New Sen. Donnelly meets with farmers in Valparaiso
By Amy Lavalley Post-Tribune correspondent January 17, 2013 1:27PM
U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (left) makes a stop at Birky Farms in Valparaiso, Ind. Thursday January 17, 2013. Donnelly was on his sixteenth of 18 stops during a tour around the state visiting with residents. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 19, 2013 3:06PM
VALPARAISO — U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and about 20 farmers had a private meeting Thursday at Birky Farm in Morgan Township, part of a four-day, 1,000-plus mile journey across the state that featured similar meetings with representatives of agriculture and small business, which Donnelly called cornerstones of the state’s economy.
Donnelly’s plans for the day also included a visit to a South Bend small business; the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology, a charter school where he planned to meet with Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott; and Purdue University in West Lafayette, where he hoped to meet with former governor and now university president Mitch Daniels.
While Donnelly said manufacturing and industry have had difficulties in recent years, the agricultural community kept the state’s economy moving forward.
Donnelly, who represented the 2nd Congressional District before being elected to take Richard Lugar’s spot in the Senate during the general election, said agricultural growth must continue, even as development continues as well.
In his six years in Congress, Donnelly said he never worried about politics and Democrats and Republicans, but on how to make the economy grow.
“The best social program is Mom or Dad having a good job,” he said, adding that reducing the nation’s debt and putting the country in a better financial position will be priorities when he returns in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
The day after President Barack Obama made several proposals for gun control in light of recent mass shootings, including one last month at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., Donnelly said he is both a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and a father, and wants schools and work places to be safe.
“This is a multifaceted effort,” he said of the president’s proposals, which include a mental health component and improved background checks for those purchasing weapons. “I’m hoping we can come to a place of common ground.”
Shortly before stepping into the meeting with the farmers, Donnelly acknowledged the role he now plays for the state.
“I follow a man of tremendous talent who’s an Indiana legacy,” Donnelly said of his predecessor. “Our job is to do the best we can every day.”
