent - of our cases are resolved by plea agreement. But traditionally, those who go to trial are those who - have the least to lose. - Those tend to be homicides, child molests, those very serious felonies that... - that really did a lot of harm in our community. And so you have to make sure that deputy prosecutors - have those trial skills. I have personally tried every kind of case from the lowest misdemeanor through - murder, including a couple of murders and one attempted murder as the elected prosecuting attorney. - And I can tell you it's no small feat in today's - You know, in today's world, we have about 60 hours of digital evidence in about every major felony case. - And so it's a lot to manage. And you want to make sure that we have the skills necessary to be able - to bring those over the - When we're talking about less serious offenses such as possession of drugs or nuisance crimes like criminal - trespass, it's much better to work with community partners on diversion efforts to try to connect people - with resources that they need so that they don't come back into the criminal justice - I have a lot of experience and education in reducing recidivism, and I like to make evidence-based decisions. - Thank you.

Could you

repeat the question, please?

Yeah. How should our prosecutor - prioritize potential cases to

to trial? you. The prosecutor should prioritize violent cases - to take trial. The answer is abundantly clear. - Violence belongs in prison and does not belong in our community. And as the proud father of a four-year-old, - child violence is make no mistake, by electing me, you will be electing - a very tough prosecutor when it comes to crime, when it comes to

I learn - about prosecutor's office taking what would appear to be - a lenient stance of someone charged with having material that is harmful to children, I get want the position of the state to be tough when it comes to that type so that is - why I implore you to elect a prosecutor who is going to take the violent cases be - actually going to jury trial and not dancing around. - We will not be

that's why it's important that we prioritize violence. And that's - why it's my platform.

this next question, we are starting with Ben. What are - the potential consequences of the recent transfer of the state's adult protective services from prosecuting - attorneys to a state contract with PCG Indiana Incorporated?

- There's a lot of potential harm in the fact that adult protective services housed within the Monroe - County Prosecutor's Office allows us to have our own control and our own imprint on what we determine - is going to be abuse of adults that need protection. So when we have a super majority - state that we currently very alarming and it's concerning that we're going to farm out - some of our vulnerable community members.

it's concerning to me. However, there are only on what we can do. And so as your prosecutor, I'm going to stand for - what's right and to do the best that I can to serve the people in the

you like me to repeat it?

- I think I've got it, thank you. We did have adult protective services in 17 different prosecutor's offices - across the state of Indiana up until July of last year. Monroe was a hub and we served Morgan - County and Owen County in addition to Morgan County. I was really heartbroken when the state of Indiana - elected to take the lowest bidder to provide this vital service to our elder community. - Essentially, they have now broken it down. We had 17 hubs that serve the state of Indiana. Now we have - five regions. I'm very concerned that doing so means that it is less personal, that there aren't people. - We had investigators that went to people's houses and laid eyes on people when there were reports of - endangered adults to make sure that they were okay, that they had supports, food, - shelter, electricity, things like that and that their emergency needs were met. - and then provided more thorough investigations. And we had, you know, as prosecutor's offices, we have - attorneys on staff by nature of our work. And so we were able to quickly file emergency protective orders - for endangered adults, and we were able to file guardianships where necessary. And in this privatized - situation, they don't have attorneys on staff. So I'm really not sure how they're handling some of those - legal matters nowadays. But I am gravely concerned that our endangered - are not being served as well as they were by prosecutors, but I hope that I'm proven

my next question is for Erica, and I'm gonna choose one from the audience to mix it up. - What can be done to improve protecting all victims of domestic violence cases? So the question is, what - can be done to improve protecting all victims of domestic violence cases?

