Welch, Shean engage in first open debate

In their first debate, state District 60 Rep. Peggy Welch and Republican candidate John Shean focused on property taxes and drawing new industry to the area.\nSponsored by the Monroe County Building Association, a local, state and national group of workers involved in the home-building industry, the debate drew about 35 people to the Monroe County Library to hear the two candidates answer a series of questions, many from audience members. The forum was also televised on B-CAT.\nBoth candidates agreed that investigating ways to lower property taxes should be pursued, and Shean sees an increase in the sales tax as a definite possibility.\n"The sales tax - many people have suggested to me - is an alternative of raising revenue for education," he said. "For each percentage increase in sales we could raise $700 million and lower our property tax."\nWelch, a cancer nurse at Bloomington Hospital, said she would not be opposed to an additional tax on cigarettes, but relying on sales and tobacco taxes would not be able to raise the 1.3 billion education currently receives from property taxes.\n"That's not going to generate the kind of money we're going need to replace the 1.3 billion or more," she said.\nBloomington resident Patty Pizzo said funding education with property taxes is a major issue.\n"Property taxes need to be adjusted, and I think we need to go to a greater income tax and not a greater sales tax," she said. "The sales tax is an unfair tax ' it taxes the rich as well as the poor."\nWith the closing of the Thomson and General Electric plants, the candidates touched on ways to bring new businesses to Bloomington. \nBoth agree abatements are necessary in some instances. Welch said she believes in a more cautious approach.\n"I do believe we need to hold those corporations, those businesses that we give abatements accountable so that they don't take the money and run."\nShean's rebuttal prompted some of the only applause of the night.\n"In essence, the whole state of Indiana needs a tax abatement," he said.\nThe candidates agreed that the completion of Interstate-69, which would create a direct route extending from Evansville to Indianapolis, and on a larger scale from Mexico to Canada, would attract companies to the area. \nWelch said funding community colleges gives residents the chance to get into more higher-tech companies.\nShean, an attorney, said another way to lure new industry is to make Indiana competitive by eliminating the inventory tax, which taxes businesses on property such as supplies and stock, like in a distribution center.\nWhen asked about what measures they would take as state representatives to combat environmental terrorism, Shean said he would move to adopt stricter policies against acts such as the Earth Liberation Front's damage to a home on the southeast side of Bloomington in January. \nShean favors increased penalties. "We cannot live under the threat of left-wing terrorists in this county or anywhere else in this country."\nWelch said vandalism should not be tolerated, but that citizens have the right to free speech.\n"We have to realize that people are allowed to speak their minds and protest, and there are peaceful protests that are also going on by the environmentalists," she said.