District 78 State Rep. Tim O’Brien is leading an event — a ceremonial bill signing for a new public safety law.
“House Enroll Act 1250 is a common sense, victim-centered, pro-public safety piece of legislation,” O’Brien said, before the gathered crowd.
O’Brien, who was elected in 2021, authored the bill. District 78 includes portions of Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties, and about 65,000 residents. Cities include Evansville’s North Side, McCutchanville and Newburgh.
This is one of three local statehouse races — all with Republican incumbents. There has never been a Democrat elected to this seat, since it was created in the early 1980’s.
O’Brien’s Democratic challenger is Sally Busby. She’s a college professor with two children.
“I decided to run because of my children, because of my students that I teach every single day, and because of this community,” Busby said. “We can do things better than we have been. We do not have a representative who is listening to his constituents and voting based on the needs in the community.”
Specifically — “needs” concerning high utility costs.
“When (O’Brien) had an opportunity to vote ‘yes’ for amendments that would help the people right here in District 78, he chose to vote ‘no.’”
Amendments to a bill included capping rate increases and encouraging solar energy.
O’Brien voted these amendments down because he said they didn’t go through a thorough vetting process.
“They were introduced on a bill that was already moving, so they weren't able to be properly vetted. They weren't able to have any public testimony,” he said. “(Or) actually have a fiscal analysis run on a bill to show what it really will do.”
For utility affordability, O’Brien highlighted enrolled act 1002 which was passed with bipartisan support, including Rep. Alex Burton, Democrat.
O’Brien is proud of the work he’s done lately with public safety — like House Enrolled Act 1250.
The law stemmed from the murder of beloved Evansville real estate agent Susan Haynie by a violent offender who was recently released from prison. The local police weren’t aware he was in the community.
“(The law) requires communities and law enforcement to be notified when serious violent offenders are released into a community, and you know this is a bill that garnered lots of support from you know folks all over the state of Indiana.”
If re-elected, his first priorities would be public policy that “protects and improves the lives of all Hoosiers.”
“I'm running for election to continue to help steer the course of progress in our region by providing leadership on important issues that face our state and our community as a whole,” O’Brien said. “And I'm focused on promoting good public policy that protects and improves the lives of all Hoosiers.”
O’Brien voted in support of redistricting the state to favor Republicans. Whether he’d vote in favor again, depends on the legislation in front of him. “When it comes to the matter of remapping, I ultimately hope that Congress takes action to ensure that states in the nation are all playing by the same set of rules,” he said.
Busby said she’s a strong candidate due to her life as a middle school teacher and a mother of two — including her young adult child with special needs.
“I understand that sometimes policy and procedure also has a human concept to it as well, and so we need people who have directly experienced these issues, considering the policy that's being put into place ”
Her first policy priorities would be bringing down utility costs for District 78 families. On the campaign trail she’s heard about how widely bills vary, and wants more control for residents.
“Also I have been a part of a family for 24 years where we have struggled to sometimes make our budget for a month,” she said. “I think that there's a direct connection between understanding that and doing something about it. I think that people who have experienced that need to be part of the conversation of policy.”
O’Brien and Busby will appear on Ballots for the November 3, general election in the 78th House District.
Interview transcript: Candidate Sally Busby
Interview transcript is AI generated with light editing
Tim Jagielo
Tell me why you're running, and tell me a little about yourself.
Sally Busby
Sure. I'm running for State House District 78. I am right now professor in the School of Education at the University of Evansville, I was a middle school English teacher for 15 years before that, and I have two children, one of whom has severe special needs.
He's 21 years old, and my daughter is a senior at Harrison and Central in the ASM program. My son, he is actually at Bossie in his last year there.
TJ
So, why did you decide to run?
SB
I decided to run because of my children, because of my students that I teach every single day, and because of this community. We can do things better than we have been. We do not have a representative who is listening to his constituents and voting based on the needs in the community.
TJ
What about your background makes you a strong candidate?
SB
I'm a mother, and I think that in itself makes me a strong candidate. Also, I'm an advocate. I have a child with severe special needs. I've had to advocate for him for 21 years of his life. I understand that sometimes policy and procedure also has a human concept to it as well, and so we need people who have directly experienced these issues, considering the policy that's being put into place, also, I have been a part of a family for 24 years where we have struggled to sometimes make our budget for a month.
There have been times where we used to have babysitter come once a week, and we went to the bank to pull out money to pay that babysitter, and realized we did not have enough money in our bank account to pay the babysitter. We just had to go back home.
Families are struggling right now, and we know that. And I think that there's a direct connection between understanding that, and doing something about it. I think that people who have experienced that, need to be part of the conversation of policy. Also, I believe that the fact that I was a middle school English teacher makes it so that I understand the importance of education and how significant providing strong public schools in our our community have on our community as a whole.
TJ
Well, we all know it's a partisan position. You're running as a Democrat, so how that how might that influence your legislation and what's the way you vote and the way you legislate?