- Thank years ago, actually I think it was during my first term, we were able to get additional - Victims of Crime Act funds for our victim assistance program, adding an additional victim assistance. - We now have a total of four. And the reason we did that is so that we would have more people in our - office who can meet with victims, make referrals to outside services such as - middle way house or sometimes even beacons, sometimes food pantries, sometimes protective order project - or POAP. And so we have those, somebody who can really establish a good rapport with victims, make sure - that they're informed of the rights of the process and what's going on in their cases. - We do also belong to the Domestic Violence, Monroe County Domestic Violence Coalition. We attend meetings - and collaborate with others who serve this population here in Monroe County, working to make sure that - our local advocates are well trained, that they understand how the criminal justice system works, and - that they also understand the civil remedies that are available to them to help protect them from violence. - Thank you.

- I have

the question. I appreciate it. Thank you. can be done to protect victims is to increase - victim services, make it far more robust by increasing advocating for grants to victim of crime at VOCA - to increase federal funding to assist victims. We need to - ensure that victims know that the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office is going to stand for you and not - allow the ball to get dropped. And then you're going to have a feeling that we don't protect victims. - So what that's going to take is a whole shift in the system. What we need to do is be active when it - comes to protecting victims of domestic violence. And how we do that is assigning a prosecutor that's - going to make sure that is addressed, talked to, and made heard. - And we do that by ensuring that the victim has access to the needs that they need by providing them - with great resources. And we can do that by being a better prosecutor's office that works toward helping victims and not allowing things to slip through the cracks by missing deadlines and filing deadlines. - It's super important that we work to help victims. - Because victims need to know that they're not gonna be left alone, they're not gonna be fallen behind, - and they're gonna be helped.

as your prosecutor. Thank you. So our next - question is going to be about child support. And so the next, so this question for Ben. - How is the prosecutor's office involved in child support, and how do you see collaborations with other - agencies in

the prosecutor's, and I'm sorry, is this for us

or for me?

That's for you. - The prosecutor's office has a 4D agency called the 4D prosecutor's office, which handles child support. - It's an entire division within the prosecutor's office, which has its own separate deputy prosecute child support. It's imperative that we help parents - get child support. Child support works to make sure that children get the support that they need so - that children can thrive. Children are our future. And so we need to make sure that child support is - paid, that parents that have been awarded child support have a prosecutor's office that's willing to - ensure that child support payments are made. And so we're going to work with other agencies - to make sure that child support is paid - And we will make sure that our Child Support 40 office is robust and collaboratively with the - community to ensure that child support payments are made to the parents that need them so that the children - can get the support that they need. Thank you.

- Thank you. Yep. So the child support division in my office, as I mentioned, did win the 2019 Haynes - Turner Peacemaker Award, and part of that was because of a cultural shift. Traditionally, in child - you know, the theory was you get the highest possible child support order, and then you really go after it hard. - But we have found over time that when the custodial parent and the non-custodial parent feel that the - order is fair, that we have greater compliance. And not only that, we have better joint partnership - in parenting those children. So we have used a lot of services from Centerstone for those parents whose - barrier to payment is - related to mental health or substance use. We've worked with Work One to help people become employed, - if that is their barrier to payment. And then we do have to very judiciously use some of our administrative - sanctions that we have. So if people are willfully failing to pay their child support as ordered, we - can use things like suspending their driver's licenses, suspending their professional licenses. Believe - it or not, we sometimes have medical doctors who make a lot of money who don't - to pay child support, and so sometimes we do have to resort to some of those significant sanctions. - But overall, I think it's going very well. Anyone can come to the prosecutor's office who has a child - and needs to establish paternity or establish a child support order, but we are required to do it in - TANF cases where people are getting welfare.

- And just a reminder that if you have any cards in the audience that you can raise your hand and we'll - come around and pick them up if anyone has any cards for that. All right, so this next question is for - Erica. How would you approach ethics, transparency, and

