INDIANAPOLIS —
Some of the Indiana Statehouse Democrats who were overjoyed to see a new nameplate outside the office of the House Minority Leader confess to a recurring dream: The old occupant isn’t really gone, just lurking in the shadows waiting to return.
It seems that no one can quite believe that the reign of B. Patrick Bauer has come to an end. For a decade, in good times and bad for his party, he ruled with what friends and critics alike said was an iron fist clamped tightly to his seat of power.
His seat is gone — literally. Last week, the woman chosen by House Democrats to replace him in a dramatic coup moved Bauer's desk out and replaced it with a conference room table.
Seven-term House Democrat Linda Lawson wanted to send a visual signal that times had changed, following the late July ouster vote that Bauer initially — and vehemently — challenged as illegal.
But as Lawson was moving furniture, others in the Statehouse were worrying that it all may be a temporary move.
Two veteran Statehouse observers who’ve seen partisan coups come and go say those fears may be verifiable. Indiana Legislative Insight publisher Ed Feigenbaum and Howey Politics Indiana publisher Brian Howey both warn against writing Bauer’s political obituary.
Their advice is based on math. Only 23 of the 40 House Democrats took an active role in the coup. They, along with the House Dems who supported the ouster but didn’t take part in the ouster vote, may not have the numbers to sustain the regime change after the November election. Many are either lame ducks or face tough challenges from their GOP opponents.
Lawson may be a temporary place holder, but she’s pounding on this message while she can: The world only spins forward.
Lawson and her fellow dissidents say the future of their party — which they argue had become the obstructionist “party of no” with no positive ideas under Bauer — is at stake.
It’s way too early to know who will prevail. Lawson doesn’t have a thirst for power; she’s a private person and relative introvert compared to some of her colleagues; she favors collaboration over control and was picked in part because of her skills as a peacekeeper.
But she is, to borrow a cliché, one tough broad. She’s a former cop from the gritty city of Hammond who quickly rose through the ranks to become a captain. A mother and grandmother, she tells a funny story about being thought of as “that girl who won’t cause trouble” only to later topple that expectation.
In 1976, Lawson became the first female police officer on the Hammond force; now, after 196 years of men in charge of the Statehouse, she’s the first woman to be the leader of either party.
She’s survived much worse than partisan in-fighting and intra-caucus drama. In May 2007, her husband, Jim Hornak, was killed in a car accident, after a head-on collision with a semi-tractor trailer.
Hornak was the one who’d encouraged Lawson to make her first run at the Statehouse. Last week, after having moved in that conference room table to her new office, Lawson was thinking of her late husband.
“He’d be so happy, he’d be doing a jig.”
Maureen Hayden is the Indiana Statehouse bureau chief for CNHI, the parent company of the Tribune-Star. She can be reached at maureen.hayden@ indianamediagroup.com.
Local & Bistate
Democrats’ Lawson in and Bauer out, but for how long?
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Co-Op to Feed group delivering to needy
Three Terre Haute organizations are teaming up to deliver food boxes to “the neediest of needy” with specific health concerns on a monthly basis.
-
Field trips to take big hit next year
The Vigo County School Corp. plans to inform school staff of “deep cuts” in student field trips for the next school year, Superintendent Dan Tanoos said Friday.
-
Donation drive in Valley aims to send help to Oklahoma tornado victims
Terre Haute Ministries, along with WTWO, WAWV, Q102.7 and 100.7 Mix-FM are joining forces to help those impacted by tornadoes in Moore, Okla.
-
Invention makes houses safer from tornadoes
A Terre Haute man has developed a building construction system that increases the strength of a home, especially from a tornado.
-
ISU to stage public hearing on proposed tuition increase
Indiana State University will conduct a public hearing at 2 p.m. June 4 to receive input on a proposed 1.95 percent increase in student tuition and mandatory fees for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.
