Published: July 01, 2008 09:30 pm         

Congressman faces GOP Greg Goode in November

TERRE HAUTE — After U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth finished his prepared speech Tuesday morning, Sheriff Jon R. Marvel told a story that wasn’t on the glossy paper that Ellsworth had astutely eyed while addressing a crowd of about 50 people at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 972.

Marvel said Ellsworth canceled a scheduled trip to Miami and came to Terre Haute to address the June 6-7 flood issues with Terre Haute residents.

“When you’re a public servant and your public is hurt, and Terre Haute was that day,” Ellsworth said, “for me to get on a plane and leave my constituents alone was not the right call.”

Being accountable was part of the platform Ellsworth presented at his 10:30 a.m. speech at Post 972. The appearance was one leg of a four-city tour of Indiana’s 8th Congressional District in his re-election campaign. Ellsworth will compete against Republican candidate Greg Goode in the general election in November.

The first-term Democrat emphasized being personable and accessible, proclaiming that he will “change the way Washington works.”

“This campaign is going to be about you, and it’s going to continue about the issues,” Ellsworth said. “My pledge is to keep this positive and on the issues.”

He addressed many issues weighing on the minds of Terre Haute residents and beyond. He spoke about an incremental deployment from the Iraq War, government spending and an increase in GI Bill and veteran benefits.

But Ellsworth chiefly addressed flood relief for the area, and was blunt when stating the steps needed to cope with the flood through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“It’s not fast,” Ellsworth said of the solution. “It’s not something that comes immediately. On the Sunday I was here, people were wondering if they were going to get a check that day and that’s just not the way FEMA works.”

Ellsworth said issues regarding rail relocation, a small-business incubator with the Chamber of Commerce and the needs of Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology were on the list of things he will pursue if re-elected.

He began addressing the issues with former Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke, and will continue through Mayor Duke Bennett, he said.

He has a three-pronged system he will execute if re-elected: working with individuals on particular problems with the federal government, working with the community on economic development, and legislation on the federal level.

Ellsworth said his campaign will take an open approach.

“We’ll continue to run this campaign the way we run our lives,” Ellsworth said. “Telling the truth, being honest. We like to tell you the good, but it’s also important that we tell you the bad.”

During his first term in office, Ellsworth introduced bills regarding small-business owners, law enforcement and presented a bill that prevents large corporations from evading taxes.

Before running for office, Ellsworth was sheriff of Vanderburgh County for eight years, and gained national attention for his relief efforts in Evansville during the aftermath of a 2005 tornado.

Ellsworth posted a landslide victory in 2006, winning 61 percent of the general vote, including a win by 11,000 votes in Vigo County. His 2006 victory was part of a public shift to the Democratic Party that allowed the party to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years.

DeAntae Prince can be reached at (812)231-4214 or deantae.prince@tribstar.com.