If using incumbent District 12 State Rep. Mike Andrade’s given name of “Miguel” instead of “Mike” could be construed as a dog whistle attempting to question his citizenship, his GOP opponent, Charles Kallas, said he didn’t mean it that way.
To him, using someone’s given name is a sign of respect, Kallas, formerly of Hammond and now of Griffith, said, and he would know since friends and family call him “Charlie.” He said he hadn’t seen anyone on his social media page refer to Andrade, of Munster, as “illegal,” but Andrade has, and he’s not buying it.
“While my legal name is Miguel, I have always gone by Mike throughout my entire life,” Andrade said, referencing the unacknowledged Oct. 9 comment. “I believe it is a dog whistle used to question my citizenship, as seen in this comment on my opponent’s Facebook post attacking me. My opponent has yet to denounce/take down this egregious baseless comment on his (social media) page.”
Andrade touted House Bill 1112, a bill he co-authored with Republican Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, on Medicaid EMS reimbursement rates, as one of his finer achievements. He was the only Democrat to sign onto the supermajority bill, which he said will reduce the cost of an ambulance for people who rely on Medicaid for their health care needs, he said.
As far as challenges that remain for him to tackle in the General Assembly, Andrade listed mental health as one of the largest. To that end, he said he was proud to have co-sponsored S.B. 82 legislation to expand mental health diagnosis and to have authored H.B. 1202, which allows Indiana to join the counseling compact, he said.
“The compact will enable counselors licensed in member states to practice in other member states via telehealth without going through the red tape involved with getting an Indiana license,” Andrade said.
Kallas said one of his first areas to tackle would be “writing legislation to combat crime, especially from out-of-state-perpetrators” — specifically, people with residency in other states who come to Indiana with the sole purpose to commit a crime.
“While Lake County as a whole has not seen spikes in violent crimes, we have seen a dramatic increase in property crime, such as, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Many of these crimes are done by perpetrators from out-of-state and we know this because of (local media news coverage),” Kallas said. “In many of these cases, the individuals in question have a warrant out for their arrest in their home state. The state legislative body needs to consider amplifying civil penalties — including sentencing and bail guidelines — for those who come to Indiana with the intended purpose of committing a crime.”
Kallas’ proposal would run headlong into Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees that states cannot discriminate against citizens of other states, and must give people from other states the same fundamental rights it gives its own citizens, according to the Annenberg Guide to the United States Constitution
Andrade said he’s brought House Veteran Affairs and Public Safety Committee Chair Randy Fry to meet with the district’s first responders and veterans in the area because “all levels of government must work together for the betterment of our community.”
With residents facing another significant NIPSCO rate increase in 2023, Kallas said he understands that there’s a remonstration process and doesn’t expect the legislature to become involved in it. He would be doing his constituents a disservice, however, if he didn’t raise the issue, while also making sure customers understand the remonstration process with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
“Even with a massive outpouring of public opinion against the rate increase, the commission may decide to vote against the stated desire of the people,” Kallas said. “I will work with the public and NIPSCO to ensure that those voices are heard.”
– Original Credit: Photo courtesy of Charles Kallas
He added that since NiSource, NIPSCO’s parent company, is publicly traded, he believes they can find the capital for expansion into solar and wind energies among their investor pool “instead of off the backs of residents who are already struggling under record-setting inflation.”
Both candidates spoke to boosting teacher salaries as a way to remedy the state’s ongoing teacher shortage. Andrade, who was endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers and Indiana State Teachers Association, authored House Bill 1343, which would’ve ensured teachers a $50,000 minimum salary. It didn’t pass, but he said he would vote to make sure teachers get “the raise they deserve.”
Kallas, on the other hand, would focus on getting rid of funding education through municipal referendums, for which districts have asked on average $3 million to $4 million per year. One way to do that, he said, would be to have the state cover school districts’ utility costs.
“Munster, Highland and Griffith school corporations pay NIPSCO on average $1 million each district per year. Why not just have the state of Indiana cover those costs, since they already cover NIPSCO’s shortfalls, and free up that money for the purpose of education as intended?” Kallas said. “This would then create a budgetary offset that could be used for salaries, which could mean an increase of $5,000-$7,000 for each teacher, or it could go for school supplies and other dire necessities.”
Kallas said he would also author legislation that would reconfigure school employees’ health care costs. Citing legislation the General Assembly enacted in 2011 that limits to 12% a school district’s share of the cost of employees’ health care coverage against the state’s cost, school districts continue to see higher health insurance costs, he said.
“I believe this portion of the law specifically should be re-evaluated and I would author legislation that would improve this area of concern,” he said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