SB
I'm an Indiana Democrat. I understand that the cost of living is going up. We need practical, common sense policy in order to support everybody here.
TJ
How might you vote differently than the incumbent has voted?
SB
I would love to just give you a list of how differently I would vote compared to Representative O'Brien. One example that I could point out in this last week is something regarding utility rates. He was in the Browning Room for a major legislators' day just about a month ago, and he heard a lot of people there sharing with him their concerns about utility rates going up and how much damage that was causing in the community.
When he had an opportunity to vote 'yes' for amendments that would help the people right here in District 78, he chose to vote 'no.' So some of those were to cap the rate increases, he chose to vote 'no.' One was to encourage solar energy, he chose to vote 'no.' That we would not have to pay taxes on utility rates. Utility rates, he chose to vote 'no' on that as well. There were things that would have protected and supported people right here in District 78 that he decided to not vote for us and instead vote for CenterPoint.
Follow-up question gathered in September:
TJ
If elected, what would your first policy priority be?
SB
My first priority is bringing down utility costs for District 78 families. I have spent this year knocking doors, and the same story keeps coming up — people can't predict what their power bill will be from one month to the next. These rising power bills force people to choose between paying rent, keeping the lights on or buying necessary medications. A lot of that comes back to CenterPoint getting the green light to raise rates while local families have to take on the cost. I would push to give Hoosiers more say over decisions that are being made far from here by people who are not living with the results.
It is the issue I hear about most at the door, by far, so it's where I would start.
Interview transcript: Rep. Tim O'Brien
Interview transcript is AI generated with light editing
Tim Jagielo
Tell me why you're running, and tell me a little about yourself.
Tim O'Brien
So I'm Tim O'Brien, state representative for House District 78. It's a pleasure to be here today, and it's truly an honor to represent Southwest Indiana in the State House. And House District 78 encompasses portions of Vanderburg and Warrick County, and I have the distinct pleasure of serving on House Ways and Means Committee, where I serve as the chairman of the K through 12 Funding Committee, which happens to be the largest portion of our state's budget.
Also serve on the Government Regulatory Reform Committee and Veterans and Public Safety. All of these committees work on policy that are very, very important to Southwest Indiana, and I'm a lifelong Hoosier. I'm a graduate of USI, and I currently reside on the east side of Evansville, where I work as a realtor, and I've had I have done that for the last 13 plus years, helping numerous families walk down their individual paths to home ownership, and helping lots of families call Indiana and Southwest Indiana home.
I'm running for election to continue to help steer the course of progress in our region by providing leadership on important issues that face our state and our community as a whole. And I'm focused on promoting good public policy that protects and improves the lives of all Hoosiers and the legislation that I've been able to work on and deliver for Southwest Indiana reflects just that, and I've got a vision for our community. It's one that's full of opportunity, and I firmly believe that opportunity is the cornerstone of our great state. It's the promise that every child, regardless of their background, regardless of their zip code, has access to a quality education that prepares them for the future and the jobs of tomorrow, it's the assurance that any hardworking Hoosier has a chance to secure a good-paying job, support their family, and ultimately achieve the American dream. And it's the belief that any community within our region, whether it's big or small, urban or rural, can truly thrive and prosper. And it's my goal to ensure that we continue to thrive and prosper in Southwest Indiana for many years to come.
TJ
You mentioned your career as realtor. What about your background makes you a strong candidate for the seat?
TO
I believe that I'm uniquely qualified to serve because I have a proven track record of delivering results for Southwest Indiana, and I also have the necessary experience that it's going to take to continue the work that's currently already in process and in progress at the state house.
I've played a key role in crafting Indiana's last biennial budget, which delivered the largest investment in K through 12 investment in K through 12 students in the state history, and expanded school choice options in Indiana. And I've helped deliver historic investments in education, strengthen Indiana's economy, and pass laws that put families first. And I'm confident that my I'm well positioned and to continue to lead. And Hoosiers deserve leaders who stay focused on delivering real world results.
TJ
And of course, the statehouse is a partisan position. What about being a Republican affects the way that you legislate?
TO
Well, being a Republican informs my general philosophy, right? You know, fiscal responsibility, limited government, and individual freedom, but it doesn't dictate the decisions that I make. My job is to represent the constituents that I serve, not a party label. That means I evaluate each issue on its merits and listen to my constituents. And I'll meet with anybody, Republican or Democrat, you know, when it leads to practical, effective solutions. And at the end of the day, I'm focused on results, accountability, and doing what's best for the for the community in which we all call home.
TJ
Is there any legislation that you were proud of that you want to highlight? And any and the flip side of that is anything that you may have done differently looking back over your first your first term?
