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As governor, what would you do boost the economy of rural Indiana?
It was famously observed about Indiana, “I don’t know what it is about Hoosiers. But wherever you go, there is always a Hoosier doing something very important there.” This saying is one that is used often by Indiana leaders and locals alike, but as I’ve learned in my past two years traveling the state, it’s often used because its words are true.
I’ve learned and noticed many things on the campaign trail, but one stands out as particularly important to this point in Indiana history: Our rural communities are home to the people doing the very important work famously referenced.
Our small towns are incubators for small business formation, the hallmark of Indiana’s robust agriculture industry, and above all, the place where our Hoosier values are on highest display. It’s the spirit of community and the expression of faith, family and freedom that make the most compelling case against the sad trend of “leaders” letting our rural communities die.
For too long, the 2 million Hoosiers who live in our small towns have been forgotten. Politicians have neglected the very way of life and the very people who do much of the important work that represents the very fiber of our state. Government actors have tried to steal resources from rural communities to transport them to urban ones. They have taken land from the family farms and failed to protect our agriculture industry. They have let our historic downtowns crumble and decay. Public servants have forgotten the very heart of their calling to “serve” by ignoring the voices of rural community residents and failing to address the struggles these communities are facing.
While the state was expected to invest more than $1 billion in economic development initiatives in 2023, leaders are missing a strategy that ensures adequate investment reaches our rural communities. Most of these communities have experienced a significant loss in population over the last 40 years, and current projections show that 59 of our 92 counties are expected to see population loss from 2015-2050. In many cases, the core historic downtowns of these communities have 50% to 80% of their buildings in significant distress or actually falling down.
The reality of our current day is clear. If we want to reverse population decline and grow our rural communities, we cannot be a state where only three or four counties are thriving. Indiana must be a state where all 92 counties are thriving.
For the first time, we have a bold playbook for Indiana’s rural communities and small towns. Our administration’s Indiana Main Street Initiative will create $4 billion in economic activity in rural communities by dedicating 10% of Indiana’s economic incentives to our Main Streets. By empowering local leaders, we will provide rural communities the critical investment they need to complete transformative projects and revitalize our Main Streets. In restoring opportunities to our rural communities, we can stimulate economic and population growth, enhance small business creation, and restore community pride. By investing in our rural communities, we will attract new talent and retain our hard-working Hoosiers.
As leaders, we can’t sit passively by and watch our small towns die. We need a candidate who cares, not another D.C. politician or insider who fails to understand this problem. We need a candidate who is a voice for the 2 million residents of rural Indiana. They’re why I’m running for governor.•
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Doden, a Republican, was president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. under then-Gov. Mike Pence. He is a founding partner of Cumberland Development Co. Send comments on this column to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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