ALFONSO VIDAL ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR INDIANA HOUSE DISTRICT 78 SEAT

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ALFONSO VIDAL ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR INDIANA HD78

Today Alfonso Vidal officially announced his candidacy for the Indiana House of Representatives, District 78 that was held by Holli Sullivan who was recently appointed by Governor Holcomb to become the next Indiana Secretary Of State.

A Vanderburgh/Warrick County political caucus will be held on March 29th, 2021 to pick who shall be elected to serve out the remaining term of former State Representative Holli Sullivan

A STATEMENT WHY ALFONSO VIDAL IS RUNNING FOR THE INDIANA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 78 SEAT

I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1997 I was kidnapped by Colombian guerrilla, shortly after that we had to leave the country due to continued pressure from this situation. We came to Evansville, IN where we were accepted and felt welcomed like we had been here all our lives.

When I was growing up, people would tell me that getting involved in politics was dirty and that I should not do it. Having lived an enviable childhood and seeing my birth country deteriorate during my teenage years, I came to the conclusion that if good people don’t get involved in the direction of government, government will decay.

My wife, Daniela, and I decided a long time ago to get involved and help our community in any way possible (read more about it in my bio). The more we got involved the more we learned to love our adopted country and state, and we are now proud Hoosiers.

I always believed that leaving socialist Venezuela and coming here to the United States of America would shield us from the threats of that infamous ideology. However, these last years have emphasized what Ronald Reagan said “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction”. We must fight for it!

In addition, last year has been a year of many hardships and changes. People have suffered greatly but hopefully we are navigating the turbulent waters of recovery from this pandemic. Small businesses have suffered immensely due to the disruption caused by this pandemic, I know this because I own one. I have the small business expertise to help navigate these rough waters to successfully reach the ports of economic stability.

In order to have “good people” to fill the coffers of leadership, we need to invest in the best education possible for the next generation. Sometimes people in our society feel that they have been paid with a “blank check with insufficient funds”, using the true words of Martin Luther King. I believe that investment in education compounded with the availability of opportunities and choices will result in a generation that will prevent freedom from becoming extinct.

We live in a state where we are lucky to have a common sense approach to governing, and we must keep it that way. Three great governors in a row and a republican super majority have made Indiana the envy of the nation. But the pressure from the national culture is going to push our Hossier values to places that we have never experienced before.

This ever-shifting culture and society needs strong, proven leadership that knows how to navigate the pressures of change and protect our conservative values. I am that leader for southwest Indiana HD 78. If you send me to Indianapolis I will protect, promote and help develop this region to continue getting the results we need.

BIOGRAPHY OF ALFONSO R. VIDAL

Alfonso Vidal is a regional business leader and statewide community advocate who continues to drive his influence and leadership in Indiana, at a regional and state level.

​Alfonso Vidal arrived in Evansville in 1997 from Caracas, Venezuela and became a naturalized citizen in 2013.  He has an engineering degree from the University of Evansville (UE) and a master’s in industrial management from the University of Southern Indiana (USI).  He also completed an Advanced Management Education Program (AMEP) at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

​Alfonso owns Vidal Plastics, a manufacturer of engineered and recycle resins used in the injection molding industry.

During his 24 years in this community, Alfonso has dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to providing community leadership through his involvement in a number of boards and commissions. Most notably he served as chair of Growth Alliance, Vanderburgh County’s local Economic Development organization. He was also part of the Southwest Chamber of Commerce Board for over 11 years, the Leadership Evansville Board, Mayor’s Education Roundtable, and Latino Advisory Board, among others. Alfonso and his wife Daniela were founding members of HOLA, a group created in 2002 to assist the growing Latino population in Evansville.  This leadership and involvement led him to receive an honorary degree from Ivy Tech for Community Outreach and a Jefferson Award. In addition, he is a board member of the State Chamber of Commerce.
He also serves at a state level in a number of ways.  In 2007 he was appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to the Indiana Commission for Latino and Hispanic Affairs (ICHLA), which he then chaired. He also joined the Board for the Indiana Latino Institute in 2010 and the Indiana Latino Expo in 2011, where he became President of the Board.

 

In 2011 Governor Mike Pence appointed Alfonso to the Indiana Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises Commission, where he continued to serve until 2021. In 2016, he was asked to be part of Governor-Elect Holcomb’s Transition team, as co-chair of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) agency review and in 2021, Governor Holcomb appointed Alfonso as one of four Commissioners to the BMV. In 2017, Alfonso was appointed as Commissioner for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and recently served out his term earlier this year.

​In addition, Alfonso has been very involved in the Republican party, both at the local and state level.  In 2014 and 2018, he was part of the state party platform committee, where he introduced language in support of immigration reform that would be a source of economic growth for the state. In 2016 he was an alternate delegate at the Republican National Convention.

​Alfonso lives in Newburgh, Indiana with his wife, Daniela and three children, Alfonso Enrique, Isabella and Martin Eduard

FOOTNOTE:  This article was posted without editing or bias. Any other candidate for the Indiana District 78 House seat shall also be posted without editing or bias.