Political newcomer challenges District 73 representative in primary

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District 73 State Rep. Steve Davisson, R-Salem, has a challenger for his seat.

Political newcomer Buford DeWitt of Paoli is on the primary election ballot in hopes of taking the seat for the district, which includes Carr, Driftwood, Grassy Fork and Owen townships and parts of Brownstown Township in Jackson County. That includes Clearspring, Medora, Norman, Sparksville, Tampico, Vallonia and Wegan.

Davisson, 60, owns Good Living Pharmacy in Salem and was first elected to the Statehouse in November 2010 and has been re-elected ever since.

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He said he wants to continue to work to make Indiana a business-friendly state.

“We’ve been working really hard the last few years to make Indiana proactive in attracting jobs into the state,” he said. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job creating an environment that’s friendly for new businesses and new jobs.”

DeWitt, 68, a retired conservation and police officer, said this is another way for him to serve the people of Indiana. He currently serves as a chaplain for the state and Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“My entire life has been about being a public servant,” he said. “I care, and I have the time and desire.”

Both men expressed frustration by the General Assembly’s need for a special session scheduled for May 14.

“I am a little frustrated about it because on our side, we thought we had things done, but unfortunately, there were holdups on the other side of the chamber,” Davisson said. “We were there late a few nights.”

DeWitt said many have become accustomed to the federal and state governments having issues like the assembly is facing, but he wouldn’t be critical of the legislature without knowing all of the details.

“I see this stuff on the federal and state level,” he said. “I can’t stand here and throw rocks when I don’t know what’s going on on the inside. I do know we have good men and women in the legislature where their hearts and minds are in the right place.”

The assembly will deal with a few issues like school safety and funding for schools during the special session.

Davisson expects the special session to last one day.

“We did have a day set aside for technical corrections, so what I understand, we will be able to do all our work in technical correction day and not put us over the top,” he said.

Both men said they are eager to work on the state’s opioid epidemic.

DeWitt said his background in law enforcement and within the judicial system would make him an effective representative.

“I have worked the streets as an undercover officer and am familiar with the judicial system,” he said. “I’ve also been active in programs to prevent people from going back into jail after they leave.”

Davisson said he has worked on the issue for some time and has a different perspective being a pharmacist. He said he has worked on a record-keeping initiative since 2012 to prevent people from getting multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors and pharmacies.

“Being a pharmacist, it’s a close issue to me,” he said. “I see a lot of positives and negatives, and I think I have a good handle on it form the front lines of the health care industry.”

Davisson said he also wants to expand a pilot program for a mobile treatment facility to help people struggling with addiction in underserved areas.

“As I travel around the district, I always run into people that want to get a relative or someone into a treatment place, but the waiting period was too long and there is a waiting list,” he said.

DeWitt said training people in jails and prisons also would help keep them from returning to a life of crime. He said the state’s prisons and local jails need to take a personal approach to help inmates acquire skills for job training.

“We need to do interviews and questionnaires on what each inmate wants to do,” he said. “We need to teach them and prepare them for a job to see they’re well trained enough to where an employer will take a second look.”

Davisson said he would like to continue to help develop a workforce that is ready for jobs that come into the state.

He said more and more jobs require a new set of skills.

“What I’d like to see and continue to work on is improving our workforce,” he said. “I think we need to find ways to retrain workers for the 21st century.”

He wants to start programs in schools to better equip them.

“That way, we have that workforce available,” he said. “That way, when a company wants to come here, they have the workforce they need.”

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