Jon Easter is now in his 18th year as a high school teacher on the West side of Indianapolis. Jon grew up on the West side and has lived in Indianapolis or the surrounding area nearly all his life. He is a former neighborhood group president and has served on the Decatur Township Fire Department Civilian Merit Commission since its inception. For two years, he was a reporter for the Mooresville-Decatur Times covering the Decatur Township School Board and the Decatur Township Civic Council. He is the founder and editor of the Indy Democrat Blog.
“Indiana should be a state that welcomes all, and Indianapolis has set the example when it comes to this issue. Many years ago, through the hard work of the Council and then-Mayor Bart Peterson, the city passed a Human Rights Ordinance. Now it's time for the state to follow. As a member of the LGBTQIA community, this issue is near and dear to my heart.”
“Indiana's prohibition of the sale of alcohol on Sunday is a relic of the past. Indianapolis businesses should be able to sell alcohol any day of the year.”
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
“We should be an open community that welcomes everyone with open arms. We should also stand up when people are discriminated against based upon who they are. It's wrong. That's why I would strongly back these protections.”
“I oppose mandatory minimum sentences, but I do support the death penalty for particularly heinous crimes.”
“I support choice on an equal playing field. The system we have now, however, is tilted against public schools. We also must be more careful with the idea of quantity over quality. Our traditional public schools should be of high quality, but so should charter options. I would scrutinize details about new charter schools before voting to approve them. Strongly against voucher programs.”
“While I understand the dangers of gambling, I also understand that some people enjoy it. I believe that this is an economic development opportunity for Indianapolis, and I would support the very careful expansion of gambling and even casinos in our city.”
“I believe each township's voters should be allowed to vote about whether or not it wishes to surrender its government. At minimum, the City-County Council should be allowed to vote and then have those Councillors be accountable to the community at large for those votes. In general, I believe in the best, most affordable service for constituents.”
“I strongly support a path to citizenship and a way to help "dreamers" in our community. This is largely out of the realm and scope of the City-County Council, however.”
“I would strongly support and advocate for the General Assembly to raise Indiana's minimum wage to a living wage.”
“Organized labor has brought us things like paid vacations, weekends off, a minimum wage, a 40-hour work week, overtime pay, and much more. We are all better when everyone is represented at the table. I strongly support our brothers and sisters in organized labor and our service unions.”
“We need an all of the above strategy to attack our public transportation problem in Indianapolis. Our city is very difficult to navigate without the benefit of an automobile. That should not be the case. We need to look at mass transit as an investment for the economic development of our city.”
“I support the long held division of church and state when it comes to public policy. My spiritual identity is very important to me, but I would never let my beliefs define my work in the public sector. ”
“Very broad question. I do support the legalization of marijuana.”
“I will never pledge to do anything I cannot promise to do. Therefore, I cannot pledge that I will never vote to raise taxes. Raising taxes will have to be justified to me by any proposed ordinance or body that wishes to raise them before I will vote for higher taxes. ”
Paid for by Committee to Elect Jon Easter