trust the decisions - that you make? Yeah, so as the chief law enforcement officer - for the county and also as someone who manages essentially a large law firm with 18 deputy prosecutors. - It's imperative that our attorneys and staff - operate at the highest ethical standard. So I do make sure that my attorneys receive proper ethics training, - and it's been made very clear to them that unethical behavior is not going to be tolerated. When we - have conflicts of interest, whether it be somebody on our staff has allegedly been a victim of an offense, - or a law enforcement officer is - you know, alleged to have committed a crime. We look at those very closely to make sure we don't have - a conflict of interest if we handle the case. When we do, we do file for a special prosecutor as is - provided by Indiana code, but we try not to go to that well very often because there's very limited - resources for senior and special prosecution in the state of Indiana. And so we try to be very judicious - with those. - those requests. As for transparency, I am working on releasing a data dashboard. We expect that it will - be live in June, but the point of this data dashboard are we public facing and it will provide statistics - in terms of what cases we receive from what agencies, how many are filed, how many are declined, how - long it takes to dispose of them, and what the demographic information is on those cases. My time is - up. Thank you.

- Same question, how would you approach ethics, transparency, and

interest? I would approach - those topics with great care and When we consider ethics, it is absolutely imperative that - the prosecuting attorney's office is considered ethical, and all of the deputy prosecuting attorneys - are ethical in the way that they prosecute, in the way that they handle themselves. It's super - Conflicts of interest.

- As an attorney, conflict of interest is super important to make sure that we don't have inherent conflicts - of interest. And so as your prosecutor, I will make sure that we don't have conflicts of interest. And - if we do, we will use a special prosecutor when necessary. But we're not just gonna farm out a case to a special prosecutor just because it's a hairy topic or There needs to be a truly - legitimate conflict of interest. And so were to occur at Lake Monroe, I'm not just - to punt the ball and ask for a special prosecutor. No, that's a waste of resources. You're electing - me to make difficult decisions, and I'm willing to make those difficult decisions as your chief law - enforcement officer. My office will not be punting when the situation gets difficult. - And so therefore, we will do thing. We will be We will address conflict of interest. - And when it to transparency, obviously there will be matters when it comes to law enforcement - that we're not able with the But everything that my office is capable of sharing, - you better believe the door will always be And I will answer any questions when it comes to how - the office

operates.

- and how we prosecute.

Thank you. I'm going to take this moment to allow candidates to respond to the - statements that the others have made until this point in terms of it. So we'll start with Erica.

- you want to respond? Yeah. You know, one thing I want to respond to is just now Mr. Arrington referred - to a situation with a big high profile case in 2020 that took place out at Lake Monroe. And I did not. - petition for a special prosecutor in that case. In fact, I did file criminal charges and sign them. - However, the defense attorneys did file a seven-page petition for a special prosecutor, and that ultimately - is how that got disposed. It did go to a special prosecutor. I think another thing that Mr. Arrington - seems to imply is that we are not supporting victims, that we are - I think falling short in our prosecutions. And though I will admit that we sometimes do have cases that - fall apart, we do sometimes have bad outcomes. Overall, we do serve our constituents very well. And - we get convictions when we need to get convictions. - And we have excellent trial attorneys in our office who do a great job of making sure that we're proving - homicides. We just recently had a case where someone was convicted of several counts, including child - molest. And those are some of the hardest cases that there are to prove. When it comes to deadlines, - we share responsibility with the courts. We're not the only party in a case. It's the courts, it's the - defense attorneys, and it's us. - My

All right, any response as well

from Ben? Yes, absolutely. I'm so glad that Erica wanted - to bring up these things. And I failed to mention the sexual assault response team, SART team, that - was not mentioned at all, that my prosecutor's office will certainly be again. You know, when - we talk about - cases falling through the cracks and things of that nature. What I'm particularly talking about is when - criminal rule 4C runs in a speedy trial and a case is dismissed with prejudice, which then double jeopardy - attaches and the persons being prosecuted can never face prosecution. And the victims can never - have their day believe Erica referred to as a result. It's disgusting. - and should never have will not occur under my administration. I have already - a seasoned trial attorney, felony trial attorney prosecutor who will be my chief deputy. We're going - to bring talent to the prosecutor's going to be phenomenal. It's going to be wonderful - and it's going to be great for our community. We're going turn things around. We're going to right - ship and the prosecutor's office is going to have a positive view - from the community, not a negative one. We're gonna be better. We're gonna change things. I have a meeting - with Ryan Mears, and I'm looking forward to it, and I'm gonna look to him as a mentor. So thank you - so much.

