Former Porter County Council member Jeff Larson, a Republican, seeks to unseat Democrat Chuck Moseley, who has been in the Indiana House of Representatives in the District 10 seat since 2009.

Both candidates know drafting the biennial budget next year will be a challenge.

“You and I know that government does not run on thrift,” Larson said, saying there are a lot of areas where the state can cut back. It’s nice to have reserves — anyone with a savings account knows the importance of having money set aside in case you’re laid off or another crisis occurs — but he said you can’t forget people have needs.

Instead of expanding Interstate 69 or U.S. 31 further south, he said, there are other issues to deal with first, like investing in communities,

Larson said that being a member of the Republican Party, which has a supermajority in the Indiana General Assembly, he would be able to get things done for the district. “If you can’t fight ‘em, join ‘em,” he said.

Moseley said he has been able to get things done even as a member of the distinct minority. One example was addressing mental health needs in jails by requiring evaluations for new prisoners.

He also passed a “stolen valor” law making it illegal to claim a veteran’s discount without having served in the military. That law was inspired by a loud argument Moseley witnessed at Southlake Mall, where one guy accused another of cheating to get that discount.

“There’s been so many things that I’ve been able to work across the aisle with and get accomplished,” he said.

Moseley next wants to address property tax credits for senior citizens so they’re not priced out of their homes. The property tax caps enshrined in the state Constitution during Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ tenure didn’t take into account the sharp increase in assessed values since then. Moseley wants to raise the top home value to about $350,000 — a $100,000 increase — for seniors to still qualify for property tax relief.

Larson, who taught school for 20 years, wants to see the state invest more in public schools. “We’ve got great schools here,” he said, but teacher pay is an issue. “We’ve got to get salaries in line with the great corporations we have so that people want to work here,” he said.

Moseley said 37% of state aid to schools goes to private and charter schools, which have only 7% of the state’s students. “I’m not saying we need to spend more and more and more. What I am saying is that we need to be more mindful of how we’re spending those dollars that we have available today,” he said.

Unlike some Republicans, Larson stressed, he is a centrist. He and his 21-year-old daughter have talked about a variety of issues facing the state and its residents, including affordability and availability of mental health care. “That’s an area where we could really improve,” he said.

“Being on the County Council was really eye-opening,” he said. “I’ve had former students that struggle to find help, and it’s heartbreaking. We’re lagging behind as a state in wages. We’re also lagging in our healthcare systems.”

Moseley wants to create a way for local governments to track public construction projects to make sure workers are paid the going rate and that their employers are paying into the state’s unemployment benefit system if the company is based elsewhere. “It’s estimated that the state of Indiana is losing somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 million a year that is not being reported and paid into our workers compensation program and our unemployment benefit program,” he said, putting a strain on those programs.

Employers who are following the law shouldn’t have to bear the burden of those who don’t, he said.

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.