Town board discusses ordinances
Governor Daniels visits Versailles State Park
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

Will we get an inn at the Versailles State Park?

Will the license branch be moved from Versailles?

Those and other questions were asked of Governor Mitch Daniels when he visited the Versailles State Park on Thursday of last week.

The governor addressed the question of the inn by saying he is "very eager to see an inn at Versailles." He noted that Kyle Hupfer, director of the Department of Natural Resources for the state has been working on the project. Hupfer, who was in the audience, stated that his department would be willing to do more groundwork on the project. "We might need to do a little more marketing," agreed the Governor.

What about the license branch issue? The governor noted that closing several license bureaus across the state was simply a matter of improving the system overall. Saying, while saving money is important, that was not the overlying issue at hand.

Governor Daniels said that Texas and California are the only two states in the country with more license branches than Indiana. He noted that Virginia had half as many. He noted that there will be public hearings on the matter in the future where people can express themselves. Then everything will be weighed and the state will proceed from that point.

The governor talked about the state overall saying this is the first time in ten years the budget is balanced. He described his months in office as being "very busy, very eventful." He noted that Indiana had slipped behind in a lot of ways and his administration was addressing several issues. "We don't pretend that every single thing we've done has been right on target..." He further noted that while he makes no pretense of being perfect, he says he will make mistakes but at least his administration is taking action, not sitting still.

Saying he sees the lack of good paying jobs as the biggest problem, the governor said there is still a lot to do. He pledged to work with economic development to bring better paying jobs to Indiana. He said he would lower obstacles, speed up permits, do what he could to help companies.

Pam Sander, economic development director for Ripley County was in attendance and thanked the Governor for his help.

Commissioner Lawrence Nickell thanked the Governor for his help in saving riverboat revenue for the county. Daniels noted that many counties who are struggling, want some of the revenue. He further commended Ripley County for their use of the riverboat money saying, "It has been put to good use in this county."

Saying companies may not know it yet, but Indiana is a great state to
locate a business. He talked about companies being able to receive a "forgiveable loan". That would be a loan from the state that would be forgiven in part if the company holds up their end of the deal.

The Governor, who was known for his grassroots efforts when he campaigned, has kept good on his pledge to visit small communities and hear the voice of all Hoosiers. Before he addressed the crowd at the park, he spoke to those in attendance in small groups, and one-on-one.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO

Governor Mitch Daniels, pictured in hat, addressed those in attendance at the Versailles State Park on Thursday, June 16. The informal setting provided the governor a chance to talk one-on-one with constituents and answer questions about the possibility of the Versailles License Branch closing, an inn coming to the Versailles State Park and much more.