next question is, which leads really well from the last one, which is, this position - is the department head who manages the staff of people. What experiences do you bring to that part of - the role, and what is your approach and philosophy to

people? Thank you so much. - Yes, I piggybacked on my meeting with prosecutor Ryan Mears, who is the Marion County prosecuting attorney. - One hundred and eighty eight deputy prosecuting attorneys in the county of Marion, who we are going - to be partnering with as far as stopping the prosecution of simple possession of cannabis marijuana. Ryan Mears stopped prosecuting marijuana in 2019, had the courage to do what's right. I just met - an IU student suffering from chemotherapy, very young. And she shared with me that cannabis was helping - restore her appetite. And so it's just, I have to tell you. So as far as office, I will - be looking at Ryan to be a mentor to me, because I'm certainly new in so far as being your - elected prosecutor, but I have experience. And if that experience is being a manager at Pizza Hut, as - well as other various jobs, - That is what I have as far as significant experience life. I've been a truck driver, over the road - 18-wheeler. I've had various jobs. I've been an administrative law judge presiding over cases for four - years. So I bring a wealth of experience, and I implore you my resume. I have had nothing - but service my entire why I'm here to serve you. And I thank you

- I'm going to repeat the question. - This position is department head who manages the staff of people. What experiences do you bring to that - role and

your approach and philosophy to managing Thank you. So I have been managing - the office for over seven years now. We have a total staff of about 50 people. 18 are deputy prosecutors. - The rest of them are support staff such as investigators, case managers, legal secretaries, victim assistants - and investigators. - I might have said investigator twice. I like to lead from the front. So I always tell my staff I will - never tell them to do something I'm not willing to do myself. I go to court. I cover for people when - they're sick or on vacation. I can try a case. I try to make sure that my people are well trained, that - they feel like they have the support that they need in terms of resources. - I like to make sure that they see that I'm there for them. But I also like to set expectations and make - sure that they understand that I expect professionalism and excellence in the courtroom. You know, there's - a big difference between the Marion County Prosecutor's Office and the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office. - For those 180 people that Mr. Arrington mentioned, Mr. Mears has several supervisors. - I have a supervisory committee that's just myself, my chief deputy Jeff Kerr, and my first deputy Chris - Pierce, executive director Beth Hamlin. And we have a very collaborative approach where we're always - kind of staffing matters together to make sure that we're coming best decision for

is up. So my next question since it's come up is cannabis prosecution. - So what role should the prosecutor take in terms of prosecuting cannabis related cases? And Erica will - start. Oh, Cannabis prosecution. So what role should the prosecutor take or approach should the - prosecutor take in terms of cannabis prosecution writ large? And we'll start with Erica. Is that better? - Yes.

Okay, thank

you. I'll try and be

closer. Thank you. - So when I became an attorney and then again when I was elected prosecutor in assumed office in 2019, - I took an oath to uphold the constitution of the state of Indiana, which vests the responsibility for - making passing criminal laws to the Indiana General I have a great amount of discretion when - it comes to making decisions for charging and prosecuting individual cases based on the evidence that's - presented to me by law enforcement. - But it is illegal to make a categorical declaration that you will not prosecute a criminal law. There - was a non-compliant prosecutor statute passed in 2024 that makes that illegal. However, I - better to place all of our resources, the majority of our resources, on making sure that we are focused - on those repeat and violent offenders who cause the most harm in our community. When you look at our, - Marijuana prosecutions from 2025 of those cases that were filed 38 of those cases were dismissed 21 - of those cases did pretrial diversion and only two resulted in conviction All of those cases that were - dismissed or diverted Those cases are automatically expunged from people's criminal records after 60 days so - Making a public declaration does nothing but aggravate those people at the state of Indiana who make - our laws, including the

