By CANDY NEAL
JASPER — Shane Lindauer of Jasper was selected Monday evening to become District 63’s newest state representative.
Lindauer
LindauerLindauer, 43, will complete the last year of Mike Braun’s term. Braun resigned, effective Wednesday, to concentrate on his bid for U.S. Senate.
“I wanted the opportunity to serve the community again,” Lindauer said this morning. “It’s something that is important to me, having an opportunity to serve and be a part of this community.”
District 63 includes Bainbridge, Boone, Columbia, Hall, Harbison, Madison and Marion townships in Dubois County and parts of Pike, Daviess and Martin counties.
Lindauer was chosen during a caucus of district Republican committeemen and committeewomen, which was held at Jasper City Hall.
Of the 43 voting members at Monday’s caucus, Lindauer received 30 votes (70 percent) with his only competitor, Jerry Sidebottom of Washington, receiving 13 votes (30 percent).
Lindauer thanked the caucus for their vote of confidence in him after the vote was announced. “I want to make sure going forward, I’m as available to anyone who wants to speak to me as possible,” he said.
He also thanked Sidebottom for being cordial and kind to him. Lindauer had called Sidebottom, who is a Washington city councilman, last week to introduce himself, not knowing that he was running as well. “He has been gracious through the whole process,” Lindauer said.
A 1992 Jasper High School graduate, Lindauer has a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology supervision from Indiana State University, doctorate and bachelor’s degree in health and human services, and a doctorate of chiropractic from Logan College of Chiropractic, located in Chesterfield, Missouri. He has served in the Indiana and Missouri Army National Guard and has held adjunct faculty teaching positions at Oakland City University-Bedford and at Ivy Tech in Evansville.
He has owned his own chiropractic business and now is co-owner of his family’s business, Jasper Salvage.
Lindauer was a Dubois County councilman for one four-year term, representing District 2. He did not run for a second term because he moved out of District 2; by law, a councilman representing a district must live in that district.
Lindauer and his wife, Stacy (Kieffner), live in Jasper with their two children — Tyler, 6, and Colton, 2.
Since he is new to the state representative position, he doesn’t have specific legislation in mind yet. But he has three guiding principles that he plans to follow, he said this morning.
“I don’t believe that government is supposed to create wealth. It is supposed to institute situations where wealth can be created,” he said. “In that vein, we need to be judicious of how we spend people’s money.”
Another principle he strongly believes in is empowering local government. “Local government is more accountable to the people and more nimble when change needs to occur,” he said. “I understand that there are some situations where state government is better suited to act. But I believe that the more significant impact comes from local government. (Local officials) hear directly from people a lot more readily than the state does.”
The third principle involves his strong pro-life stance. “Government was instituted to protect life, liberty and property,” he said. “But you cannot have liberty and property without first being given the opportunity at life.”
State Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, introduced Lindauer at the caucus. Messmer, who used to hold the state representative seat, said he talked to Lindauer about running for the District 63 seat in 2013, when he decided to run for the state Senate. Lindauer said it wasn’t the right time for him and his family to pursue the seat.
“When I look at somebody who views public service as I do, and has a servant’s attitude at heart,” Messmer said, “I couldn’t have found anyone that met that description better then Shane.”
Lindauer announced in August his intentions to run for the state representative seat in next year’s election. He still plans to do that, he said.