TO
great question, and honestly, it's tough to choose given the fact that we've been able to achieve so much. And honestly, that's a good problem to have. But if I had to choose, I would say that one of the pieces of legislation I'm most proud of is co-authoring the largest tax cut in our state's history, eliminating the utility receipts tax, which you know brings affordability to Hoosiers' taxpayer, Hoosier taxpayer bills, utility bills rather, and also bring down the state income tax to one of the lowest rates in the nation among states that actually have an income tax, and all while returning hundreds of millions of dollars back into the pockets of hardworking Hoosiers.
So very proud of that, but also really proud of all of the work that we've done in regards to improving public safety. And for example, my last recent session House House Enrolled Act 1250 is a bill that you know I worked on. You know that's really important to Southwest Indiana. That's the bill that I authored after a community leader, constituent, and dear friend of mine was murdered here last fall. And this is a common sense, victim-centered, pro-public safety piece of legislation that requires communities and law enforcement to be notified when serious violent offenders are released into a community, and you know this is a bill that garnered lots of support from you know folks all over the state of Indiana.
In fact, a letter was circulated that was authored by the victim's family. You may have seen it, and it garnered more than 2800 signatures-a powerful reminder that this type of policy that I champion is supported not just by policymakers, but by the very people that we are here and sent to Indianapolis to represent. You know, so those are just two examples of pieces of legislation that I'm really proud to have worked on and had my name on.
TJ
So the votes for redistricting were a few months ago now. At this point, I believe a little time has passed. Do you have any more further thoughts on your vote with this topic?
TO
You know, before making any decision on any vote, I think it's very important to gather as much information as you possibly can, meet with folks on both sides of the issue, and meet with folks on quite frankly both sides of the aisle to basically hear different perspectives before you ultimately make a decision and you know come to any conclusion. When it comes to the matter of remapping, I ultimately hope that Congress takes action to ensure that states in the nation are all playing by the same set of rules.
But until then, this is the political environment that we're in, and I've said it before. I'll say it again. I'm focused on good public policy, protecting and improving the lives of all Hoosiers, and delivering big wins for Southwest Indiana. And that's exactly what I'm committed to doing.
TJ
(Sally Busby mentioned your decision to not vote in support of amendments regarding CenterPoint Energy, sugesting you voted 'on the side of' the utility — would you like to respond?)
TO
I would love to respond.
TJ
What votes was she talking about?
TO
Well, so during every session, numerous amendments are introduced on second reading on the House floor that don't really have the expectation of passing. But I think the goal is to basically create a talking point during a campaign, and they may sound wonderful on a surface level, but if you do a little bit of digging, the language is usually rushed, and you know it never made it through public testimony, never made it through public comment, never went through a you know a committee process or vetted properly.
And in this case, may have costed you know the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars with absolutely no plan to, you know how to pay for it. So, you know, I don't play those games. I choose responsible policy over political theater. And my caucus and myself have made affordability when it comes to utilities a priority for multiple sessions, and this last session is is is no exception.
You know, through House House Enrolled Act now 1002, we prioritize energy affordability by adding performance-based accountability measures to ensure utility companies are hitting targets aimed at reducing cost and reducing you know cost for you know consumers and increasing reliability and affordability and. Like I said earlier, we spent a lot of time in the last few sessions eliminating the utility receipts tax, bringing down utility bills for Hoosiers all over the state of Indiana, and to say nothing of last year passing meaningful property tax reform that's going to result in the majority of Hoosiers paying less on their property taxes this year than they did last year. So affordability has been a huge thing for me. That's how I'd respond.
TJ
Well, but what I don't understand is — the ideals that were being voted upon — they would not have achieved what they were striving or set to do, like not paying taxes on utility rates and casting bills and stuff like that?
TO
Like I said, they didn't go through a committee process. They weren't introduced that way. They were introduced on a bill that was already moving, so they they weren't able to be properly vetted. They weren't able to have any public testimony. I like to support pieces of legislation where public is able to come and testify, and to be able to you know you know give their thoughts and you know share their concerns and and whatnot, and actually have a fiscal analysis run on a bill to show what it really will do. And none of those amendments had that opportunity.
TJ
And so that was that was more of a procedural problem. Like those are those are ideas that you might support if they were done in a more thorough manner?
TO
Sure, you know anything like that, I definitely give some thoughtful consideration. But I like to see the language, and I want to see it go through the the formal process.
Follow-up questions gathered in September:
TJ
If reelected, what are your first policy priorities be?
TO
I’m focused on promoting good public policy that protects and improves the lives of all Hoosiers. We've delivered historic investments in education, strengthened Indiana's economy, and passed laws that put families first. I'm running for re-election because there's more to do, and Hoosiers deserve leaders who stay focused on real-world results.
TJ
Would you vote in support of redistricting again?
TO
I vote on the language in front of me. I’d need to see the bill before I could say how I’d vote. Before making any decision on any vote I think it is very important to gather as much information as you can, meet with folks on both sides of the issue and quite frankly folks on both sides of the aisle to hear different perspectives before coming to any conclusions. When it comes to the issue of remapping, ultimately I hope congress takes action to ensure that every State is playing by the same set of rules.
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