-
Trial date set for man accused of attacking Vigo County deputy
A Terre Haute man accused of attacking a Vigo County Sheriff’s Deputy has an Aug. 12 trial date.
-
Technology speeds disaster alerts, response
Caitria O’Neill remembers her reaction to hearing tornado warnings on June 1, 2011. She went to the grocery store, she said, “because I live in Massachusetts, and we don’t get tornadoes.”
-
Health information to be provided for blood donors
People who give blood at Clinton Gardens’ blood drive Tuesday will leave knowing valuable information about their health. Donors will find out their cholesterol level, blood pressure, blood type and iron levels at no cost.
-
‘This is the best day of my life’
-
Sullivan man airlifted to Indy after crash
A Sullivan man was in critical condition at an Indianapolis hospital Friday after his pickup truck collided with a tanker truck in Sullivan County.
-
Veterans Memorial Park dedication set for Monday
Memorial Day ceremonies will include a special event this year.
-
Ill. House approves guns plan opposed by governor
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gun owners in the only state still banning concealed weapons would win that right under a plan approved by the Illinois House on Friday, but the governor and other powerful Democrats oppose the plan because it would wipe out local gun ordinances — including Chicago's ban on assault weapons.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 24, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 23, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Wednesday and Thursday, based on jail records.
-
Relic from another age: Massive find
A mastodon that lived in the Wabash Valley thousands of years ago is making big news today.
-
Game Over: Financial tightening causes VCSC to drop St. Patrick’s from athletic schedule
St. Patrick’s School athletic teams will not have an opportunity to compete against their Vigo County School Corp. middle school counterparts next year.
-
Katelyn Newell finally at home
After nearly five months, 8-year-old Katelyn Newell finally returned home Thursday evening — with a new heart.
-
Indiana State U. Police officer honored with Artz Award
Thursday was a special day for Indiana State University Police Officer Christopher Heleine in multiple ways.
-
City Council considering three for consultant
Three different tax professionals vied Thursday for a chance to become a “financial consultant” to the Terre Haute City Council.
-
Clay County sheriff warns of bank card scam
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department has received information regarding a scam targeting residents, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department.
-
State Police seek help with Sullivan County homicide
Indiana State Police detectives from the Putnamville Post are seeking help from the public with the nearly six-month investigation into the death of 85-year-old Lowell R. Badger, a rural Sullivan County farmer.
-
Man who attacked Vigo deputy arrested
A Terre Haute man accused of attacking a Vigo County sheriff’s deputy earlier this week is facing felony charges in the Vigo County jail.
-
INDOT to bid final 641 phase
The final construction phase of the 641 bypass is scheduled to let for bids on Dec. 11, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
-
District office moves north
The Southwest District office of the Purdue Extension service has been moved north from Vincennes to Terre Haute.
-
Day is done…
The sun sets Thursday evening as seen from south of Terre Haute.
-
Morning update: I-5 bridge collapse caused by truck hitting span
The Washington State Patrol chief says the Interstate 5 bridge collapse into the Skagit (SKA'-jiht) River at Mount Vernon was caused by an oversize truck.
-
UPDATE: I-70 lanes in Putnam County now open
The west-bound lanes of Interstate 70 re-opened Thursday evening after being temporarily closed due to a crash near the Greencastle/Cloverdale exit.
-
22-hospital St. Vincent Health cutting jobs
INDIANAPOLIS — One of Indiana’s largest health systems says it’s cutting an undisclosed number of jobs by June 30 because of increasing economic and competitive pressure on the health care industry.
-
Update: Cleanup from overturned truck in Greene County continues
Fuel spillage from the dump truck hauling gravel that overturned this morning in Greene County at Indiana 54 and County Road 725 East near Ridgeport continues to restrict traffic to one lane.
-
17-pound bone found during Vigo flood cleanup
TERRE HAUTE — Crews cleaning up from Wabash River flooding in Vigo County came across a 17-pound bone that they believe might have come from an ancient mastodon.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-