in Illinois for recreational - use, in Michigan for recreational use, now in Ohio for recreational use. In Kentucky, I believe they - have medicinal marijuana. - Again, I met that patient, and this is not just the first patient that I've met that discussed the fact - that cannabis helps them. When Ryan Mears, the Marion County prosecutor, had the courage to stop prosecuting - simple possession in 2019, that is the same year that Erica took office. We know what's possible. Erica - discussed this at its illegal. 80 prosecutors across the every region of this country signed a pledge - not to prosecute doctors, women and nurses. - I will not surprise you that you'll find that the only prosecutor in Indiana to sign that Ryan Mears. I will be prosecutor number two to sign that pledge. There is a nonprofit fair and just - prosecution that 80 prosecutors signed the pledge that specifically discusses that prosecutors have - immense discretion that we - With that discretion comes the obligation to seek justice. I assure you that it is not justice to prosecute - someone for marijuana and simple possession. 21 pretrial diversions would be some $11,500 extracted - from poor people. Who gets pulled over for marijuana odor from the vehicle? The person with the tail - light out in a broke down car or the rich kid in a Mercedes. We need to address what's right.

- My next question is for Ben, which is kind of related. So we're talking about marginalized groups. So - what is your top priority to support women, LGBTQ folks and marginalized genders

County? - Thank you. And I'm fingers crossed I have applied for the Stonewall Democrats endorsement. - So we'll see. But and I said I'm going to proudly display that because LGBTQ plus needs support. They - need to know that hate does not belong in our community. - And that means that hate includes violence because violence is broad spectrum. When I explain to people, - when I go knocking on doors canvassing, which is so wonderful, meeting constituents in Monroe County, - I explained that when somebody busts out your car window, that's violence because of the cost to the - person and all that we was rifling around looking for something to steal from your car. That's violence - and we're going to prosecute it tough. Violence does not belong in our community and I'm going to be - very tough when it comes to that. - But marginalized communities, LGBTQ+, black, brown, when we have ICE coming to town, we need a prosecutor - like the Philadelphia District Attorney who says, ICE, you come to town, we're going to prosecute you. - Use your bully And I implore our to do that while she's still in office, because - you're going to have a new prosecutor. - Your first black prosecutor, it's going to be wonderful and I really appreciate everyone's support. - It's so exciting meeting constituents. All the yard signs you see around for Benjamin Arrington, it's -

it. So thank you. I'm going to repeat the question for Erica. What - is your top priority to support women, LGBTQ plus folks and marginalized genders in Monroe County?

- Yep, so it has been my goal since assuming office in 2019, but even before that, for the nine years - that I was a deputy prosecutor in the office, to make sure that we live up to our constitutional values - of fairness and equality for all people. And that includes women, that includes LGBTQIA+, and that includes - all marginalized genders in our community. - I have made efforts in, like I said, in research for identifying and reducing racial and ethnic disparities. - And by working on those race disparities, unfortunately we don't have good data collection modalities - for these LGBTQ plus and other types of genders with Indiana's record keeping or ID laws and things - like that. - But I can say that we do try to approach these cases, these people as individuals, considering all of - the circumstances in their lives. I've had occasions to prosecute transgender individuals. I've had - occasion to have victims of crime who were transgender individuals. And it was my goal and my approach to treat - those people with compassion and dignity focusing on the very real experiences that they were having. - And so we will continue to have that kind of care in our office. Thank you.

next - question is for Erica. Have you had experience with the high tech crime unit? Can you give examples - of the kind of cases where it would be or has been used to the court?

