Mayor Sends Letter To State Representatives Opposing HJR6 Housebill

November 21, 2013

The Honorable Ron Bacon

Indiana House of Representatives 200 W. Washington St.

Indianapolis, IN 46204

Representative Bacon,

As the 2014 legislative session draws near, I have had several inquiries as to my position on House Joint Resolution 6.

I would like to share my thoughts and perspective to you directly, as the General Assembly is the initial decision-maker on this issue.

I have a deep appreciation for those on both sides of this issue. It inspires a lot of passion and reasonable people can disagree while respecting the views of others.

While I understand and value putting constitutional amendments before Indiana voters, I oppose the passage of HJR 6 in its current form. It is an unnecessarily divisive proposal at a time when the most critical issues of fostering economic development and creating a high quality of life in Evansville, Indiana and America require our shared focus and effort.

Governing is fundamentally about advancing your principles and finding common ground to meet the numerous challenges we all encounter in public service. That is certainly my mission each day as mayor of Evansville, and I encourage members of the General Assembly to look for an alternative way to solve this issue for the benefit of all involved.

Thank you for your public service and please let me know if my Administration can be of assistance during the legislative session.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Steve Schaefer, Chief of Staff, at 812-436-4967 or via email at sschaefer@evansville.in.gov.

Thank you again for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Winnecke, Mayor

City of Evansville

LW/mc

cc: The Honorable Vaneta Becker

The Honorable Suzanne Crouch

The Honorable Wendy McNamara

The Honorable Gail Riecken

The Honorable Jim Tomes