Lt. Governor Skillman leaning to run in 2012

The Indiana Lt. Governor has more constitutional and statutory duties than most other state number-twos in the nation.

After spending the past five years addressing responsibilities as Lt. Governor, Republican Becky Skillman said Tuesday she might run for Governor in 2012.

Working with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Skillman has spent her time presiding over the state Senate and working on some of the state’s most important policy issues.

Skillman said she has thought about running for governor but she said it’s no easy task. Skillman has 28 yearsof experience in public service and currently oversees seven state agencies.

“Right now, I’m leaning toward running,” Skillman said. “I never said I wouldn’t run.”

When the Obama administration provided stimulus funds to Indiana, Gov. Daniels tasked Skillman with appropriating the funds. Skillman’s desire to protect small businesses earned her the nickname “Guardian of Small Business” from the National Federation of Independent Business in 1996.

Skillman said it’s still too early to know if the business expansions will improve unemployment rates, citing that she was not a fan of the stimulus. However, Skillman said she was willing to cooperate with decisions made in D.C.

“9.8 percent unemployment is nothing to be proud of,” Skillman said.

Skillman said though Indiana is struggling with rising unemployment rates, there are positives as well. Indiana has the lowest unemployment rate in the Midwest and is one of the few states with a balanced budget.

“We are holding economically and fiscally,” Skillman said. “We are showing numbers of hope and promise in the growth of business expansion.”

Skillman said education was also a priority for Indiana despite the fact that tough decisions were made to cut funding.

Skillman said the formulas used to allocate funds for schools K-12 is so complicated that most Indiana legislatures don’t completely understand them, which is part of the reason Indiana education funding distribution is a hot topic.

A native of Bedford, Ind., Skillman said some of the most important issues to her are rural affairs, agriculture and small business.