- Yep, so in 2022, I applied for and received a grant from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council to - establish and maintain the Monroe County High Tech Crime Unit. It's currently operated in partnership - with the Ellisville Police Department, and the unit is used to process digital forensic evidence, including - cell phones, laptops, sometimes things like Fitbits, DVRs, the little computers in our cars, all manner of, - digital devices. And I have had occasion to introduce this kind of evidence in a homicide case, but - I can say that the cases that we're seeing most frequently recently are those involving child sex abuse - material, unfortunately. - we are getting very good at detecting those crimes. The High Tech Crime Unit has at all times been affiliated - with law enforcement that is a member of the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force, but my office - a member of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in 2025. And so through that, - we have partnerships and relationships, including training to make sure that we can really - aggressively prosecute those really horrible exploitative crimes. The high-tech crime unit recently - received an electronic sniffing dog who also doubles as a therapy dog. His name is Frank and he is a -

yeah. Have

you had experience with the high-tech crime unit? - Can you give examples of the kind of cases where it has been or would be of use

court? So I have - not had experience with the high tech crime unit. I'm not a prosecutor and so I do not have access to - that. However, I can envision how it would be utilized in so far as in cases developing evidence regarding - child sex material could potentially, I could see that also with gathering evidence regarding other - digital forensics. However, when I high tech crime unit, I am certainly a little concerned though - that we do need to get the flock out of Bloomington. And so if there's any connection, which again, - I do not know the high tech crime unit, I'm not involved. And so I haven't been, you don't know what - you don't know. - But I will tell you that I will be looking into it once elected and I don't want to see a partnership - with FLOC because we don't need to have a supervisory state that every time you step out of your home - that you're under supervision. Benjamin Franklin said it those who are willing to sacrifice their - liberty and freedom for a little security neither. And so I do believe in that and so, - I want to look into and learn more about the high-tech crime

Thank you. Just a final reminder, - we're reaching the end of our prepared questions. So if you haven't submitted your question, make sure - to hand it over to our lovely volunteers here. So this question is next going to Ben, a question from - the audience. - How much leeway do you have before instituting the habitual offender statute? With the jail crowding, - how can you defer nonviolent offenders and impose

the specific leeway that you're - in reference to is - Statutory and would need me to have a book in front of me which is impossible to do so I don't know - why But what I will tell you is that of course things will be reviewed again I'm gonna have an excellent - chief deputy prosecuting attorney who have already discussed with who's a seasoned felony prosecuting - attorney from a very red County, however, he lives here in Bloomington and so is a great person and but - we're going to be tough on crime if it's a habitual offender statute or a habitual substance offender - for a vehicle because OWI and getting people off of the road driving drunk is a passion of mine because - we don't need, again, violent people, people that are operating a vehicle under the influence, people - that want to do harm to our community. And so habitual substance offender, habitual crime, all of that - will be looked at with great detail and care - Following the statutory guidelines that are placed by the General Assembly, you know there When it comes - to sentence things in that nature that also primarily is going to go along with the judge plea deals - depended on situations But one quintessential thing is that my office will be working excellently with - a public defender We're gonna have a cooperative working relationship to help reduce jail population - only for those violent offenders that belong behind bars Thank you. My time is up

- I'm going to repeat the question for Erica. How much leeway do you have before instituting the habitual - offender statute? And with the jail overcrowding, how can

- stricter penalties? Yep. So as with any - charging decision, we have a lot of discretion in individual cases, including whether to file habitual - offender or habitual substance offender petitions for those who are eligible. Now those, you know, in - other states sometimes they're colloquially known as like three strikes laws or something like that, - but essentially a habitual offender petition is an opportunity to add an enhancement - to a felony offense when somebody has a prior, two or more prior convictions for felonies. You know, - we tend to reserve those for people who have more recent or more serious violent criminal history rather - than using that for, say, like driving status offenses like habitual traffic violator or something along - those lines. - You know, we do try to defer nonviolent offenses and not use our limited jail resources on those. As - you have probably heard, we have a crowded jail. It's overburdened. So we do try to avoid putting people - in jail who do not belong there. Make sure that we're making liberal use of our pretrial release program - and to alternatives in the community. - But when it comes to those who are habitual offenders, you know, we do reserve those for those violent - crimes and make sure that those are the people that we are trying to use prison for.

