Editor, Times-Union: I attended the candidate’s forum on Monday and listened with interest to the candidates running to represent District 22 in the Indiana House of Representatives. One thing that was made abundantly clear is that only one of the three candidates could articulate his positions. That candidate is David Kolbe. It is critical that our representative, when he goes to Indy, not only understands the needs of his constituents, but that he can also meaningfully discuss them with his co-workers and the governor. It is not enough to have passion if you cannot explain the reasoning to others and persuade them why a proposed legislation will be either helpful or harmful to your constituents. Furthermore, Mr. Kolbe was the only candidate who appears to have spent any time with community leaders, such as the Warsaw schools superintendent, trying to understand the issues. If you want a representative who will not only fight for all of us, but actually be effective in representing us, please join me in voting for David Kolbe. Anyone can press a “yea” or “nay” button. Effective representation is about much more than that. It takes someone who is proactively reaching out and seeking input from all of this constituents instead of just a few pet special interests, to understand what his district needs, and in turn, communicating those needs effectively to the people in Indy. Stefani Vinkemeier Warsaw, via email
