Emotions run high at Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s town hall in Franklin
Mar 31, 2025
FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — It did not take long before Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s town hall devolved into people yelling.
In fact, tempers ran hot on just the first questioner.
“You’re a charlatan and a phony!” yelled the first man to talk at the event at Franklin City Hall.
One woman who yelled during the town hall was removed as staff had warned before the event would happen to people exhibiting disruptive behavior.
Beckwith took questions ranging from concerns over a Indiana Department of Transportation project to bills in the Indiana House and Senate, and, most notably, concerns about vouchers for private schools.
Linda Monroe is an Indianapolis resident and public school teacher. “We need to get rid of vouchers. We need to send that money back to public schools and improve the education of all students.”
Another man said the voucher system was not taking away from public schools, but rather the priorities are shifted toward funding sports and extracurriculars “I’m all for my tax dollars going to those vouchers and paying for those poor kids to get them out of the failing public schools.”
Beckwith responded, “We believe tax dollars should follow the parents, but it’s OK. People can disagree with us on this.”
A pastor took concern with language and policies he felt were not in line with his practice of Christianity. “How do you reconcile your call to follow Jesus, to welcome the outcast, to heal the hurting, to lay down the power with policies that seem to punish the marginalized? Silence the dissent and privilege one religion over another’s?
The lieutenant governor said, while there was not much support in this room in Franklin, a city about 25 miles south of Indianapolis, he has support in other parts of the state. “Majority of the people in this room were obviously on the other side of the isle. Very passionate. But, when we travel the state we overwhelmingly have support from all four corners of the state.”
Beckwith says other elected representatives should hold similar town halls to hear from the people.
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