My time is up. We had a question from the audience about jury trial and prosecutal, prosecutional experience - in terms of it. - So the question was how many jury trials have you done? How many years of prosecutor experience do you - have? And I'm gonna extend it to what is your general approach from your time as a working in prosecutors - or otherwise? And we'll start

Thank you. - So I have been a prosecutor since I took the bar exam in 2009. I started out in misdemeanors and traffic - infractions under Chris Gull back in 2009. I worked my way up. I started handling about two and a half - years in. I started handling felony drug cases for Monroe County. - At that time, I became a member of the Monroe County Drug Treatment Court Team. I also have served on - the Monroe County Veterans Court Team, the Monroe County Mental Health Court Team, and the Monroe County - Reentry Court Program. I then moved up to general felonies, so handling everything from a felony operating - while intoxicated or a theft, a burglary, robbery, to murder cases. - I have had over 20 jury trials. I actually am not exactly certain of the number. Again, I've tried everything - from a Class C misdemeanor operating while intoxicated successfully to conviction to I think my most - recent murder trial that I was lead counsel on was in 2021 where I secured a conviction in a case where - a man stabbed his girlfriend 157 times. - You know, generally I do try to have a problem solving approach in my work. I try to make sure that - we can prevent people from coming back into the criminal justice system over and over. And I do try - to make sure that we focus those trial resources, our incarceration on those repeat and violent offenders -

community. Thank you. Thank gonna be direct. - My jury trial experience limited, but let's be absolutely clear about what the elected prosecutor - actually This is not a line attorney It is an executive, administrative, and policy - making role. County has an office of 18 deputy prosecutors handling a daily docket. elected - prosecutor is the CEO of that office. - I have extensive, varied court experience. My job won't be monopolized at the council table. That's - not my job. Now, I'm have a very hands-on approach when I first get elected. You're going to - see me at initial hearings. You're going to see me all over because I want to make sure that my deputies - are going to be doing consistent with my policy and my approach to have a positive working relationship - with the public defender's office. - where the vast majority of the

to bring a battle-tested chief - deputy to lead our trial teams while I focus on the structural policies that actually keep our county - safe. Right now, we have an administration that fails to maintain its own docket and lets violent predators - walk free on missed deadlines. - I will manage the policies, clear the docket of victimless crimes, and give our trial attorneys the - support they need to achieve an 80% conviction rates that we

see in

places like Marion County. You're - out

executive leadership looks like. Thank you. OK. And that's the end of our prepared - questions. now we're going to move into closing statements. So we're going to with Ben.

- I want to thank the League of Women us here. This was amazing. And having the League - of Women Voters host this event is so wonderful. So thank you so much to the League of Women Voters - and to all the audience members that took time out of your busy lives to come and listen to somebody - who wants to run for office and ask for your vote. Thank you so much for coming here tonight. - Tonight you've heard two very different versions of the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office visions. You - can choose the status quo, an office that relies on unwritten rules and plays statistical shell games - with victimless crimes tragically drops the ball on severe violent felonies because of administrative fatigue. Or you can choose a principled transparent leadership - I have told you

to do. We will stop wasting taxpayer police resources - on simple possession of marijuana. will join other prosecutors, 80 other prosecutors in every region - of this country, and pledge to protect rights of women, doctors, and nurses not

face prosecution.

- And so thank you, please vote

for

Thank you. you. I have the - experience, leadership skills, and temperament to effectively seek justice and ensure community in Monroe County. I have far more trial experience and administrative experience than my opponent. - You may think it's not a line deputy position, but in times of staffing shortages, I handled a major - felony caseload for six months, competently, while also running the We are facing state and - federal attacks on home governance, including direct threats to prosecutorial discretion and changes - to tax codes and grant funding programs that limit resources. Monroe County will not be served by strident - proclamations, - What we need instead is deliberative collaboration and problem solving to improve justice in our community. have spent years developing and maintaining relationships in our community to meet critical needs - of justice involved individuals. I ask for your vote to retain me in office in the Democratic primary - on Thank you.

right, so thank our candidates for a lively discussion.

- On behalf of all the forum sponsors, remember to vote. Election day is Tuesday, May 5th. Early voting - begins Tuesday, April 7th. Thank you all for coming.